Renowned historian David McCullough called Carpenters' Hall "the acorn of American democracy," and with his blessing in 2018 we inaugurated the David McCullough Prize for Excellence in American Public History to recognize people of national stature who are advancing the public's understanding of American history. Past recipients include: Lonnie Bunch, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; Bryan Stevenson, the Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative; Christy Coleman, the Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation; and Mo Rocca, author, poqcaster and CBS Sunday Morning correspondent.

We are pleased to announce that, in honor of the 2026 Semiquincentennial, the recipient of the 2026 McCullough Prize is former director of the National Park Service Robert Stanton.

Mr. Stanton will accept the McCullough Prize in person at a celebratory reception and VIP dinner on Thursday, May 7. The reception will take place in Franklin Court, on the grounds of lndependence National Historical Park. Benjamin Franklin's 18th-century house and print shop on this site were built by Carpenters' Company member Robert Smith (who also designed Carpenters' Hall), and the Ghost Structures now installed there were designed by Carpenters' Company member Robert Venturi in the 1970s.

The VIP dinner will take place just a short walk away in Carpenters' Hall. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit the First Bank Fund at the Independence Historical Trust as the Trust prepares to take over management of the First Bank building adjacent to Carpenters' Hall (the First Bank operated in Carpenters' Hall in the 1790s, while its permanent building was under construction).

Ticket Options and Benefits: 

Sponsor - $2,500: logo recognition on invitation, event registration page and website; four (4) tickets to the Reception and VIP Dinner on May 7; logo recognition in program book; copy of David McCullough’s book 1776

Host Committee - $500: one (1) ticket to the Reception and VIP Dinner; name recognition in program book; copy of David McCullough’s book 1776

Reception & VIP Dinner Ticket - $250: one (1) ticket to the Reception and VIP Dinner