Cliveden Conversations

Join Cliveden for thought-provoking discussion.

More Cliveden Conversation programs coming this fall.

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Follow Cliveden here and on social media for more information as fall programming is announced. Below, please enjoy recordings from our past spring Cliveden Conversations.

Past Cliveden Conversations

reconstructing black families

Reconstructing Black Families: Stories from the Chew Papers

Wednesday, April 18, 2023

Spread throughout the 288.5 linear feet of the Chew Family Papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania is the evidence of the lives of early American families of African descent, both free and enslaved. Recent digitization work and research by the African American Genealogy Group (AAGG) has started to re-create family groups from the Mid-Atlantic region. Hear from members of AAGG on their findings and learn from Cliveden staff about the impact this work has on the interpretation at a local historic site.  A recording of the program is available.

This project was funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Interpretation and Education Endowed Fund that was made possible by a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Cliveden Conversation habit forming

Habit Forming: Drug Addiction in mid-19th century Philadelphia

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 7pm

Dr. Kelly Gray explored the history of habitual drug use, focusing on opiate use and addiction in mid-19th century Philadelphia. Our current exhibit at Cliveden, The Turmoil of Transition, discusses how addiction affected the lives of those at Cliveden during the mid-19th century. Dr. Gray is a professor of history at Towson University and author of the new book Habit Forming: Drug Addiction in America 1776-1914 which explores the history of habitual drug use the era when drug sales were almost entirely unregulated and how racism and classism shaped perceptions of drug use and addiction.

This program is generously supported by The Haley Foundation.

The Haley Foundation