There will be a new program next week at the HSF that looks really interesting.  Another good one due in December.

We at the Frankford CDC thought our Haunted History tour this past weekend was a great success. We took forty five folks around Haunted Frankford – to the Grand Army of the Republic Museum & Library (GAR), the Historical Society of Frankford, Frankford Friends, and St. Marks Church. We were lucky enough to get a tour of some hidden spots in St. Marks Church - definitely worth the price of admission! See pics below (unfortunately no orbs or ghosts were caught on film, but maybe next time).

We were so pleased that so many folks turned out – we hope they had as good a time as we did, and learned something new about Frankford’s rich history.  

For anyone who was able to make it this past weekend, we’d love to hear what you thought (give us a call at 215-743-6580). Just like our Second Saturdays, we plan to organize this Haunted History tour again next year, so we want any and all suggestions you may have on how to make it even more interesting and spooky.

Last, a big thank you to all of our sponsors, including:

* St. Marks Church

* The Historical Society of Frankford: frankfordhistoricalsociety.org

* Frankford Friends: frankfordfriendsschool.org

* Grand Army of the Republic Museum & Library: garmuslib.org

* South Jersey Ghost Research: southjerseyghostresearch.org

* Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route: w3r-us.org 

* Just Good Scents: facebook.com/#!/pages/Just-Good-Scented/247993975219572

* Fifth of a Farm: fifthofafarm.com

* Revolution Cider: revolutioncider.com   

The Frankford Community Development Corporation (FCDC), the Historical Society of Frankford, St. Mark’s Church, South Jersey Ghost Research, the Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library, and the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Association will be organizing a haunted history tour of Frankford. The event will begin and end at the Historical Society of Frankford, 1507 Orthodox Street, at 4:00pm, and will culminate in a reception at 6:00pm. Tickets are $6.00, and parking will be available at Frankford Friends School, also on the 1500 block of Orthodox Street.

It was a busy day yesterday and I thought about passing up the Historical Society of Frankford meeting but decided to go anyway and see what was on the agenda.  I knew there would be a video of Howard Barnes who was the former curator of the society.  He lived on Penn Street only a block from us and I have his autographed book so I thought I had heard it all.  The video ran over an hour but it was fascinating to hear this guy go on about the history of Frankford which he clearly had spent a long time researching.

Jim Young made his first appearance as the incoming President of the society since the departure of Paul Andell in June.  Jim spoke about some of the initiatives that the society will be taking on in the future.  Volunteers are always welcome and much needed.  I noted some new members sign up last night which is really the most valuable resource of this organization.

Before I left I met with Debbie Klak who has been following a discussion on the Gazette about the Overington mansion.  She dug up some clippings from the scrap books that the society has in its collection.  As time goes on those scrap books are golden with their treasure trove of information.  Posted below are some pictures of the meeting and also those clippings that may further illuminate the fate of the Overington mansion.  Click on any of the pictures for a more detailed view.

I never look forward toward the end of Summer but one small compensation is that the Historical Society of Frankford will be starting up regular monthly programs in September. This month features a video of the former curator Howard Barnes.  I remember Mr. Barnes from when he lived on Penn Street.  In fact I have a copy of his book that he autographed on the shelf here with me.  Of all of his talents, he was first and foremost a story teller.  Stop by on September 13th and have a look.  Below is the lineup of the programs through December.  There is a little bit of everything so you are bound to find something interesting.