Revolutionary War Archives

History Buffs . . . Don’t miss this opportunity!

“A Fortnight in Chester County:
The American Revolution in our own Backyard”

~ with Sean Moir, Guest Lecturer

Thursday, February 23

Lecture: 7:00 PM

Tredyffrin Public Library
582 Upper Gulph Road
Strafford, PA 19087

Cost: Free
Info: 610.688.7092, ext. 206

What can technology tell us about the troop movement through Chester County during the Revolutionary War?

Follow the movements of the British and American Armies, hour by hour, through the Battles of 1777 – A unique electronic map brings the battles of Brandywine and Paoli to life!

Sean Moir, Chester County GIS analyst and historic researcher, will present an animated map of Revolutionary War troop movements in Chester County and Tredyffrin Township as part of the Fall Trust lecture series. The lecture will discuss the multi-award winning county project, sponsored by the National Park Service and the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), which included the researching, mapping, and animating of the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign conflicts, specifically the Battle of Brandywine and the Paoli Massacre.

A Tredyffrin Township resident, Sean combined his software and GIS skills with his personal interest in history to create groundbreaking animated battle maps which he has presented to audiences across the region. In addition to the military element, the project included heavy emphasis on mapping the cultural landscape of the 18th century upon which the fighting and marching occurred. The research helped to produce an 18th century road map of the region. With the help of countless volunteers, the project is driving the completion of fourteen municipal historic resource surveys for the Chester County Historic Resource Atlas project.

At last week’s Trust lecture, Sean Moir, a GIS Analyst with Chester County, presented an animated map of the Revolutionary War troop movements in Chester County and Tredyffrin Township. Sean has worked for the last three years researching, mapping, and animating the conflicts of the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign, specifically the Battle of Brandywine and the Paoli Massacre.

His lecture for the Trust drew a standing-room only crowd to the Duportail House and his exciting presentation held the attention of everyone in attendance.

Sean’s award-winning mapping project is amazing and how he managed to bring to life the Revolutionary War battles of Paoli and Brandywine is remarkable. I feel privileged to live in one of the houses on a road that witnessed troop movement during that part of our country’s history.

With Sean’s approval, my husband Jeff videotaped the lecture and uploaded the 1 hr. and 19 min. presentation to You Tube for others to enjoy. Jeff noted that the video is best viewed if you select ‘full screen mode’ in You Tube. Jeff added the following comment when he emailed the link:

I thought that the anecdotal comments by Sean, including relating modern locations to the battlefield was great. I think this could be used as a great tool to teach people this part of history locally and nationwide.

Jeff is right – the mapping project and Sean’s lecture are important and should be included in the local history curriculum.

Here’s the link to the You Tube video of Sean’s lecture. Hope that you will watch it and maybe learn something new about the historic community that we all call home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1qZerx638A

A great presentation Sean — thank you my friend!

Pattye Benson

Community Matters