Press Releases Archive

January 30th, 2013

The Pastorius Connection:Freedom, Faith & Education in Germantown

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

First United Methodist Church of Germantown view at corner of Germantown and High Street

One of original Germantown Academy buildings

The modern residents of Germantown in Philadelphia owe a debt of thanks to Francis Daniel Pastorius. Pastorius was a lawyer born in Germany who was responsible for the founding of Germantown. Like Benjamin Franklin, Pastorius, and later his descendants, helped to establish community institutions in the Germantown Neighborhood. Daniel Francis Pastorius provided the land for the building of one the first school in Germantown, the Union School of Germantown, which became the Germantown Academy. The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. now stands on the former site of the Academy. Pastorius great grandson, Daniel, followed in the footsteps of his Great Grandfather. Daniel Francis Pastorius believed that everyone should have the freedom to worship in their own way. Daniel Pastorius allowed early Germantown Methodists to worship in his house. Soon after, Daniel Pastorius sold them the land for the First United Methodist Church of Germantown. However, someone who begins to investigate the history of these places will find that all these institutions lead back to an unassuming building at 6019 Germantown Avenue known as the Green Tree Tavern. You can begin your journey at PhilaPlace about this historical landmark.

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December 20th, 2012

The Oellers Hotel: Defintely a Philadelphia Original

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

the public ledger building at site of old Oellers Hotel

A water color of The Oellers Hotel in 1790

A person’s ability to think up a fresh idea is something special.  A fresh idea is also something that doesn’t happen all the time. The owner of the Oellers Hotel, James Oellers, had the great fortune to think of several fresh ideas in his lifetime. Oellers was also able to witness a few firsts which happen to occur at his establishment. These firsts allowed him to enjoy a great deal of success. However, Oellers also needed to deal with some misfortune as well. Come on over to PhilaPlace and read about the rise and fall of the nation’s first hotel, the Oellers Hotel.

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November 28th, 2012

The First United Methodist Church of Germantown Sunday School

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

The rear of the Loder Educational BuildingChildren usually learn their first word and how to count from their mom or dad. Most parents are happy to play the role of first teacher and teach their children all they know about the child’s brand new world. However, children eventually reach the point in their education where they go to school. The First Methodist Church of Germantown has been providing children with their first lessons as well as a religious education in their Sunday School for almost two hundred years. You can find out more about The First United Methodist Church of Germantown Sunday School’s history at PhilaPlace.

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November 7th, 2012

Ryerrs Mansion

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Ever wonder what Philadelphia history exists north of Center City? This area’s historical treasures can often be overlooked as a tourist hotspot, but there are places to see! The Ryerrs Museum in Burholme Park has a wide array of objects from around the world – collected on the Ryerss’ trips abroad.They had rather eccentric taste   in decryerrs mansionoration and the museum’s display reflects this. Walking into the museum you’ll    be met with scientific specimens, including plenty of taxidermy animals, and beautiful art, paintings, sculpture, plates and mugs. For generations, family members dedicated their lives to philanthropic causes and made a lasting impact on their community. Read about them on PhilaPlace!

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February 6th, 2012

Central High School & The Philadelphia High School for Girls

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

<p>"The Astronomical Club at Work"</p>

"The Astronomical Club at Work"

 The histories of two of Philadelphia’s oldest and most prestigious public High Schools are now on PhilaPlace.

Find out why the students of the Central High School were addressed by President Theodore Roosevelt and learn about how a school that was exclusively for boys became co-ed.

Read the Philadelphia High School for Girls’ story page to figure out why the school was known by five different names over the course of its almost two hundred year history and discover the way in which the public education of women evolved from the early 1800s up until today.

Regardless of whether you’re looking to relive your high school years or not, the stories have appeal for those interested in photography, architecture, football, education, and urbanization.

Click here to visit the story pages for Central and Girls High Schools.

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January 30th, 2012

William Penn Charter School

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

 

The William Penn Charter School’s long history of excellence is now available for your reading pleasure on PhilaPlace. One of the oldest schools in the nation, the William Penn Charter School was established by William Penn himself in the late 17th century. Over its three hundred year history, the school has maintained its original intent as an institution to educate not just in academics alone, but in leadership and ethics to create well rounded members of society. The school has held its doors open wide to those of different religions, races and backgrounds never catering exclusively to the wealthy, but to all of those deserving of a good education. For as William Penn once said, “Good instruction is better than riches.”

