Historic
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Before It Was Replaced by a Mall, This Amusement Park Delighted Locals for Nearly Eight Decades
The space that is today occupied by Willow Grove Mall was once home to Willow Grove Amusement Park, which delighted residents for nearly eight decades, writes Alonzo Kittrels for The Philadelphia Tribune. The park, which opened in 1895 and closed in 1972, was seen as more upscale than the nearby Woodside Amusement Park, projecting a…
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Lost World War II Letters From Soldier Arrives in Ridley 80 Years Later
A soldier’s unopened, undelivered letters from World War II recently made it to his family in Ridley Park, writes Liz Crawford for CBS News Philadelphia. A brother and sister opened three sealed letters from 80 years ago that their late father sent to his parents in 1944. Siblings Kathleen Morris Rosati and John Morris received…
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Paranormal Investigators to Check Out Haunted Marcus Hook Plank House
The one-bedroom Plank House in Marcus Hook is one of the oldest operating houses in Delaware County, and is said to be the home of the pirate Blackbeard. “It dates back to the 1700s,” said Joshua Chjaires, founder of Phantom Detectives LLC. “At that time, Marcus Hook was a well-known shipping port. It has a…
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Bristol Initiative Archiving Untold Stories About the Borough’s Puerto Rican Community
The Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library and Joel Berrocal, the National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, are working to document the untold history of Bristol’s Puerto Rican community, writes Emily Neil for WHYY. Berrocal noted that he’s had this project in mind for a while. However, he was recently inspired to start…
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Check Out the Only 19th-Century Octagonal Schoolhouse in Bucks County
Wrightstown houses Bucks County’s last remaining octagonal schoolhouse, located at Swamp Road and Second Street Pike, writes Jeff Werner for the Patch. The Wrightstown Township Historical Commission, which owns and maintains the property, hosts events from May to October. During their free open houses, locals can explore the inside of the historic building. …
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After Decades of Closure, Lansdowne Theater Set to Open Its Doors Again as a Concert Hall
A century-old Lansdowne Theater is set to open its doors on August 22 after nearly four decades of closure, with the presentation of Chazz Palminteri: A Bronx Tale, writes Kenny Cooper for WHYY. The movie theater was forced to close in 1987 after a devastating fire and has stayed unused since then. Ownership of the…
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Coatesville Ceremony Finally Honors Zachariah Walker After Brutal Lynching in 1911
Coatesville resident Zachariah Walker was finally recognized with a dignified burial after his brutal death over one hundred years ago, reports staff for 6abc. Walker, a Black man, was killed by a white mob after a self-defense shootout with a white police officer. Walker was injured during the shootout, and mob members later kidnapped him…
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Local History Professor Shares His Decades of Duffy’s Cut Research
Local history professor William Watson has shared the story of first discovering Duffy’s Cut, a mysterious landmark in Malvern, as he writes in an article at The Conversation. The Immaculata University professor and a team of students first discovered Duffy’s Cut in 2004. In the decades since, the team has continued research on the site,…
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Secret Cave That Used to Serve as Hideout for Revolutionary War Outlaws Discovered in Bucks County
A secret cave that used to house Revolutionary War outlaws – British spies and armed thieves also known as the Doan gang – was recently discovered in Bucks County and is currently being excavated, writes John McDevitt for KYW Newsradio. Known as America’s first outlaws, the men were considered to be the “greatest threat to…
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Duffy’s Cut Researchers Believe They Found Second Mass Grave of Irish Railroad Workers Likely Killed in 1832
Brothers William and Frank Watson, the researchers who first uncovered Duffy’s Cut, believe they have discovered a second mass grave of Irish railroad workers buried in Malvern in 1832, writes Zoe Greenberg for The Philadelphia Inquirer. William Watson is a historian at Immaculata University, while Frank Watson is a pastor and an archivist. They discovered…
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The Star-Spangled Banner, One of Best-Known National Anthems in World, Has Rowdy Origins
The Star-Spangled Banner, one of the best-known national anthems in the world, has roots far more rowdy than patriotic, writes Barrymore Laurence Scherer for The Wall Street Journal. The melody was originally written by English composer John Stafford Smith as a popular drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heav’n.” A pupil of renowned composer William Boyce…
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Yardley Museum Preserves African American History for the Community
The Gather Place Museum in Yardley is keeping African American history alive in the community, reports Nick Iadonisi at 6abc. The museum is located in the historic African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, built in 1877. Gather Place was created by Shirley Lee Corsey, the Executive Director and Curator of the museum, who wished to…
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The Oldest Town in Pennsylvania Happens to Be in Delaware County
Pennsylvania, as one of the original 13 colonies where independence was born, has many historic towns that have stood the test of time. But to find the oldest, you need only look in Delaware County’s backyard, writes Andre DeBonis for EnergyPortal.eu. Chester was the earliest settlement in Pennsylvania, founded in 1682 by William Penn, who…
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Montgomery County Home to One of the State’s 10 Most Historic Abandoned Places
Visiting abandoned places has become a popular activity among tourists across the country. From ghost towns to abandoned historic sites, these places are filled with eerie stories about life in earlier centuries. In Pennsylvania, there are ten sites that Joshua Childu at The Travel considers the most historic abandoned places in the state. Among them…
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Inside Kennett Square’s Long History with the Underground Railroad
As Juneteenth approaches, the Kennett Underground Railroad Center seeks to educate the community on Kennett’s history with the abolitionist movement, writes Madeleine Wright for CBS News Philadelphia. Historic buildings throughout Kennett Square served as stops along the Underground Railroad. The community as a whole was a vital space for abolitionist work throughout the nineteenth century.…
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Morrisville’s Pennsbury Manor Preserves History by Sharing Stories of Former Residents
Pennsbury Manor in Morrisville, which is dedicated to preserving the historical significance of William Penn, brings the past into the present with stories of people who once lived there, reports Hank Flynn for FOX 29 Philadelphia. The reconstruction of William Penn’s country estate offers numerous cultural and educational programs and events. Some take place in…
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Was ‘The Wickedest Man in the World’ Buried Just Outside of Bucks County? Here’s What We Know
According to several sources, one of the most infamous personalities of the last century may have found his resting place just outside of Bucks County. Aleister Crowley, dubbed by many publications as “The Wickedest Man in the World”, was an English author and occultist, who founded the spiritual philosophy/religion of Thelema back in the early…
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Bucks County Resident Building Monument at Abraham Lincoln’s Bristol Visit Site
On Feb. 21, 1861, on his way to his inauguration, Abraham Lincoln made a brief appearance in Bucks County, writes JD Mullane in the Bucks County Courier Times. Lincoln’s train arrived in Bristol, his 84th stop on his 93-stop journey from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C. All that remains of his Bucks County visit are…
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