Join Alex Bartlett from the Chestnut Hill Conservancy and dig into the Wissahickon from the Conservancy’s Archives. Learn a bit more about the Lenni Lenape in our area; the milling industry in the Wissahickon Valley; hotels and inns; the Centennial Exposition of 1876 and its effects on the Park; the arrival of the car and the origins of the name Forbidden Drive; the arrival of the Friends of the Wissahickon and the Great Depression and programs associated with the WPA; the “period of stasis” in the park (1950s & 1960s), decline, and more!

A resident of Mount Airy for 42 years, Alex spent much of his childhood in the Wissahickon Valley. From his early interest in history and archaeology, he pursued BA degrees in Anthropology and Earth Science at Temple University. He worked for 12 years as an archaeologist before returning to school to earn his MA in Museum Studies from the University of the Arts. In 2009, he began volunteering in the Archives of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society (now Chestnut Hill Conservancy), was hired in the Archives shortly thereafter and is now the Conservancy’s Curator and Archivist.

This program is presented by East Falls Village and The Village on the Ridge. This program will take place in the meeting room – please use the Midvale doors.

Photo caption: "Valley Green Inn, circa 1910. Photo courtesy of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy Archives."