For Androutsos, the history is also personal. Several of her ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War. Some of them were Quakers and Baptists, she said, which was “highly unusual” at the time.
Learning about the Revolutionary War “bring[s] us back to our fundamentals as we are now as a nation,” Androutsos said.
“I can imagine that happening back in the Revolution, you know, people at the taverns, men, obviously men going to the taverns and discussing, you know, ‘Why would we do this?’” she said. “I can imagine people going into the Temperance House in Newtown and … saying, ‘Are you, are you doing this? Are you going to join? Are you taking the oath of allegiance?’”
The map also includes Heritage, Abolitionist and Lenape trails. For the Lenape Trail, the team worked with Katelyn Lucas, the historic preservation officer for the Delaware Nation, to ensure its historical accuracy.
Androutsos said she hopes the map serves as a research and educational tool that will endure beyond the 250th anniversary celebrations this year.
To that end, the commission plans to host an event in November for educators to provide resources about Revolutionary War history.
“We’re having this big celebration, but let’s help people learn about it, and we can help teachers a little bit. I think that goes a long way,” Androutsos said.