On Saturday June 6th, the Bachmann Players will present “The Walking Purchase Hoax.”
The “Walking Purchase” was a dubious treaty forced upon the local Lenape Indian tribe by the sons of William Penn in 1737. It removed them from the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas, incorporating an amount of land approximately the size of present-day Rhode Island.
The land grab unraveled the tapestry of trust that had grown between William Penn and local tribes, and according to Benjamin Franklin, likely contributed to escalated hostilities in this area during the outbreak of the French and Indian War on the Pennsylvania frontier in the 1750s.
Join us to experience first-hand accounts of the Walking Purchase, and to hear the perspective of historical figures such as William Penn and Benjamin Franklin.
The Bachmann Player presentation will be followed by a discussion panel of noted historians, including Dr. Scott Gordon of Lehigh University and Dr. Rebecca Price Janney, and members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania.