Friends of the Bucks County Historical Society
The Friends of the Bucks County Historical Society (BCHS) is an auxiliary group of community members with a shared interest in history, culture, and the arts. Formerly known as the Women’s Committee, the group was founded on May 11, 1967, as a volunteer group with a commitment and dedication to support the mission of the Mercer Museum and Library & Fonthill Castle. The group officially changed its name to the Friends of the Bucks County Historical Society to better reflect its growing membership.
The Friends of BCHS provide educational programs four times a year at no charge to the public. Presentations have focused on topics of local and national interest, as well as many visits from first-person interpreters. Beyond programs, the Friends of BCHS have sponsored a variety of fundraising events over the years, including bus trips, masquerade balls, card parties, tavern nights, musical performances and more.
For additional information or to join the Friends of the BCHS, please contact Kerriann Ruane, Development Manager, at 215-345-0210, x132, or email kruane@mercermuseum.org.
Upcoming Programs
11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
12:00 p.m. – 12:50 p.m.
1:00 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Each ticket reserves space for one youth (including one kite) to decorate and build a kite in the Mercer Museum Learning Center, as well as time to fly a kite on the outside green of the Mercer Museum.
This event will be held rain or shine, so please dress appropriately.
Friends of the Bucks County Historical Society Program– Top Secret: The FBI File of Pearl S. Buck | Monday, May 20, 2024 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Join the Friends of the Bucks County Historical Society and speaker Samantha Freise for “Top Secret: The FBI File of Pearl S. Buck”, a presentation featuring a deep dive on the activism and life work of Pearl S. Buck through the pages of her FBI file.
Pearl S. Buck was an award-winning author, humanitarian, and activist. She is best known for “The Good Earth” (1931) the best-selling novel in the United States which won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, Buck became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Buck co-founded Welcome House in 1949, the first international, interracial adoption agency, and in 1964 founded the Pearl S. Buck Foundation. However, her commitment to racial justice and association with many activist groups made her a dangerous character in the eyes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In this talk we will explore the 300 pages of Ms. Buck’s FBI File.
Samantha Freise is the curator at Pearl S. Buck House, a National Historic Landmark. She received a B.S. in Historic Preservation and B.A. in History from Southeast Missouri State University. She also graduated with distinction from the University of the Arts with a M.A. in Museum Education. Freise is also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution in which she participates on the local, state, and national levels bringing awareness to historic preservation, American history, and service to veterans. She has a wide variety of experience working in museums and historic sites in Missouri, Pennsylvania, and the United Kingdom.
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.
Previous Programs:
Friends of BCHS Quarterly Meeting – March 15, 2021
Virtual Lecture: The Private Henry Mercer
This multimedia presentation by BCHS Vice President of Collections and Interpretation Cory Amsler touches on some of the lesser-known aspects of Henry Mercer’s daily life at Fonthill Castle – his intimate and personal relationships, his interactions with household staff, his political and social positions, and his private concerns and passions.
