Erie Maritime Museum Celebrates Charter Day
The Erie Maritime Museum and Flagship Niagara will celebrate Pennsylvania’s 330th birthday on Charter Day, Sunday, March 13, 2011, by welcoming all visitors admission free that day. The Museum will be open from Noon until 5:00 p.m., with the last tour of Niagara scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission sites throughout Pennsylvania participate in Charter Day annually, to commemorate Britain’s King Charles II granting the land we now know as Pennsylvania to William Penn in 1681. Most Pennsylvanians believe that our Commonwealth was named for William Penn, its founder, but in fact, the colony was named to honor Penn’s father, Admiral Sir William Penn.
Under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War (1642-51), William Penn, Sr., had risen to the rank of Vice-Admiral while still in his twenties. Admiral Penn was not regarded as a “high-minded” man in his day; he served both Cromwell and, later, King Charles II with equal enthusiasm. Despite being known as a political opportunist, as sensitive to “which way the wind was blowing” ashore as he was at sea, Admiral Penn was admired for being an excellent seaman and determined fighter. He commanded Naval squadrons for the Commonwealth of England in several battles during the First Anglo-Dutch War, but he is best remembered for helping draw up the first code of naval tactics for England, and for his crucial part in the victory at Lowestoft in 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. To encourage decisive action, successful admirals, such as Penn, were awarded vast sums of “Prize Money”.
When Admiral Penn died in 1670, his son William inherited his father’s wealth, which included the yet unpaid prize money from Lowestoft, a debt the King redeemed by granting him the Province of Pennsylvania. It was King Charles II who also insisted that the Penn name be used, to honor William’s father. So the colony established by Quakers, a religion best known for pacifists and conscientious objectors, was made possible because the King needed to pay off a debt for combat service. For the king, this Charter was a very neat solution:
- It paid off a debt, without having to spend any cash.
- It got the younger Penn out of the country, very desirable since Quakers were considered a subversive threat to royal authority. In an age when Kings thought they had a Divine Right to command their people to wage war for profit, a sect that would not swear oaths of fealty, recognize rank, or bear arms, was considered dangerous!
To learn how other PATrails of History sites are celebrating Charter Day, visit the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission online at www.phmc.state.pa.us.