"This Turned the Blue's Face Red"

"This Turned the Blue's Face Red"

 

 

Visit the school’s story page to discover the history of the William Penn Charter School and learn about its current commitment to community service. Be sure to check out the great photographs (modern and archival) posted with the story from the collections of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania and of the William Penn Charter School.

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June 23rd, 2010

Richard Allen: Apostle of Freedom — June 30 at HSP

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

RichardAllen

Wednesday, June 30 at 6 PM

Panel Discussion and Show-and-Tell

Come early at 5:30 PM for a screening of a new documentary about Bishop Richard Allen

This year marks the 250th birthday of Bishop Richard Allen, a revered figure in African American history and one of the nation’s leading abolitionists. Though enslaved at birth, he eventually purchased his own freedom, started several businesses, and created one of the first independent black churches in America — Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, now known as “Mother” Bethel AME.  Allen was also the first African American figure to eulogize a president, the first black author (with Absalom Jones) to hold a federal copyright, and the first African American bishop in the United States.

Join the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Library Company of Philadelphia for a celebration of Allen’s life and legacy. Pastors from Mother Bethel AME Church, Historic St. George’s United Methodist Church, and Mother African Zoar United Methodist Church, and a historian from the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas will participate in a panel discussion, along with history professor Richard Newman, author of Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers. The moderator will be University of Pennsylvania professor Anthea Butler, who specializes in African American religious history. Learn about Richard Allen’s many contributions to American religion, society, and culture. At the event, guests can view original documents from HSP and LCP that relate to Richard Allen. Some of these documents have also been posted as an online exhibition.

To register for this free event click here.

The panel discussion will be preceded by a showing of an exciting new documentary about the life of one of America’s unsung founding fathers,  Apostle of Freedom: Bishop Richard Allen. Primarily utilizing Bishop Allen’s own voice found in his autobiography, the story is well supported by a cast of scholarly experts, church officials, and Allen descendants. This short film, produced by History Making Productions and funded by the Lomax Family Foundation and Mother Bethel AME Church, will leave viewers wanting to know more about Bishop Richard Allen and the events surrounding his exceptional life.

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May 4th, 2010

A Vision for Marshall Street

By Elaine Ellison

Marshall street 2008

pushcart muralTop: View of North Marshall Street, looking north from Poplar Street; Bottom: Pushcarts mural on 900 block of N.  Marshall Street, between Poplar and Girard

What’s in a name??  Today, my old neighborhood is considered a part of Northern Liberties, but when I lived on the 900 block of North Marshall Street, the boundary of Northern Liberties was from Front and Girard west to 6th Street and south to Spring Garden Street. We never knew what our area was called. North Central Philadelphia was an easy answer.  In doing research at the Library Company of Philadelphia, I found a map that listed a small area from 6th Street to Broad as Penn’s Land.  Did that make it different from Penn’s Woods which is the meaning of Pennsylvania?

(more…)

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March 10th, 2010

Get a sneak preview of the new enhanced map features on PhilaPlace.org!

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Map screen shot

We need your help! Come and share your opinion and you will receive:

Free 1-year subscription Pennsylvania Legacies, HSP’s illustrated history magazine
Free passes to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Free coffee-table history book

PhilaPlace.org is now adding enhanced historical maps that reveal in-depth patterns of change over time for specific blocks in South Philadelphia and Northern Liberties neighborhoods. Help us evaluate the usability of these new features!

INTERESTED?

When:        Monday, March 15, 7:00–8:30pm

Where:       Van Pelt Dietrich Library, University of Pennsylvania

How: If you would like to volunteer to share your opinion about PhilaPlace.org, you are at least 18 years old, and you can give about an hour of your time, please contact us at philaplace@hsp.org

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March 10th, 2010

PhilaPlace.org Launches New Mapping Features on March 26th

By The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA (March 9, 2010) PhilaPlace—an interactive Web site that connects stories to places across time in Philadelphia’s neighborhoods—announces an exciting new mapping feature to be unveiled March 26, 2010. On the PhilaPlace “Map” page at PhilaPlace.org, visitors can click on the new “Streets” tab and view enhanced historical maps that reveal in-depth patterns of change over time for specific blocks in South Philadelphia and Northern Liberties neighborhoods. Land-use and census data recreate details and activities on a street, house by house, business by business, for South 4th Street’s “Fabric Row;” the South 9th Street market; the neighborhoods destroyed by the construction of Interstate 95; and the historically African American settlement on Wallace Street in Northern Liberties once known as Paschall’s Alley.

Read full press release

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