Pennsylvania Day

Pennsylvania Day

On or near October 24

The state of Pennsylvania was named for William Penn, who was born in London on October 24, 1644. As a young man he joined the Quakers, who were at that time considered a radical religious group, and eventually he used his inheritance from his father to establish a Quaker colony in the New World. He put a great deal of thought and planning into how his colony would be governed, and insisted that the colonists treat the Indians with respect. The colony thrived, its population growing from about 1,000 in 1682 to more than 12,000 seven years later.
Pennsylvanians have always held large celebrations on major anniversaries of Penn's birth, and in 1932 the governor proclaimed October 24 as William Penn Commemoration Day, or simply Penn Day . This day was also commemorated with a special pageant held in Jordans, Buckinghamshire, England, where Penn and his family are buried. Since that time celebrations have tended to be local rather than statewide. In recent decades, the week of October 24 has been celebrated as Pennsylvania Week .
Any observation using his name would undoubtedly have made William Penn turn over in his grave, as he was outspoken in his opposition to the practice of naming streets, cities, states, or anything else after people.

CONTACTS:
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
State Museum Bldg., 30 North St.
Harrisburg, PA 17120
717-787-3362; fax: 717-783-9924
www.portal.state.pa.us

SOURCES:
AmerBkDays-2000, p. 709
BkDays-1864, vol. II, p. 60
DictDays-1988, p. 91
DictWrldRel-1989, p. 564