Pennsylvania Hall Association (Philadelphia, Pa.)

The Pennsylvania Hall Association was formed to promote free discussion among the citizens of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Hall was built in 1838. Three days after its dedication, during a meeting of the Female Anti-Slavery Society, it was destroyed by a mob opposed to the abolition of slavery.

The Pennsylvania Hall Association was a stockholders association formed in 1837 to erect a building in Philadelphia dedicated "to Liberty and the Rights of Man." The Hall was erected on 6th Street, between Cherry and Race Streets. Many of the primary movers behind the Association were Quakers involved in the anti-slavery movement. The building was opened on May 14, 1838, and, as a symbol of the abolitionist movement, was destroyed by an angry mob on May 17, 1838. The destruction of Pennsylvania Hall marked the extreme of anti-abolition violence in the City of Philadelphia, resulting in a reaction which strengthened the cause of anti-slavery.