Philadelphia’s Yellow Fever Epidemic: From Health Crisis to Social Crisis

Apocalypse of 1793: What Yellow Fever Revealed about Social Life in Philadelphia

Walking Tour: 2.5 hours, prices starting at $289 for up to two people, $25 per person for each additional person up to maximum of 20.

Virtual Tour: 90 minutes, starting at $180 for up to 5 people, $25 per person for each additional person up to 20. 

Description: During the summer of 1793, a mysterious illness spread rapidly across the bustling city of Philadelphia, which at the time was the capital of the new nation. In the course of a few months, nearly 10% of the city’s residents died from yellow fever. This cataclysmic event inspired acts of heroism and self-sacrifice, but it also starkly revealed racial inequalities and inflamed polarization around immigration policy, political identity, and scientific knowledge. Learn how its lessons apply to today.