Celebrating 50 Years!

Annual Speaker Series to be presented every Monday in April beginning on April 3rd at 5 pm in the auditorium of the Logan Inn in New Hope. This year’s topics include the Revolutionary War, Orphan Trains, Art & Collectables and Bucks County-Past and Present.

William L. (Larry) Kidder will open the series on April 3. After receiving his bachelor's and master's degrees from Allegheny College he taught for forty years in both public and private schools, including 32 years at the Hun School of Princeton. Larry served four years of active duty in the US Navy and was assigned to the US Navy Research and Development Unit, Vietnam and then the destroyer USS Brownson (DD868) home ported in Newport, Rhode Island. In the 1980s he was the lead researcher and writer for the creation of the Admiral Arleigh Burke National Destroyermen’s Museum aboard the destroyer museum ship USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD850) at Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts. Larry will discuss his acclaimed book, “Ten Crucial Days” that portrays the struggles and successes of  Washington’s army from the Battle of Trenton to the Battle of Princeton.

On April 10th, author, film producer, publisher, Literary agent, Michael Keene’s most recent work about the plight of homeless Irish immigrant orphans in New York City. In response to this crisis, the age of orphan asylums began, culminating in one of the most improbably and audacious episodes in American history. Called the Orphan Train Movement, it endeavored to save these children lost to the streets by heroes who fought for their liberation. "Abandoned - the Untold Story of Orphan Asylums” will be shown, followed by a discussion via Zoom with Michael Keene, who lives in Boulder City, Nevada. Keene had been a financial advisor for 25 years, before curiosity about the history of Midtown Plaza led him to a new career.  He is the author of eight books including his recently published, “New York City’s Hart Island: A Cemetery of Strangers".