Library Corner with Garden

Located in Old City, the APS public spaces consist of a Library, a Museum, and a garden.

Non-members can visit the interactive and free APS Museum to see how the society and its members have affected America and global science. Often these exhbits include a potpourri of science, art, technology, and even music.

Visit the APS story page to learn more about both the Society and the Museum.

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"

 

 

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.

But, as a testament to their compañerismo, organizations like the Spanish Merchants Association have sprung up to help them out. The Association began by helping businessmen, but quickly expanded to offer private programs to help the community. The SMA closed its doors in 1986, but it inspired other groups, like the Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises (HACE), to take its place.

The Historical Society has its full records, so you can drop by and take a look at its legacy for yourself.

The kidnappers let Walter go after he started crying, but they demanded a $20,000 ransom for Charley. The twenty-three letters that the kidnappers sent fueled the story nationwide. A line from the first letter inspired the title of Carrie Hagen’s We is Got Him, which follows the story of the Ross kidnapping. The Philadelphia Inquirer published a review of Hagen’s book this past Sunday, but courtesy of Temple University’s Philadelphia Neighborhoods, PhilaPlace has an interview with the author.

Although it’s certainly not one of Philadelphia’s happier stories, it is one of its more interesting ones and it’s worth a read. And remember, don’t take candy from strangers.

Rest assured, this isn’t the first time that the world was supposed to end, and it probably won’t be the last. The great American tradition of predicting the end actually began here in Philadelphia with Johannes Kelpius and the Society of the Woman in the Wilderness.

Johannes Kelpius, as depicted in America's first portrait, held at the Historical Society

The group of forty devotees first came together in Germany around 1690 and expected the millennium to begin in 1694. They set sail for Philadelphia and, after a perilous journey (Kelpius believed the Flying Dutchman passed their ship), settled in the woods along the Wissahickon River to wait for the return of Jesus. Though they never saw Jesus, they did have an encounter with an angel in their time and those in Germantown believed that Kelpius possessed the legendary Philosopher’s Stone, now supposedly lost in the Wissahickon.

Aside from their mysticism, they left a more tangible impact on those they met and helped their Germantown neighbors with education, medicine, and more, including the first hymnal written in America.

But, again, there is no shortage of doomsayers. The Historical Society’s That’s History program on WHYY addressed another group, the Millerites, earlier this summer. You can listen to that show here and prepare yourself for the next big prediction. For more That’s History, tune into WHYY FM at 6:00 on Spetember 13th, and every other Tuesday after that. And, of course, be sure to keep up on your PhilaPlace while there’s still time!

Germantown Cricket Club clubhouse

In the mid-1850s, cricket finally gained a foothold in America and it expanded quickly. The sport found one of its earliest and greatest homes in The Germantown Cricket Club, started by a group of schoolboys on this day in 1854. Even though its members were much younger than those of the other cricket players in town, the club practically defined American cricket. The club expanded and outlasted the fall of cricket, and it continues to operate today. Its legacy extends beyond cricket and the story of The Germantown Cricket Club is one of war, sibling rivalries, and good old-fashioned fun.

Bill Tilden (center)

The next story follows the life of the club’s most famous, and infamous member, Bill Tilden. Tennis took over at the club in the early 1900s, and Tilden took over tennis in the 1920s. He was the world champion for over a decade and he was as much a celebrity as he was an athlete. When Tilden matched the highest standards of the sport, he continued and created a new, deeper game around him.

In the tennis world, he was nearly invincible, but he met far greater challenges in his personal life. Tilden’s still strong career and lavish life in Hollywood came to a sudden end and he found himself alone and forgotten. To find out what happened, you’ll have to read on!

WPCHC Neighborhood Map

The group has gathered information on different neighborhoods in the area, that are organized in a clickable map (see right). The collection of projects ranges from neighborhood and personal histories that begin as far back as Indian settlement to papers that identify problems in a community, and better still, propose solutions.

Like in the students’ case studies, much of the information in the historical stories are unique. For example, there is a comprehensive life story of poet Ruth Branning Molloy on the site that you won’t find anywhere else.

While you’re enjoying the stories at WPCHC, don’t forget to add your own story to PhilaPlace!

Our Lady of Angels, courtesy of the Philadelphia Archdiocese Historical Research Center

My first story is on Our Lady of Angels Italian-Catholic parish in a neighborhood north of Mantua and known to those who lived there as 49^th street. Though West Philadelphia was never as industrial as say, Kensington, many immigrants in the early twentieth century found work along the Mantua Railroad Yard and the Lancaster Street corridor. A colorful interview with former parishioner Anna Appolonia Mandell provides a more nuanced look at this close-knit Italian neighborhood.

Another dealt with “Old Blockley,” or Philadelphia General Hospital, which, though closing in 1977, many historians consider the country’s first hospital. Old Blockley served the city’s poorest members for over two centuries, predating even Independence Hall as a Philadelphia institution.  Ironically, Philadelphia is now the only major city in the United States without a municipal hospital.

I also added a couple of stories on the growing Muslim presence in West Philadelphia. Two mosques, one affiliated with the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (AICP) and another named Masjid al-Jamia, between 43^rd and 45^th and Walnut Street, and an interview with administrator Linda Hauber of AICP help tell that story.

Masjid al-Jamia

Association of Islamic Charitable Projects

Café Cláve on 44^th is a story of a musical community in West Philadelphia. An interview with co-owner Armen “Gooch” Terzian reveals how the café unites seemingly disparate groups like Ethiopian and Cuban immigrants, as well as University of Pennsylvania graduate students.

Café Cláve interior

And finally, the Plotland story, also at 44^th and Locust, appropriately shows how graduate students are doing their part to create community in West Philadelphia. Co-creator Amanda Sebald talks about how this group started an urban farm on vacant land—in an attempt, appropriately, to “fill a place.”

Plotland

I hope you all enjoy!