“Firstival” – First Steamboat for Passengers and Freight

Date: Saturday, May 30

Time: 11 AM to 5 PM

Locations: Independence Seaport Museum and Olympia

Join ISM and the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee for a Firstival along the Delaware River! Celebrate the achievements of the first steamboat with passenger and freight alongside the Delaware River.

Let off some steam at this full day of festivities. Family-friendly activities, pop-up steam engine talks, and added tours onboard Olympia, and fun in the Seaport Boat Shop. Learn all about the power of steam through STEAM and history provided by ISM. Our friends from the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee will be bringing storytelling and performances between 11 AM and 1 PM, and all other activities will run throughout the day. Make sure to carve out some time to stop and see the ONE sculpture that was designed by Gwenn Seemel (more on both of these below). It will be showcased at the museum through the end of the year.

Special discount: Admission packages will recieve $2 off! for the day of $2 off admission for all packages.*

*This admissions discount cannot be coupled with other regularly offered discounts. Promotion can only be redeemed on-site on the day of the celebration.

Please note that Olympia is not ADA accessible. If you have any accessibility questions, please email Education@phillyseaport.org.

About the ONE Sculpture:

John Fitch’s steamboat carried both passengers and freight over a thousand miles back and forth between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey for several months in the summer of 1790. On the side of the sculpture, the steamboat is on the river with other ships of the day in the background and a duckling in the foreground, emphasizing the unusual duck-paddling design of Fitch’s 1790 steamboat. On the back of the sculpture, Fitch is thinking about his engine, and, on the final side, there’s a beautiful river view of the Delaware.

“The inventor John Fitch had many false starts in life. For example, early on he was apprenticed to a clockmaker, but, fearing competition, his master refused to train him. Though Fitch eventually taught himself clockmaking and then went on to much adventure and invention, he never managed to make any of his endeavors a real success. His story is thoroughly relatable to me. Working as a full-time artist for over twenty years feels like constantly starting over. In each new context and with every new client, I not only work to prove the value of my own work, but also the value of art. Imagining Fitch’s struggles makes me feel less alone.”

About the Artist:

Since 2003, Gwenn Seemel has been painting in a polka-dot Cubist style that lends their feminist figurative art an aura of joy, even as the artist addresses serious issues. Seemel’s work has been featured everywhere from Newsweek and Hyperallergic to the cover of an Oxford University Press book. An avid questioner of copyright, the artist speaks regularly about creativity, notably giving a TEDx talk in Switzerland. Seemel is both French and American, and they live in Lambertville, New Jersey. See more of their art at gwennseemel.com.

About the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee

Led by Vince Stango, Interim President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, and Amy Needle, President and CEO of Historic Philadelphia, Inc., the Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee unites 23 partner organizations across America’s most historic square mile. The Committee’s mission is to create meaningful, memorable experiences leading up to and through 2026, celebrating Philadelphia’s past while building a legacy for the future. For more information about 52 Weeks of Firsts, visit 52firstsphilly.com or follow along on Instagram at @52firstsphilly.