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The Path of America’s First Railway

Posted on September 30, 2019 by nphistory

 

Leiper built a temporary track in the yard of the Bull’s Head Tavern in Philadelphia to demonstrate the merits of his railway.

Did it go through your backyard?

Historians say the horse-drawn railway that Thomas Leiper laid out in 1809 from Crum Creek to Ridley Creek, through today’s Governor Sproul Estates, was the first commercial railway in the United States.

Pierre Lacombe, New Jersey Geologic Historian, has precisely mapped the railway. He’ll present a talk with maps and photos. You’re invited.

Sunday, October 20 at 2:00 PM at the Helen Kate Furness Library: 100 North Providence Road, Wallingford.

RSVP via Email.

The program is presented by the Nether Providence Historical Society and is free and open to the public.

 

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Delaware County Arts Week

Posted on September 5, 2019 by nphistory

Thomas Leiper House is participating in the Delaware County Arts Week.

On Saturday and Sunday, September 28 and 29 the Leiper House will be open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  Visitors can see original paintings of Leiper family members by famous artists. There are also old paintings of buildings that are no longer standing but were part of Leiper’s estate, “Avondale.”

Local artists Ursula Ippoliti and Dennis Goldsborough will display their paintings of notable Delaware County locations.  They will have prints and notecards of their paintings available to purchase.

LEIPER HOUSE | 521 Avondale Road, Wallingford

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Party on the Porch

Posted on June 17, 2019 by nphistory
Leiper House
The Friends of the Thomas Leiper House invite you to their annual summertime Open House.

Enjoy summer refreshments. Visit the outbuildings. Take in the view of the park and Crum Creek.

Friday, June 28 from 7:00 until 9:00 pm
521 Avondale Road, Wallingford

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Trench Art: Beautiful Remnants of War

Posted on March 27, 2019 by nphistory

In their free time, soldiers, especially during World War I, created folk art from discarded bullets, shell casings, and other materiel.

They kept their creations as souvenirs or gave them as gifts to loved ones when they returned from war.

Ryan Berley will share with us the history of Trench Art and show examples from his collection.

The Historical Society will also display the vase that local resident, Von Byre, brought home to his mother. The vase is part of the NPHS’s permanent collection.

Trench Art
Thursday, April 11 at 7:00 PM
Helen Kate Furness Free Library – Chadwick Auditorium

About the Speaker: Ryan Berley, Curator of the Rose Valley Museum at Thunderbird Lodge, has a life-long interest in antiques. He and his brother are owners of Franklin Fountain and of Shane Confectionery in Philadelphia.

The program is presented by the Nether Providence Historical Society and is free and open to the public. Please RSVP using the contact form below.

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“What the Boys Use When They Go Over the Top”

Posted on February 22, 2019 by nphistory

Second only to the many brave Delaware Countians who served in the armed forces in WWI, the County’s most significant contribution to America’s war effort was rifle production in Eddystone.

Join us to learn the story of the remarkable industrial achievement of the Eddystone Rifle Plant, located on the far side of the Baldwin Locomotive Works property. It was America’s largest rifle plant and produced the majority U.S rifles, almost 2 million.

The Eddystone Rifle Plant During WWI
Wednesday, March 13 at 7:00 PM
Helen Kate Furness Free Library – Chadwick Auditorium

About the Speaker: Kurt Sellers is a retired Major in the U.S. Army, a graduate of West Point, and served in the 1991 Gulf War. A volunteer researcher for the United States WWI Centennial Commission, Kurt has received approval on behalf of Eddystone Borough for a state historic marker to be placed near the site of the old rifle factory on Route 13.

The program is presented by the Nether Providence Historical Society and is free and open to the public. Please RSVP using the contact form below.

 

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Colonial Christmas Open House

Posted on December 11, 2018 by nphistory

You’re invited!

Join us Sunday,

Sunday, December 15, 2019, from 1 o’clock until 5 o’clock at Thomas Leiper’s 1785 Country Home.

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William Penn Weekend

Posted on September 24, 2018 by nphistory

The last weekend of September, local historical organizations will commemorate the 300th anniversary of William Penn’s death with a schedule of activities celebrating his legacy of tolerance.

  • Thursday, September 27: Lecture at Lima Estates, 7:00 PM
  • Friday, September 28: Colonial Music Presentation, 6:00 to 7:30 PM at Newlin Grist Mill
  • Saturday, September 29: Bus & Car Tour of Historic Sites (contact Delaware County Historical Society for details: 610 359-0832).
  • Sunday, September 30: Self-Guided Tours of Historic Sites

Nether Providence Historical Society will have a display of Sharpless family history at Chester Meeting House (520 East 24th Street, Chester) on Sunday afternoon from 1:00 until 3:00 PM.

The John and Jane (Moore) Sharpless (Sharples) family were the first permanent English settlers in what became Nether Providence, in 1682 on a Penn land grant. They are buried at the Chester Meeting House. A son, after finishing the house his father started, “Wolley Stille,” on today’s Harvey Road lived in a house on Providence Great Road from 1700 until 1720, now known as 322 North Providence Road.

Other sites open Sunday afternoon are the Pusey Plantation in Upland, and the Delaware County Historical Society Library and Museum in Chester, and the 1724 Court House next door.

Come visit local history sites this special Penn weekend, especially our Sharpless display at the Chester Meeting House!

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Lecture: Art & Archaeology – M. Louise Baker

Posted on April 8, 2018 by nphistory

To early 20th century archaeologists digging in the Middle East and South America for 2,000-year-old artifacts, the most popular woman in America was artist M. Louise Baker – and she lived in Wallingford!

An artist, Baker worked at University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology from 1908 to 1936. She traveled the world at the request of archeologists to illustrate their finds. Watercolors and reconstructions make up the over 500 works of hers that are in the Penn Museum today.

In retirement, Baker lived on Brookside Road with a studio above the garage that had a large window for sun and views.

Dr. Elin Danien, a research associate at the Penn Museum, will give an illustrated talk about Ms. Baker and her art on Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30 at the Helen Kate Furness Library.

Come learn about a Nether Providence resident, well-known to others, but not to us – until now.

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Centennial of The Great War

Posted on September 21, 2017 by nphistory

2017 is the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I.

Saturday and Sunday, through September and October, we will exhibit in the Leiper House dining room artifacts and ephemera from the era. The Leiper House hours are 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

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Long before Ellis Island, there was Lazaretto.

Posted on May 17, 2017 by nphistory

Where Route 420 ends at the Delaware River, you’ll find Lazaretto.

Considered both the oldest surviving quarantine hospital and the last surviving example of its type in the United States, it was built by the newly created Board of Health after the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 killed off one tenth of Philadelphia’s population. Thereafter, every vessel headed toward the port of Philadelphia first stopped at Lazaretto.

Later, it was the home of the Philadelphia Athletic Club, then a flight school during World War I and then a seaplane base.

Speaker Barbara Selletti will paint a vivid picture of Lazaretto’s long and fascinating history.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Known as the “Lazaretto Lady,” Barbara Selletti is a local historian, genealogist and Neumann University librarian. She and her husband, Tony, were instrumental in the effort to save and restore the Lazaretto.

The program is free and open to the public: Monday, June 12 at the Helen Kate Furness Library on Providence Road in Wallingford, starting at 7:30.

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