• ‘Living Healthier’ fair in Frankford
  When-Fri, July 31, 10am – 11am

  Where-St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave. (map)

  Description-Rep. Tony Payton to host free ‘Living Healthier’ fair in Frankford Please mark your calendars for Friday, July 31, when I host my first “Living Healthier” fair with Greater Philadelphia Health Action to help people learn some simple but effective ways they can lead a healthier lifestyle. The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, July 31 at St. Mark’s Church, 4442 Frankford Ave. It will feature a variety of local community health-care providers, free on-site examinations, and information to help adults and children live healthier lives. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided. People of all ages are welcome to attend. If you would like more information about this event or any other state-related issue, please do not hesitate to contact me.
• Grand Army of the Republic Museum Open House
  When-Sun, August 2, 12pm – 5pm

  Where-4278 Griscom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (map)

  Description-From Ft Sumter to Appomattox: General Samuel W. Crawford Presented by Mr. Rich Wagner
• Community discussion on the potential use of the historic Benjamin Rush house
  When-Mon, August 3, 6pm – 8pm

  Where-Medical Office Building at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in the third floor conference room (map)

  Description-Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery will host a community discussion on the potential use of the historic house. As you know, the house has been inhabitable for many years however; under new ownership the cemetery has plans to renovate and restore the house. Please see www.kpgreenwoodcemetery.org for the full details. The guest facilitator will be Ann Barton Brown. Ms. Brown brings a wealth of knowledge, including thirty-five years experience as a curator, collections manager, strategic planner and fundraiser for museums and non profit arts and community organizations. With your input we hope to determine the most effective use of the house, not only for the cemetery but for the community as well. Therefore, your participation is greatly appreciated. The meeting will be held in the Medical Office Building at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in the third floor conference room on August 3rd from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm. If you have any questions please call 215-533-2967.
• Kick off rally for National Night Out
  When-Mon, August 3, 6pm – 8pm

  Where-Wal*Mart Parking Lot – 1601 South Columbus Blvd. (map)

  Description-Philadelphia’s Night Out Kick off rally for National Night Out Monday August 3rd, 2009\ Please join us in honoring Philadelphia’s Town Watch groups Wal*Mart Parking Lot – 1601 South Columbus Blvd. Fun for the whole family – music, refreshments, prizes You don’t want to miss this great event Don’t forget to turn on your lights and turn off crime on August 4th
• National Night Out
  When-Tue, August 4, 8pm – Wed, August 5, 12am

  Description-Don’t forget to turn on your lights and turn off crime on August 4th
• Frankford Civic Association Meeting
  When-Thu, August 6, 7pm – 8pm

  Where-Frankford Hospital – 2nd floor conference room (map)

Tom Waring of the Northeast Times reports this week on the pending move of approximately 2000 burials in Greenwood Cemetery to an unused section to make way for expansion of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America hospital on Wyoming Avenue.

Now that the City Planning Commission, City Council and Orphans Court have given their approval, a company affiliated with Cancer Treatment Centers of America will soon begin the delicate process of moving more than 2,000 graves in a decaying section of the Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery to a more fitting location.

Last week, a multi-denominational prayer service took place at the cemetery, where the ground was blessed in anticipation of the upcoming project.

On hand for the ceremony were three CTCA chaplains – the Revs. Luis Centeno, Robin Childs and Wendell Scanterbury – along with Imam Fathy and the Rev. John Large, of Mater Dolorosa.

Preparation work is underway, and the costly task of moving the graves will begin in a few weeks. The process will last six to nine months.

Included in this deal will be an effort to stabilize and preserve the Benjamin Rush house.  There does not appear to be any funding for more than that but it is better than the ongoing deterioration that we see today.

The alleged house of Benjamin Rush has been boarded up since the last time I visited Greenwood Cemetery.  I haven’t heard anything about anything so maybe this is the alleged beginnings of the cleanup of the cemetery and restoration/stabilization of the property that the Cancer Center promised.

• Do you know who is buried under this headstone?
• Where is it?
• What does “A great scout” mean?

Leave your replay as a comment.

Press Release

COMMUNITY AND ADJOINING CANCER CENTER TO BENEFIT FROM
REVITALIZATION OF IIISTORIC GREENWOOD PROPERTY, INCLUDING
BENJAMIN RUSH HOUSE, IN NORTHWOOD SECTION OF PHILADELPHIA
PHILADELPHIA, PA (TBD) – The historic, 44-acre Greenwood property along Adams
Avenue near Castor Avenue in Northwood is under new management by a group
committed to revítalizing the site, including the historically significant but long neglected
country house of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father, and the surrounding cemetery
grounds, it was announced today.
The new manager, Greenwood Holdings LLC, of Philadelphia, has been notifying local
stakeholders, including civic associations, elected officials, and historic preservationists,
that it has acquired Willow Ridge, Inc., the majority shareholder of the property.
Greenwood Holdings is an affiliate of the owner of the adjacent, six-acre site occupied
since 2004 by Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Eastern Regional
Medical Center. CTCA has invested more than $50 million in rebuilding the former
Parkview Hospital property, transforming a shuttered hospital site into a thriving, stateof-
the art medical campus with more than 550 employees.
Michael Allietta, an official with Greenwood Holdings, said Ewing Cole, an architectural
firm specializinginhistoric restoration, has been retained to oversee the multi-phase
project that reflects CTCA’s continuing commitment to community revitalization. “The
initial scope includes reconstruction of the iconic wrought-iron entrance to the 18th
century property, repairing surrounding stone walls, installation of new lighting and
security systems, major upgrades to the landscaping, and, most notably, renovation of the
Rush residence,” he explained. “‘We will make sure that the long declining Greenwood
grounds and historic structures are afforded the same meticulous attention that we’ve
given to the CTCA campus.”
Dr. Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Founder of Dickinson College,
lived on the property for 10 years in the late 1700s. Greenwood Cemetery was chartered
in 1869. The rear, heavily-wooded section of the Greenwood property is adjacent to the
parking lot of CTCA, which faces Wyoming Avenue across from Juniata Park Golf
Course in Fairmount Park. John McNeil, CEO of CTCA in Philadelphia, said the new
Greenwood management, which includes the non-profit Friends of Greenwood Cemetery,
promises to be of great benefit for all involved in the neighborhood, from those
associated with the cemetery and the Rush House, to the present and future patients and
families of CTCA.