Between Two Rivers: 250 Years of Pharmacy in Philadelphia

Between Two Rivers: 250 Years of Pharmacy in Philadelphia is on view at the Marvin Samson Museum for the History of Pharmacy, on the first floor of Griffith Hall at Saint Joseph's University. It's part of America250@SJU, the university's 2026 celebration of America at 250.

The exhibition traces the history of pharmacy in Philadelphia, and it starts with the city's geography. The title refers to the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, which sustained life, provided water, and facilitated the trade that helped Philadelphia become the birthplace of American pharmacy. The first recorded U.S. pharmacy opened here in 1752, when Irish immigrant Christopher Marshall set up shop. Sixty-nine years later, 68 apothecaries—mostly Quakers—founded the Philadelphia College of Apothecaries at Carpenter's Hall to improve safety and standards through a science-based curriculum. It was incorporated in 1822 as the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy.

The museum draws from the college's expansive collection of chemicals, apparatus, medicines, and botanical specimens. The gallery itself is reimagined as an abstracted map of the city, and visitors are invited to contribute to the exhibition's evolving history as they walk through it.

You can find the museum at 601 South 43rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Gallery hours are Tuesday 12–5 PM, Thursday 12–6 PM, and Friday 11–5 PM, and it's also open by appointment.