American Philosophical Society Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Significant dates

American Philosophical Society Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark

Philosophical Hall, the main building of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia
Location in Philadelphia Show map of Philadelphia Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	104 S. Fifth St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Built	1787
Architect	Samuel Vaughan
Architectural style	Georgian
NRHP reference No.	66000675
Added to NRHP	January 12, 1965
Designated NHL	January 12, 1965

The American Philosophical Society (APS) is a special group in America. It was started in 1743 in Philadelphia. This group helps people learn more about many subjects. These include the humanities (like history and art) and natural sciences (like biology and physics). They do this through research, meetings, books, and their library.

Benjamin Franklin was the person who started it. Many people think it was the first group of its kind in the United States.

The main building of the society is called Philosophical Hall. It is also a museum. You can find it near Independence Hall in Independence National Historical Park. In 1965, this building was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it is a very important historical place.

About 1,000 people are chosen to be members of the society. By April 2020, over 5,700 people had joined since it began. The society helps different areas of study. It gives money for research and publishes journals. It also has a museum and a large library. Plus, they hold regular meetings for members.

History of the Society
Who Can Join?
Awards Given by the Society
Buildings of the Society
Gallery
See also

History of the Society

Benjamin Franklin in 1746, who founded the society.

Library Hall in 2024, part of the society's campus.

The Thomas Jefferson Garden next to Library Hall.

Franklin Hall, named after Benjamin Franklin, where meetings are held.

The American Philosophical Society started in 1743. It was first called the Philosophical Society. Benjamin Franklin and others like James Alexander and John Bartram helped create it. It grew out of an older club called the Junto.

Many important people from early American history were members. These included George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Other famous early members were James Madison and Benjamin Rush.

Back then, it was common for smart groups to invite people from all over the world. The society also invited members from other countries. Some of these were Alexander von Humboldt and the Marquis de Lafayette. The society became less active around 1746. But it started up again in 1767.

On January 2, 1769, the society joined with another group. Its new, longer name became the "American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge." Benjamin Franklin was chosen as its first president. During this time, the society had a special group that looked for ways to improve America. One idea they studied was building a canal. This canal would connect the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal was later built in the 1820s.

After the American Revolutionary War, Francis Hopkinson helped lead the society. He was one of the people who signed the United States Declaration of Independence. Because of him, the society received land from the government. They got a piece of land in Philadelphia where Philosophical Hall stands today.

Many famous people later became members of the society. These include Charles Darwin, Robert Frost, and Thomas Edison. Important women members included Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz and Maria Mitchell.

Who Can Join?

Being a member of the APS means you are honored for "amazing achievements in all fields." The society has about 1,000 members. About 840 of them are "resident" members. These are people who live or work in the United States. The other 160 are "international" members from other countries. By April 2020, the society had chosen 5,710 members since it began.

Many members have come from top universities. For example, 208 members have been from Harvard University. 115 members came from Princeton University. The table below shows the top universities with the most members.

Institution	Members (1743–2021)
Harvard	208
Princeton	115
Stanford	88
Berkeley	84
Columbia	73
Chicago	68
Penn	64
Yale	59
MIT	57
NYU	53

Awards Given by the Society

In 1786, the society started the Magellanic Premium. This is a prize for great work in "navigation, astronomy, or natural philosophy." It is the oldest science prize given by an American group. They still give it out today.

Other awards include:

The Barzun Prize for cultural history.
The Judson Daland Prize for work in clinical investigation (medical research).
The Benjamin Franklin Medal.
The Lashley Award for neurobiology (study of the nervous system).
The Lewis Award.
The Thomas Jefferson Medal for achievements in arts, humanities, or social sciences.

Buildings of the Society

The National Historic Landmark Plaque on Philosophical Hall.

Philosophical Hall

Philosophical Hall is at 104 South Fifth Street in Philadelphia. It was built between 1785 and 1789. Samuel Vaughan designed it. It was made to be the home of the society. In 1890, a third floor was added for the growing library. But this floor was removed later, from 1948 to 1950. This was done to make the building look like it did originally. It was part of creating Independence National Historical Park.

In 2001, Philosophical Hall opened to the public as a museum. It has changing exhibits that mix history, art, and science. The museum shows art, science tools, old writings, and rare books. It also has natural history items and other interesting objects from the society's collections. Sometimes, it borrows items from other places too.

Library Hall

A reading room for researchers at Library Hall in 2019.

In 1789–90, the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) built its main building across the street from the APS. In 1884, the LCP sold its building. It was torn down to make space for another building. This building was also torn down in the mid-1950s. This happened when Independence National Historical Park was being created.

The APS then built a new library on that spot in 1958. They made its front look just like the old LCP building.

Benjamin Franklin Hall

The APS fixed up an old bank building at 425–29 Chestnut Street. This building was built in 1854–55. It is now called Benjamin Franklin Hall. It is used as a lecture hall. Most of the society's meetings and big events happen here.

Richardson Hall

Richardson Hall is at 431 Chestnut Street. It is next to Benjamin Franklin Hall. This building used to be for an insurance company. It was built between 1871 and 1873. Today, it holds offices and a group that studies the history of science, technology, and medicine.