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What’s New
Thursday, December 5, 2024
7:00 PM
The Typhoid Fever Menace and the Queen Lane Reservoir
Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, 3820 The Oak Road
(With a short business meeting at 6:45 PM for EFHS members to vote on officers and by-laws changes. But all are welcome.)
By Steven J. Peitzman, MD
President of the EFHS, Historian of Medicine
As the 20th century approached, Philadelphia was not done with epidemic diseases. But typhoid fever seemed always present, though more lethal in some years than others. It was known to be transmitted through water or milk contaminated with a particular bacterium. In the 1890s, no antibiotics existed. Water supplies in American cities were polluted with industrial and human waste. Scientists and engineers knew that a basically simple process – sand filtration – worked, but to apply this remedy to a whole city’s water supply would prove costly.
East Falls at least already had a reservoir built in 1894-5. All we needed was some sand and a lot of money from city councils.
Click here for flyer (PDF)
Coming this Winter!
A virtual tour of Fallsiana highlights from the Print and Picture Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia
Check here later for dates and details. Members: Watch for announcements in your email.
Samuel T. Wagner House added to Philadelphia Register
At its meeting on June 14, 2024, the Philadelphia Historical Commission placed 3343 West School House Lane, a house built by engineer Samuel Tobias Wagner in 1896, on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. East Falls can boast of over thirty sites on either the National or Philadelphia register – or both – and many more structures are worthy of this recognition and protection. The nomination was submitted by the East Falls Historical Society, and written by Steven J. Peitzman.
Samuel T. Wagner (1861-1931), a member of one of the first European families to create a “country estate” along School House Lane, as a civil engineer designed bridges and tunnels, became an authority on testing materials, and rose to the rank of chief engineer of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. He also served as board member and professor at the Wagner Free Institute, founded by a great uncle.
The house was designed by the eminent architect Horace Trumbauer, whose firm was known for monumental buildings such as the Free Library (Parkway Central), Union League addition, Public Ledger Building, and many suburban mansions. But Trumbauer designed numerous fine mid-sized homes, too many of which do not survive. The recently designated house blends the Queen Ann and shingle styles in a balanced and dignified approach, not always seen in the late Victorian period. It was acquired by Jefferson University in 2022. Jefferson’s plans for the building are not known, but it was reassuring that the nomination was not opposed. The house is now protected from demolition or major external alterations.
Click here for nomination to Philadelphia Register of Historic Places
A Walking Tour of The Oak Road and Vicinity
On April 20, 2024, Steve Peitzman and Nancy Pontone led a tour of The Oak Road. Click here to see the tour description. Here are a few of the historic sites that we saw:
Alden Park; Steel’s Stone Stable; Henry W. Brown residence (Timmons House); Ivy Cottage; Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd
Click here to see photos from the tour.
From psychiatric research hospital to modernist living: The Tower at Henry
Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (EPPI) opened in 1956 as a research and training hospital designed to foster advances in understanding and treatment of the mentally ill. After it stood empty for many years, the site has been redeveloped by New Cortland, a senior services provider. The November column in East Falls NOW tells the history of EPPI and the conversion of the International-Style building into apartments.
John B. Kelly and physical fitness: A tale of two parties
In the October East Falls NOW column, read how a random inquiry led to discovery of John B. Kelly’s promotion of physical fitness, both under both the FDR and Eisenhower administrations.
East Falls Historical Society has recorded more than 60 oral histories! Here are the latest:
Sister Dorothy, a lifelong Fallser and St. Bridget parishioner, describes her journey becoming a nun and a teacher at St. Bridget School. A natural storyteller, she relates memories of old East Falls – Gustine Lake, Alden Theater, Hohenadel Brewery, the Kellys, and local stores.
Born in 1928 in her house on Conrad Street, Mary Ousey, a nurse, recalls her 55 years in Falls, with vivid descriptions of St. Bridget, the Kellys, Bessie Dobson, Breck School, local hucksters, and Falls before it was developed.
Ellen Sheehan, the daughter of longtime florists in East Falls, recalls her girlhood days and the evolution of the community through several decades.
Freda Gowling shares her memories of the neighborhood, especially focusing on her involvement with both Old Academy Players and Redeemer Lutheran Church.
Mt. Vernon Cemetery Tour
On April 15, 2023, historian Brandon Zimmerman led a walking tour of Historic Mount Vernon Cemetery. He and an intrepid crew of volunteers are restoring this long-neglected historic cemetery. Click here to learn more and see our pictures of this strange and fascinating place
Chadwick Papers Index online!
Adapted from The Chadwick Papers Index by Katy Hineline, 1991. Click here to open in a new tab.
Visit the Grace Kelly Gallery at NewCourtland!
Click here for details
We Thank Our Sponsors
East Falls Family Dentistry
F.X. Duffy & Co.
Hyde Electric Corp.
Laurel Hill Cemeteries
Eugene Mattioni, Esq.
McIlvaine Funeral Home
Old Academy Players
William Ross III
John Calvitti Co.
Saint James the Less School
Joe Boyle Insurance Agency
Slices Pizza
Wee Care Child Care
Martin Tyler
Elfant Wissahickon
Ray Kaller and Sons Roofing
