Like Janus, as 2024 begins and we look forward to new opportunities of sharing the stories of the lives of the patriots buried at our historic graveyard, we look back on the past year with gratitude.

Our faithful and dedicated volunteer docents, Albert Meinster and Brion Sirine, provided guided tours every Saturday throughout the spring, summer and into the fall. There has been an increase in the number of visitors employing our self-guided audio tours.

The yearly commemoration of Maestro Eugene and Margaret Ormandy’s wedding anniversary was celebrated with performances by Philadelphia Orchestra violinist, Mai Ching Huang, and cellist, Ohad Bar-David.

Members of the Independence Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Boy Scouts from Pack 176 helped us replace over 200 flags on the graves of Revolutionary War Veterans.

We partnered with the Museum of the American Revolution and provided tours to their guests during Veterans Day weekend.

In celebration of National Constitution Day, historian Dan Campbell shared the drama surrounding the Constitutional Convention and the part played by Jared Ingersoll, Jr., a signer of the United States Constitution, who is buried in our graveyard.

Our website is being refreshed and improved with the help of graphic designer Megan Elrick of Sites Setup Solution.

As we turn our attention to the future and this coming year, there is much planning to be done to prepare for the nation’s semiquincentennial. With the support of contributors, we hope to install a plaque commemorating the unique relationship between John Adams and our fiery Revolutionary war preacher, Rev George Duffield. Hopefully, interpretative signage will be installed that will aide visitor’s’ understanding of the role Old Pine Street Church- along with the Presbyterian Church in general - played during the War for Independence. 

The response to our annual appeal has been positive; however, to accomplish these goals, we need additional funds. As important as funds are, we feel it is essential to have input from our community, near and far, to plan programs for the year 2025-2026. If you are interested in joining us, please let us know. Meetings, which are kept concise and timely, are via zoom so distance is not an obstacle! Please in get in touch by emailing us at oldpine1768@gmail.com

The Members of Board of Trustees wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

Many of us lovingly remember the late Ronn Shaffer who, along with Robert Eck, helped investigate much of what we now know of our historic graveyard. Before his death, Ronn lamented if there would be younger folks interested in carrying out the work he and Bob Eck began. That prayer of his has been answered.

We are pleased to announce that Kevin Williams, Secondary Social Studies teacher, has been elected as the new president of the Old Pine Conservancy. Kevin, who currently teaches at Mastery Charter, Hardy Williams High School, started working with the Conservancy in 2020 when he did his Cultural Fieldwork course requirement. Upon graduation, he became a research intern. With his help, a comprehensive graveyard survey has been developed and is close to publication. Kevin has written several articles for the Old Pine Conservancy’s publication, Heritage. His expertise, both technically and academically, were key in the development of our self-guided audio tour.

A Member of Phi Alpha Theta National History Honors Society, Kevin becomes the youngest individual to hold the office of President of the Old Pine Conservancy.

Ronn would be very pleased indeed!