Pennsylvania Antiques Show 2026

18 H I STOR I C TR APPE Just one week after the Declaration of Independence was issued, the Muhlenbergs left Philadelphia and moved permanently back to Trappe, hoping to find a safe haven during the war. From the winter of 1776 through the summer of 1778, the Muhlenberg House became a place of refuge and safekeeping for more than thirty individuals, including several of Henry and Mary Muhlenberg’s adult children, multiple grandchildren, in-laws, close friends, and enslaved and indentured servants. R E F UG E E S I N TH E PA R L O R : The Muhl enberg House and the Upheaval of the Revo lut ionary War “Mr. Sw[aine] sent a f re ight wagon, l oaded wi th househo ld furni ture… There i s no end to thi s wear i some moving in and out in thi s war t ime .” — Henry Muhlenberg, 1778 As the British army advanced on Philadelphia, wagonloads of personal belongings were sent to Trappe: beds, linens, cupboards, cradles, clothing, books, private papers, and other household goods. The Muhlenberg family home quickly became both a shelter from war and a repository for valuable possessions just beyond the reach of the British army. Henry Muhlenberg’s journals provide a vivid record of the war’s impact on the region. His entries describe the steady movement of people, furniture, and supplies through Trappe as families sought safety and attempted to safeguard their most valuable possessions. Everyday life was also shaped by wartime shortages and uncertainty. When leather became scarce, the Muhlenbergs were forced to purchase wooden shoes instead. With Philadelphia occupied by the British for nearly nine months, communication with family members still in the city became difficult and unreliable. Only the occasional letter between Henry Muhlenberg and his daughter Margaretta Kuntze managed to pass through British lines, carrying news of illness, economic hardship, and dwindling supplies of food and firewood. These experiences form the basis for “Refugees in the Parlor,” a new installation at the Muhlenberg House that explores how one family navigated the disruptions of war. Objects typically associated with comfort, stability, and domestic life became markers of displacement, packed into wagons and carted from place to place for safekeeping. Furniture appears covered or moved aside, and familiar domestic spaces take on new and temporary purposes. The dining room becomes a makeshift bedroom for soldiers, while other rooms suggest how the household adapted as people and possessions moved in and out of the house. The installation invites visitors to consider the American Revolution not only through battles and politics, but through the experiences of families whose homes became places of refuge during wartime.