TRAPPE PA – A decorative fiberglass bell, part of a statewide effort to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, is scheduled to be unveiled Aug. 2 (2925, Saturday) at 10 a.m. at The Speaker’s House historic site, 151 W. Main St.
The bell is one of only two designated for installation in Montgomery County. It will sit outside the former home of Frederick Muhlenberg, considered one of the most prominent Pennsylvania Germans in the early United States. He served as the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The county’s first bell, installed during May, is now on display at Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Historical Park.
Historic Trappe, the non-profit organization that maintains The Speaker’s House and four other historic properties in the borough, “is thrilled to be part” of the initiative, its Executive Director Lisa Minardi says. The program was created by America250PA, the state commission for the semiquincentennial anniversary.
The 250th gala will officially be celebrated on Independence Day, July 4, 2026.
Reflecting a Pennsylvania German Tradition
Trappe’s distinctively decorated bell features artwork by Lisa Short of L.T. Short Folk Art in North Wales PA, Minardi adds. Short is a skilled folk artist and Historic Trappe volunteer. Her creation celebrates fraktur, a distinctly Pennsylvania German art tradition. It includes symbols of the United States: the American eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and the motto “Liberty and Justice for All.”
America250PA plans to place a total of 108 fiberglass bells across Pennsylvania through December. They are intended to be “landmarks for regional tourism,” it notes.
Each bell represents a collaboration between local artists, businesses, and individual sponsors. Trappe’s bell is being co-sponsored by Historic Trappe, the Borough of Trappe, and the Valley Forge chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
The Aug. 2 unveiling also marks the 249th anniversary of when the signing of the parchment Declaration of Independence began in 1776, Historic Trappe reports. The event is free and open to the public. Parking for the ceremony will be available across the street in the Trappe Shopping Center, and at St. Luke’s Fellowship Church, 200 W. Main St.
Historic Trappe Plans More Ahead
Historic Trappe is among several organizations across the greater Philadelphia area that also have expanded plans to observe the 250th anniversary:
- In April 2026 it expects to open The Speaker’s House to the public, following more than 20 years of restoration;
- Its Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, located in the Dewees Tavern at 301 W. Main St., will host what’s described as “a landmark exhibition” titled “Window to Revolution: Pennsylvania Germans and the War for Independence;”
- The Henry Melchior Muhlenberg House, 201 W. Main St., will be transformed to reflect the family’s evacuation from Philadelphia in 1776; and
- Each of the three historic sites will highlight stories of the Muhlenbergs and other Pennsylvania Germans during the founding of the United States.
Historic Trappe is “dedicated to preserving and sharing the historic places, landscapes, and heritage of southeastern Pennsylvania.” In addition to The Speaker’s House, Dewees Tavern, and Muhlenberg House it also maintains St. Luke’s Cemetery, founded in 1742 and which includes many prominent local figures and military veterans.
It also the owns The Muhlenberg Parsonage, built in 1745. It currently is involved in an architectural study, in preparation for restoration.
Photos provided to Travels With The Post by Historic Trappe
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