From the city's first elderly care organization to foreign-born soldiers serving in the "War to End All Wars," discover hidden stories from Philadelphia's 300-plus-year history this spring with HSP.

Love is Sweet: the History of Candy and Romance

• Thursday, February 9 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
• Advance tickets $30; $40 at the door
• YOUNG FRIENDS / Susan Benjamin, candy historian and author of Sweet as Sin: The Unwrapped Story of How Candy Became America's Favorite Pleasure, will deliver a lecture on the history of the sweet stuff through the centuries while guests sample the iconic treats.

America’s Second Founding: Origins and Applications of the 14th Amendment

• Saturday, February 11 | 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Free
• TEACHER WORKSHOP / Join the National Constitution Center and HSP for a workshop devoted to understanding the history behind – and modern implications of – the 14th Amendment. The workshop highlights classroom-ready resources from both organizations and provides scholarly analysis of the 14th Amendment. The workshop will held in the Bogle Chairman’s Room of the National Constitution Center.  To register, write to education@constitutioncenter.org.

Intriguing Sources: How to Solve a Historical Mystery

• Wednesday, February 22 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Free for members; $10 for nonmembers
• SPECIAL EVENT / In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, character Christopher Boone is an eccentric and gifted young man who gains a deeper understanding of himself while solving a neighborhood mystery. Central to the story is Christopher's discovery of a cache of old letters. Whether it’s uncovering family secrets or getting the dirt behind a historical rumor, primary sources often shed light on even the murkiest mysteries. Find out how to explore these materials in this interactive, hands-on workshop.

Foundations of Genealogy II

• Wednesdays, March 1 – April 19 | 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
• GENEALOGY COURSE / Foundations of Genealogy II is designed for researchers seeking to further develop and strengthen their genealogy skills. The 8-week class is the follow-up to Foundations of Genealogy I, a course offered in 2015 and 2016 at HSP.

Citizen Artists: World War I and the Creative Economy

• Saturday, March 11 – Sunday, March 12
• $50 for PAFA Members; $75 General Admission
• SYMPOSIUM / Accompanying the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts’ (PAFA)current exhibition, this two-day symposium examines the creative contributions of American artists and citizens before, during and after the First World War. An afternoon collection tour with PAFA’s cultural partners will expand the conversation through a look at First World War-related collections from across the city. For more information and to register, visit https://www.pafa.org/citizen-artists-world-war-i-and-creative-economy

Becoming U.S.:  Age and Assimilation

• Thursday, March 23 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
• Free
• SPECIAL EVENT / To encourage sharing across ethnicity, race, and citizenship status, HSP has launched the new program series, Becoming U.S. Through civic dialogue, Becoming U.S. seeks to personalize stories often presented by the media in only the broadest strokes. The series’ second program, Becoming U.S.: Age and Assimilation, explores the many ways how one’s age at the time of immigration affects their experiences with assimilation.

Women Visionaries and the Care of the Elderly

• March 28, 2017 | 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
• Free
• LECTURE / In celebration of the Ralston Center’s 200th anniversary – the city’s first organization dedicated to caring for the elderly – Prof. Terry Snyder of Haverford College will speak on the history of the organization. Neville Strumpf, president of the Ralston Center’s Board, will offer a historical overview of care for older persons in Philadelphia, the issues surrounding aging today, and ideas about the care of older persons in the future. Sarah Weatherwax, the Curator of Prints and Photographs at the Library Company, will explore how graphic depictions of older women in the 19th and early 20th centuries reflected attitudes about their place in society.

Americans All! Foreign Born Soldiers in the First World War

• April 12, 2017 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Free for members, $10 for nonmembers
• LECTURE / During the First World War, foreign-born soldiers represented nearly 1 out of 5 servicemen in the U.S. Army. This surge of Old World soldiers – from 46 different nations – challenged the culture of the American military, its linguistic and religious traditions, and required top brass to reconsider training methods. Join HSP as Dr. Nancy Gentile-Ford examines how the U.S. War Department drew on the experiences of progressive social welfare reformers & ethnic community leaders who assisted with training, socializing, and meeting the cultural and religious needs of immigrant soldiers.

Rachmaninoff’s Philadelphia

• April 18, 2017 | 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
• Free for HSP and Philadelphia Orchestra members, $10 for nonmembers
• SPECIAL EVENT / Join Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor Stéphane Denève and other presenters in exploring the history of the special relationship between The Philadelphia Orchestra and Russian composer/pianist Sergie Rachmaninoff. Presented in conjunction with the Orchestra’s April 2017 Rachmaninoff Festival.

Researching Family in Pennsylvania

• Monday, July 31 – Friday, August | 8:30 – 12:45 p.m.
• GENEALOGY WORKSHOP / A part of HSP’s ongoing genealogy education made possible through its partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Area Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists, Researching Family in Pennsylvania places major emphasis on the collections of HSP. The collections of other libraries, repositories, and archives available for genealogical research in Pennsylvania will also be discussed, as well as highlighting the court records, deeds, tax lists, and online databases.