General Info

American Women's Heritage SocietyAmerican Women's Heritage Society was founded in November 1986 to maintain and restore Belmont Mansion, an eighteenth century house in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, PA. The Society is the first organization to operate Belmont Mansion primarily as an historic site. And the Society is the only African-American Women's organization to administer an historic mansion in Fairmount Park.The Society has drawn attention to the importance of Belmont Mansion. In the 1987 Assessment of Ten Historic Structures in Fairmount Park considered to be at risk, Belmont Mansion was singled out as the most significant structure studied, and among the most important in Fairmount Park.This work was followed by a complete historical study and architectural analysis published as The Belmont Mansion Historical Structures Report. On this basis, the restoration of Belmont Mansion became the first major project of the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust in 1994.The AWHS is a non-profit historic preservation organization that raises funds from membership fees, admissions, rentals, grants and donations. Through the Society, Belmont Mansion has become an interpretive and educational center for American history and culture. The Society seeks to expose the community to the fine arts ( literature, art, dance and music ), as well as build bridges of communication and interaction among various ethnic communities in Philadelphia.