Posts by Sally F. (35)
Blog Articles
As Head Designer of Horace Trumbauer’s architecture firm, Julian Abele designed the Free Library and the Philadelphia Art Museum and set the tone for the entire parkway. He designed… continue reading A History Minute: 11 Things You Didn't Know About Julian Abele, Architect of the Parkway
By written by Sally F. February 7, 2018 9
The Fish It all started with the fish. Like salmon, shad are born in fresh water, spend several years growing in the ocean, then return to their birthplace to spawn. The largest breeding… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Fishtown
By written by Sally F. January 10, 2018 2
Chances are you have driven, biked, run, walked, or partied on Kelly Drive, but have you ever wondered where it got its name? No, it’s not named for Grace Kelly , movie star and princess.… continue reading A History Minute: The Fortunes of Philadelphia - The Kellys
By written by Sally F. November 16, 2017
In the beginning Philadelphia was a river town. William’s Penn’s plan stretched from river to river, but the population clung to the shores of the Delaware and the docks and ships that… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Moyamensing (aka Evergreen, Schuylkill, Graduate Hospital, South of South)
By written by Sally F. October 26, 2017
On Sept. 26, 2017, the fence will come down and a new statue will be unveiled: the first new City Hall statue since 1923 and the first of an African American on any city-owned public… continue reading A History Minute: Octavius V. Catto - Philadelphia's Forgotten Freedom Fighter
By written by Sally F. September 22, 2017
Overbrook gets its name from a train station built over a brook. This is quite appropriate, as it was the Pennsylvania Railroad that bought trolley rights to Lancaster Avenue from 52nd… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Overbrook
By written by Sally F. August 21, 2017 9
Almost 100 years before Ellis Island, Philadelphia established The Lazaretto Station. It became the point of entry for all ships and passengers arriving during the quarantine season of June… continue reading A History Minute: What is The Lazaretto?
By written by Sally F. August 7, 2017 5
Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods and Olney is a neighborhood of cultures. Today Olney is the most diverse of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and its 5th Street business corridor… continue reading A History Minute: Neighborhood Beginnings - Olney
By written by Sally F. July 26, 2017 7
18th century Philadelphia was primarily a port city, its wealth based on imports and exports from all over the world. At the time of the American Revolution, the city’s major trading… continue reading A History Minute: Latinos and the American Revolution
By written by Sally F. July 18, 2017
By 1800, Philadelphia was not only the Cradle of Liberty but the center of American manufacturing and innovation. It was the kind of place a young man of vision who was not afraid to get his hands… continue reading A History Minute: The Fortunes of Philadelphia - The Engineers
By written by Sally F. July 10, 2017 7
Mid-19th century Philadelphia was booming. Its factories produced iron and steel, locomotives and textiles, and finished goods of all kinds. Immigrants and citizens alike flowed into the city to… continue reading A History Minute: The Fortunes of Philadelphia - The Trolley Kings
By written by Sally F. June 21, 2017 1
Church bells ring incessantly throughout deserted streets. Homes are abandoned and those that are not are barricaded against strangers and friends alike. Formerly bustling markets stand empty… continue reading A History Minute: The "Philadelphia Apocalypse" a.k.a. Yellow Fever
By written by Sally F. June 6, 2017 15
In the spring of 1776 , the British began a blockade of American ports, throwing coastal shipping into disarray and sending many captains back to the more secure European routes. But a young… continue reading The Richest Man in America
By written by Sally F. April 27, 2017
Philadelphia was the place to be in July of 1976. Even Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain came to present the Bicentennial Bell , cast in the same foundry as our Liberty Bell. The 4,000+… continue reading A History Minute: Philadelphia's Medical Mystery
By written by Sally F. March 16, 2017
Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and other tech billionaire/philanthropists may have set new standards in giving, but philanthropy is an old Philadelphia tradition with two of our earliest… continue reading African American Philanthropists in Early Philadelphia
By written by Sally F. February 22, 2017 8