This year’s Independence Day may look and feel a bit different—no big fireworks displays, parades or concerts. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still celebrate our nation’s biggest day in a big way! Don your red, white and blue, crank up the A/C and raise a glass to American history, all without leaving your Royal Athena apartment.

The nearby Lower Merion Historical Society offers an eye-opening look at Main Line history, including the people, places and events that have helped our area grow and develop in the last several-hundred years. When the organization fully reopens, visit its in-person location, two miles from your Royal Athena apartment, to explore rare artifacts, photographs, texts and more that showcase what life was like years ago. Until you can stop by the museum, log online, as many of its exhibits are available virtually, all for free.

For instance, peruse writings like “The First 300” and “Lower Merion and Narberth,” which tell the early stories of our local neighborhoods and together feature more than 1,000 photos collected over hundreds of years. Its catalogue includes a diary written by a local Quaker resident born in the 1700s, accounts of Lower Merion histories from the 1800s, biographies of well-known residents, photos of some of our area’s most notably historic places, newspaper articles and much more.

The organization also offers a wealth of other historical resources, including information on historic sites in the region, searchable databases, links to other historical societies in the area, information about historic tours and research support. If you’re new to the area or even if you’re a long-term resident but haven’t learned much about the deep historical roots that abound near your Royal Athena apartment, now is a great opportunity to pop open the laptop and educate yourself as a way of celebrating the role the Philly area played in the fight for freedom.

So this July 4^th, embrace our newly virtual world and take some time to appreciate the history behind the holiday.

Lower Merion Historical Society

506 Bryn Mawr Ave.

Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

6610-664-3216