Legacy & Lineage
Connecting the past to the present
Walk in the footsteps of heroes
The First Regiment Infantry Historical Education Foundation promotes the legacy and lineage of the First Regiment since its founding in 1747 and maintains the collection of artifacts that highlights its contribution to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Nation. This includes the maintenance, preservation, exhibition, and lending of historical artifacts to facilitate public access to the historic artifacts and related educational endeavors. The museum collection is currently housed at the Armory at 32nd and Lancaster Avenue on the Drexel University campus and adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania.
Honoring yesterday, shaping tomorrow
Although the collection has been maintained sporadically over many years, much work remains to conserve and preserve the artifacts and make the collection more accessible to the public. Plans are underway to allow a more inclusive virtual tour of the museum and the place in history each of the artifacts deserves. Please join us in both learning more about the collection and, if possible, make a tax-deductible contribution to the preservation of this important historic assembly of artifacts.
Portraits
Including those by famous portrait painter David Benjamin Bechtel & original works by Charles Brinton Cox
Awards
Significant silver trophy collection made by some of the finest jewelers in Philadelphia's history
Flags
Fourteen flags dating from the outbreak of the Civil War, including the only known 1879 Division Corp flag known to exist
Picture this: Unit tradition says this musket was carved by a young German immigrant who served in the 119th Infantry, and used his wood carving skills to decorate the rifle's stock with a Federal Eagle and the cross of the 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac.
“By far one of the most complete collections of a historic militia unit anywhere in america.”
THE HISTORY OF THE FIRST
Beginning in the 1720's with the Artillerists of the Society Hill Battery, the lineage of the First Regiment NGP runs through the Associator Artillery of 1747, organized by Benjamin Franklin, through the years of the American Revolution. The Artillery Corps - Washington Grays carries that lineage through the Civil War and forms the backbone of the First Regiment Infantry of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Fighting in the First World War as the 109th Infantry and as the 103rd Engineers in World War II, and most recently serving in the Middle East, the "Dandy First" continues almost 300 years of unbroken service to our State and Nation.
History's Treasures are here
Our collection includes military and civilian uniforms which constitute one of the most comprehensive assemblage of uniforms and accoutrements on the East Coast connected to a National Guard command. Also included are fourteen flags and colors dating from the outbreak of the Civil War, including the only known 1879 Division Corp flag known to exist. The Museum’s collection of photos and archives, as yet an untapped source for research, includes rare photographs from the pre- and post-Civil War eras, as well as unpublished manuscripts, maps and photographs, especially from the late 19th Century into the World War I era. Oral histories of service members from World War II, particularly survivors of the Battle of the Bulge, are also included in a digital format.