William Penn and the removal of history's lessons

HARRISBURG — Thirteen years ago, after covering Tom Corbett’s inauguration as the commonwealth’s 46th governor, I stopped then-State Archivist David Haury as he was gingerly walking away from the ceremony carrying with him an extraordinary relic: William Penn’s 1698 family Bible which Corbett had just used for his swearing-in ceremony.

Flanked by security, Haury was wearing gloves to protect the rare artifact he said was on loan for the day from the Pennsylvania Historical Society. And he let me have a moment to consider the extraordinary history in front of me.