Pennsylmania

About Pennsylmania

Entertaining and informing listeners with stories of people and events in the history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, hosted by Mark Smith.

Publisher

Mark Smith

Category

history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Nov 2025

Latest episode

29 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   29 Sept 2026

   The Pennsylvania Navy Part 2 (Ep22)

   In the previous episode, we described how the Pennsylvania Assembly’s Committee on Safety established the Pennsylvania Navy, developed three forts along the Delaware River, and installed a series of underwater hazards to big ships sailing up the Delaware. These were all meant to defend Philadelphia from the powerful British Navy. It worked until the British Army sidestepped the River defenses in their efforts to reach Philadelphia. They landed at the top of Chesapeake Bay in Elk Head, Maryland, and marched the 50 miles north to win the Battle of Brandywine Creek and occupy the American capital. The forts and navy positioned south of the City suddenly found themselves with a very different objective. If the forts could be held, and the Pennsylvania navy and its line of underwater spikes – known as chevaux de frise – could be maintained, then the British Navy would be unable to resupply General Howe and the British troops in Philadelphia. The Brits would be starved out and forced to evacuate the City. The patriots just had to hang onto the choke point they had created until the Delaware River froze in winter. Both sides were frantic to beat the calendar. The British tried to seize the forts, destroy the Pennsylvania Navy, and remove the underwater spikes. The Americans tried to stop them. In this episode, the British and Americans square off in two major Revolutionary War clashes – the Battle of Fort Mercer (also known as the Battle of Red Bank), and the Battle of Fort Mud Island (today known as the Battle of Fort Mifflin). By the end of both, one side is clearly victorious. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [03:22] – The Hessians march on Fort Mercer [07:56] – The attack on Fort Mercer begins [10:21] – The British retreat [11:58] – General Howe resigns his commission [13:13] – The HMS Augusta and Merlin are lost [19:07] – The attack on Fort Mud Island begins [25:46] – Evacuation of Fort Mud Island [31:16] – The fall of Fort Mercer [33:00] – The fate of Fort Mud Island (Fort Mifflin) [34:36] – Places to visit [36:09] – Books to read Books to read: • Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5, 1777 - December 19, 1777 by Michael C. Harris, Savas Beatie LLC, 2025 • The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775-1781, the Defense of the Delaware by John W. Jackson, Rutgers University Press, 1974 – which is sadly out of print • Robert Morris: Financier of the Revolution by Charles Rappleye, Simon & Schuster, 2010 Places to visit mentioned in this episode: • Fort Mifflin (the renamed Fort Mud Island) – a terrific Revolutionary War and early American historical site, located in the City of Philadelphia, right off the grounds of Philadelphia International Airport. • Remnants of Fort Mercer -- visit Red Bank Battlefield Park, where the fort once stood and where, as the name indicates, the battle of Red Bank was fought. The park is owned by Gloucester County, New Jersey. Note: dogs are not allowed in this park. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   The Pennsylvania Navy Part 1 (Ep21)

