Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (Krauth Memorial Library)

The Krauth Memorial Library of Philadelphia’s Lutheran Theological Seminary will conserve its portrait of William Allen, mayor of Philadelphia (1735), provincial assemblyman (1730-1739), founder of Allentown, PA (1762), and chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for 24 years (1750-1774). At one time, Philadelphia’s wealthiest man, Allen generously supported the building of the state house (now known as Independence Hall), the establishment of the Pennsylvania Hospital, and the Academy and College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania). This is one of the few surviving images of Allen, and an important part of the story of the United State’s birth as a nation. A Loyalist during the Revolution, Allen left Pennsylvania in 1774 for England where he wrote The American Crisis, returning home in 1779.The seminary stands on the site of Allen’s home, “Mt. Airy.”