Events: Lecture

Entrepreneur, Reverend, Abolitionist: Stephen Smith’s Journey From Columbia to Philadelphia

  • September 10, 2026
  • LancasterHistory Museum and Research Center & Online Via Zoom
  • 5pm Reception | 5:30pm Lecture
  • Free | Registration Requested
(left) A headshot of Michael Clemmons, an African American man with gray facial hair, wearing glasses and a gray blazer. (right) A portrait of Stephen Smith.
(left) Presenter Michael Clemmons. (right) A portrait of Stephen Smith.

On Thursday, September 10, join LancasterHistory as we kick off our fall season of the Regional History Colloquium Series with speaker Michael Clemmons, who will discuss Entrepreneur, Reverend, Abolitionist: Stephen Smith’s Journey From Columbia to Philadelphia. Stephen Smith was a 19th-century African American raised in indentured servitude in Columbia, PA. He went on to become a leader in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, an advocate for freedom, and the richest Black man in America. Michael Clemmons, former Vice President of the Mother Bethel AME Church Historical Society, joins us to discuss the life of Stephen Smith, focusing on his accomplishments and setbacks in his journey from humble beginnings in Lancaster County to Philadelphia and Bethel AME Church.

Michael Clemmons is a Philadelphia-based public historian, researcher, and docent at the Richard Allen Museum. He has collaborated with the Free Library, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Athenaeum, and the African American Museum of Philadelphia. Clemmons is a member and former Vice President of the Mother Bethel AME Church Historical Society and a founding member of the Black Docents Collective. Together with Dr. Donna Rilling, he co-authored the successful nomination of the historic homes of Stephen Smith and William Whipper for inclusion on the Philadelphia Historical Commission Register of Historic Places. As an independent researcher, he continues to explore and document their legacies. His perspectives have been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer Op-Ed page and on the 1838 Black Metropolis© website. Clemmons is a retired aerospace engineering manager and transit rail safety consultant. He holds a B.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

EVENT DETAILS & HOW TO REGISTER

This event is expected to take place in person at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center on Thursday, September 10, 2026. Doors open and the reception begins at 5pm. The lecture will begin at 5:30pm. The lecture will also be streamed to Zoom at 5:30pm for those who wish to join us virtually.

This program is free and open to the public. In-person attendance requires advance registration in order to guarantee a seat. Due to capacity restrictions, tickets may not be available at the door. Virtual attendance requires advance registration in order to receive the Zoom link. Register online by clicking the appropriate link below or by calling 717.392.4633. The online version of this program will also be recorded and uploaded to LancasterHistory’s YouTube channel after the event.

REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON

Register to Attend Online

Please Note: Your Zoom information will be sent to you in your confirmation email upon registering for the online option. If you do not receive this email and it is not in your junk and spam folders, please contact support@lancasterhistory.org.

Featured Event Online/Virtual Event In-Person Event Lecture

America250PA: Revolution to Reconstruction: Pennsylvania and the Fight for Liberty & Equality

Clint Smith

Join LancasterHistory on October 7 as we welcome award-winning author Clint Smith for “Revolution to Reconstruction: Pennsylvania and the Fight for Liberty & Equality,” an America250PA lecture. Smith will share insights on Pennsylvania’s central role in shaping our ideals of liberty & equality from the Revolution through Reconstruction and the notion that there is no such thing as a single American story.

Clint Smith is the author of the upcoming nonfiction book, Just Beneath the Soil (Knopf, May 2027) which explores how World War II is remembered around the world. He is also wrote the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, the Hillman Prize for Book Journalism, the Stowe Prize, and selected by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2021. With Sonja Cherry-Paul, Smith adapted How the Word Is Passed into a bestseller for young readers (Little, Brown, 2025). He is also the author of the New York Times bestselling poetry collection Above Ground and the award-winning poetry collection Counting Descent. His writing has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Poetry Magazine, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. In 2020, Smith was named a New America (Emerson Collective) Fellow, and in 2026 was named the inaugural fellow of the Sachs Foundation. Clint received his B.A. in English from Davidson College and a Ph.D. in Education from Harvard University. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic.

EVENT DETAILS & HOW TO REGISTER

The event, “Revolution to Reconstruction,” will take place on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at the Ware Center for the Performing Arts, 42 N. Prince Street in Lancaster, PA. Doors open at 5pm, followed by the lecture at 5:30pm. Tickets are free, but registration in advance is required as capacity is limited and this event is anticipated to sell out. The event will include a Q&A portion for our audience, and will not be livestreamed or recorded.

To register, please click the link below or call 717.392.4633 to book over the phone.

REGISTER FOR OCTOBER 7

Signed copies of Clint Smith’s How the Word Is Passed will be available for purchase on-site, thanks to our friends at Pocket Books Shop on Prince! Cash and card are accepted.

Thank You to America250PA for Their Support of This Event!

Lecture

October 7, 2026 The Ware Center, 42 N. Prince St, Lancaster, PA 17603 5-7pm FREE | Registration Required
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