Pennsylvania
Art, History & Archaeology Sites & Museums

The second state of the union, Pennsylvania was one of the 13 original colonies that united to form the republic. At the time of European colonisation it was home to a varied range of indigenous communities, among them the Erie, Delaware, Susquehannock, and the groups that made up the Iroquois Confederacy. European settlement was spearheaded by the Swedish, followed by the Dutch, before the British secured control of the area in 1664. King Charles II gave the territory to William Penn, with the name “Pennsylvania” meaning “Penn’s Woodland.” Growing settlement led to the rise of cities like Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, as well as the arrival of European Anabaptist groups like the Amish and Mennonites.