   Did you know that, during the American War for Independence, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had a navy? Let that sink in. It’s true. The Pennsylvania Navy was established in 1775, six months before the U.S. Navy. Its job was to police and protect the capital city Philadelphia and the surrounding region. It played a prominent role in two major revolutionary war battles: the Battle of Fort Mercer and the Battle of Fort Mifflin, the second of which was the scene of the largest bombardment in North America prior to the US Civil War. Not only did Pennsylvania have its own navy, but many of the most prominent of Pennsylvania’s revolutionary leaders – including Ben Franklin, Robert Morris, John Dickinson –had a hand in its formation. This episode covers the founding and building of the Pennsylvania Navy by the Pennsylvania Assembly’s Committee on Safety; the creation of Forts Mud Island, Mercer and Billingsport; and the installation of the famous river defenses known as “chevaux de frise”. The episode ends during British Occupation of Philadelphia, when British General Howe, desperate to resupply his troops because the British Navy was blocked from the reaching the city, targets the destruction of the Pennsylvania Navy, the forts, and the other river defenses. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [04:17] – The Pennsylvania Assembly creates a Committee on Safety [07:20] – Building Fort Mud Island [09:22] – The chevaux de frise – underwater obstacles to British naval ships [12:33] – Congress passes a resolution calling for each colony to create its own navy [14:22] – The ships of the Pennsylvania Navy [19:53] – Building Fort Mercer [23:21] – The British Navy arrives in May, 1776 [28:07] – The British Invasion of 1777 [31:16] – The Occupation of Philadelphia begins [39:18] – The British military strategy Books to read: • Fighting for Philadelphia: Forts Mercer and Mifflin, the Battle of Whitemarsh, and the Road to Valley Forge, October 5, 1777 - December 19, 1777 by Michael C. Harris, Savas Beatie LLC, 2025 • The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775-1781, the Defense of the Delaware by John W. Jackson, Rutgers University Press, 1974 – which is sadly out of print • Robert Morris: Financier of the Revolution by Charles Rappleye, Simon & Schuster, 2010 Places to visit mentioned in this episode: • Fort Mifflin (the renamed Fort Mud Island) – a terrific Revolutionary War and early American historical site, located in the City of Philadelphia right off the grounds of Philadelphia International Airport. • Remnants of Fort Mercer – visit Red Bank Battlefield Park, where the fort once stood and where, as the name suggests, the battle of Red Bank was fought. The park is owned by Gloucester County, New Jersey. Note: dogs are not allowed in this park. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

3. 

   1 Sept 2026

   Renaming Allens Lane (Ep20)

   What does Black Lives Matter have to do with rededicating a street in Northwest Philadelphia? In February of 2022, community leaders in Philadelphia celebrated the recognition of an important historical figure, the Reverend Richard Allen, when City Council named a street in his honor. Allen was one of the City’s first Black preachers and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, of which Allen ultimately became bishop. He was also co-founder of the Free African Society, a mutual aid organization for free Blacks. But City Council’s action was also a sleight of hand, because Allens Lane was always Allens Lane. It was originally named for a different William Allen, a former Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Colony’s Supreme Court, a colonial-era Mayor of Philadelphia, and founder of the City of Allentown. He was no relation to Richard. So, City Council simply swapped one Allen for another – the street was effectively renamed without being renamed. This episode explores why this change was made, why – in the name of history – we sometimes change the names of streets, and how this particular “renaming” of Allens Lane compares to others in recent years throughout the Commonwealth. Timestamps for major events/discussions: [03:31] – Reintroducing William Allen, originally done in “Occupied Philadelphia” (Ep10) [07:19] – Reintroducing Richard Allen, originally done in “Death in Yellow” (Eps18-19) [09:56] – Racially motivated attacks nationally, and Black Lives Matter [13:32] – Philadelphia City Council votes to rename Allens Lane [17:06] – Examining City Council’s depiction of William Allen [23:16] – Renaming Taney Street [32:10] – Examples of street name changes elsewhere in the Commonwealth [39:48] – Was City Council right to rename Allens Lane? [47:08] – Places to visit Places to visit mentioned in this episode: • Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Delaware County – where you can visit the graves of Caroline LeCount, Octavius Catto, Marian Anderson, and other prominent African-Americans. Visit the Cemetery’s website at https://www.edencemetery.org// • Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown, operated by the Lehigh County Historical Society. Next door is Trout Hall, built by William Allen’s son, James, which is a colonial museum and home operated by the Society. Visit the Historical Society’s website at https://www.lehighcountyhistoricalsociety.org/ • Walk along Allens Lane in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia, from the former site of William Allen’s Mount Airy Estate, now the United Lutheran Seminary, to the charming Richard Allen Lane train station, designed in the 1880s by legendary local architect Frank Furness, then on to the Wissahickon Gorge. Calls to action: • Follow us on Instagram to learn when new episodes drop or to be a part of our chat community IG: pennsylmaniapod • Join our email list to receive news on the podcast by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com or signing up at our website • Provide feedback on this episode, or give us ideas for new episodes, by emailing us at producer@pennsylmania.com Link to website: www.pennsylmania.com

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Contact Pennsylmania

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.