The Pennsylvania Chautauqua
Mount Gretna, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
One of over 200 Chautauquas created as part of a late 19th , early 20th C. movement that began in 1874 at Lake Chatauqua, NY. It grew to include many programs in the arts, sciences and religion and sought to educate people of all social standings. The PA Chautauqua opened here in 1892 on land that was later purchased from industrialist Robert Coleman; over time a number of public buildings were constructed to further its mission.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Opened at Mount Gretna in 1892, the Pennsylvania Chautauqua was one of more than 200 communities inspired by the movement that began in 1874 at Lake Chautauqua, New York. These summer gatherings blended lectures, arts, science, and religion in an effort to bring education to Americans of every walk of life. Built partly on land later purchased from ironmaster Robert Coleman, the grounds grew a collection of public buildings devoted to that mission.
Why it matters
The Chautauqua movement was one of the great popular-education phenomena of Gilded Age America, and Mount Gretna preserves a rare living example of that idealistic drive to enlighten the whole public.
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Related people
- · Robert Coleman
Themes & tags
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