Antiques & Collectibles

As the ink was drying on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other documents that established the United States, millions of Americans hungered for new legal tender coinage from the young sovereign nation. Following calls by Alexander Hamilton and other Founding Fathers for the nation to issue its own money, Congress passed legislation to officially establish the United States Mint in 1792. Growing from its humble beginnings as a collection of small buildings in the nation's onetime capital city of Philadelphia, the United States Mint now stands along Independence National Historical Park as the largest coin factory in the world. While the Philadelphia Mint is one of several official United States coin manufacturing facilities, it remains the heart of coining operations in the nation and is also one of the most popular attractions in The City of Brotherly Love.

The village of Washingtonville and town of Blooming Grove contain a rich history that extends from early settlement by the Lenape people of the Delaware Nation to colonial European settlement in the 18th century and expanded regional development through the 19th and 20th centuries. Blooming Grove is naturally defined by Schunnemunk Mountain (Lenape for "excellent fireplace") and the Moodna Creek, which is referred to as "Waoraneck" by the Lenape and "Murderer's Creek" in early written documents. The fertile soil along the creek's banks attracted farming and milling industries to the region. Despite the loss of historic structures due to floods, fires, and other disasters, many of Washingtonville's iconic landmarks still remain. Some visible reminders of Blooming Grove's past include the Moffat Library of Washingtonville, a national and state historic landmark; Brotherhood Winery, established in 1839 and considered the oldest winery in the United States; and the Moodna Viaduct, which has been in continuous use since its completion in 1908.

On the first of September 1785, with night coming on and the weather deteriorating, the crew of the ship Faithful Steward sailed toward Delaware's notorious False Cape. In the summer of 1785, a group of Irish migrants took to the Atlantic to escape the abuse and persecution of the ruling classes at home. They sought a new life in the United States, a place "where the banner of freedom waved proudly" and "every good was possessed." Their ship was new and sturdy, and its captain had a good reputation. On this voyage, however, it was overloaded with migrant families and a massive cargo of counterfeit coins. By the first of September the ship was lost, somewhere off the mid-Atlantic coast. Michael Timothy Dougherty tells the story of the wreck and the people on board.