Author: Jim

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After 61 years, the letter I found behind a baseboard in my house will be delivered to its recipient

For a few years now, I’ve been torturing visitors to my house with the myriad possibilities that could be contained in a letter that I once found in my house, postmarked August 17th, 1954, which never found its recipient.

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While renovating my house on the 1100 block of Foulkrod St, my father and I came across a letter behind the baseboard of a partition wall that we were taking apart to reconnect the first and second floor living spaces.

 

my father taking apart the partition wall

my father taking apart the partition wall

 

From the first time I saw it, I considered the letter an artifact of history and the house. And brought it out for visitors to touch and marvel at. And seemly each of those visitors that held it, couldn’t seem to understand why I hadn’t opened it. But for each one who wondered, I dared them to do it. I turned on an inviting smile and tried to coach them into it. But I got no takers. They knew the message wasn’t for them.

For a long time, judging by the individual locks on the bedrooms of my house, and the oral history on the block, it was once a boarding house. And countless people must have travelled through there. It didn’t even cross my mind that I could find the letter’s owner, or heir.

And life went on. And I outgrew the house, or should I say, the 5 bedroom house(and cleaning it) outgrew me. And so this past march, I passed the house onto new owners, a family of three girls, a mother, a father and a baby boy on the way. That massive place was better suited to them, than a bachelor like me.

This letter was never mine. And as I started the process of leaving the scene of its discovery, I started thinking about finding where it really belonged. I was planning on searching for the owner.

I wish I would have written this post before I started searching, so I could fill it with worries about the perils of time and how people and families drift from place to place. And that it was likely I’d never find anyone. I would have liked to have built up my mission into some Homeric epic, where I battled records both paper and digital. But I didn’t count on Facebook, nor that I could search the recipient’s last name, and that they would ended up knowing a girl I went to grade school with.

So the search is over before it began. And I’m passing this letter back to it’s owner.

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10 office desks for free if you can pick them up over in Moorestown ASAP

The husband of Tracey O’Drain, formerly with the Frankford CDC, is giving away 10 desks, of two different types, to anyone that can pick them up over the bridge in Moorestown by next week. Tracey said:

thought you could put the word out to any organization that might be in need of desks. My husband has 5 of these and 5 L shaped. Anyone interested can call him, Joe @ 267-303-4918

 

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15th District PSA1 meeting miscommunications the center of June Frankford Civic Association Meeting

At the Frankford Civic Association meeting held this past Thursday, discussion centered on the groups’ frustrations with the Police 15th District Public Service Area 1 (PSA1) meetings. Attendence included a representative from Democratic nominee for the 179th State House Jason Dawkins, and several residents of East Frankford. Although PSA meetings are meant to be a venue for the police and residents to engage and understand, Frankford Civic president Pete Specos says they’ve been unable to hold a meeting for a couple months and that there’s been limited communication with the 15th district Captain, John McCloskey.

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Specos said he has been unable to get in touch with the captain or lieutenant of the 15th police district. Specos told the assembled, “at the last PSA meeting, no one showed up. The one before it, at 10 after 8, the lieutenant walks in when everyone is walking out.” Specos says he was told it was a miscommunication. “This is becoming disrespectful. Now at the PSAs, no one shows up, cause they know the police won’t show up.” Specos says he’s been trying to call for another meeting,”but it’s like pulling teeth”.

Several residents of East Frankford were at the civic to discuss police related matters. A resident that lives by the playground field at Harding High School. says he’s it’s being used by dirt bikes and ATVs. “It’s only going to get worse as we get further into the summer” he told the civic.

Another resident said that he’s seen biker gang patches at Timmy’s Place. Residents also would like the police to put a camera at Worth and Orthodox.

Specos says the community has been damaged because residents now won’t go to a PSA meeting because they don’t think the police will show up.

Specos said the next PSA 1 meeting is scheduled for June 26th at 7 pm at Frankford Aria Hospital, however, on the 15th District website, the meeting is shown as being held on June 19th at 7 pm.

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The next civic association meeting is being pushed back a week from it’s regular schedule because of the July 4th holiday. The Frankford Civic Association will meet on the 2nd floor at Aria Frankford Hospital at 7 pm onThursday July 10th.

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Twins at Powder Mill residents stand to benefit most from upcoming from the Frankford Creek Greenway project

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On Tuesday night, at the Juniata Golf Course, the city’s Parks and Recreations Department, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Planning Commission, held the first public meeting on the findings of the feasibility study for the Frankford Creek Greenway.  The greenway is meant to allow residents to walk or bike the entire length of the Frankford Creek through Frankford to the Delaware River, and increase recreational space along it.  The organizations are seeking feedback  from the community about a few options for implementing the path.

This project is a high priority for the city because it sees the area as a “green dessert”, an area severely under served by park space.  The point is hit home by calling the project a “greenway” instead of a trail, because there’s not much green space around.  While other creeks in the city, namely the Wissahickon and Pennypack, have a lot green nature surrounding them, the Frankford Creek is the only one in the city that doesn’t have parkland adjacent.  The purpose of the paths is to connect Frankford’s green spaces together and further enhance alternative options of transportation(ie. bikes).  It was noted that the planners are hoping that neighborhood residents will use the greenway to get to shopping down along Aramingo Ave.

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Residents of the Twins at Powder Mill have a lot at stake here

Attendees were invited to cast votes for one of three options of how the greenway will run around the residential development at the Twins at Powder Mill near Potter Street.  Residents there stand to benefit(or suffer, depending on your point of view) the most from the completion of the Frankford Creek Greenway.  The city owns a sizable lot adjacent to the creek at Wingohocking Street, and has several options for building a route through it.  It was noted at the meeting that sometimes residents do not like having paths running next to their back yards, as it encourages transients.  Three options were presented, a path along the creek, a path nearer the back yards of the Twins with green space to the creek, and a bypass of the back yards altogether with a bike path along Potter Street.  Having a trailhead near the development, along with cultivated recreational and alternative transportation options could mean increased value and quality of life for the residents there.  Further feedback is encouraged.

The feasibility study comes before any money is spent.  This isn’t bulldozer time.  No money has been provisioned yet for the project, the planners are hoping for grants from the state and other local governments.  Before any grants may be obtained, they’ll need final design and construction documents, which takes time.  PennDot is going to be constructing the portion of the trail that runs along their Adams Ave Connector project, making up roughly one third of the entire length.  The greenway paths will not be an afterthought, this is a new day for Penndot.  The organization is very bullish on alternative means of transportation.

The next meeting of the Frankford Creek Greenway will be at the Globe Dye Works at a yet to be determined time.

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This Monday, give your input towards the Frankford Creek Greenway Plan

This Monday, September 30th at Juniata Golf Course, the Philadelphia Planning Commission and Parks and Recreation will be hosting the first public meeting to discuss the Frankford Creek Greenway.  The details for the plan are still getting hashed out, and if the community doesn’t give it’s input, the decisions will be made for us.  Half of the Frankford Creek looks like an open sewer, but there’s plenty of potential.  And for me personally, I would like to see the Frankford Creek Greenway go down Church Street to continue to contribute to the good development going on at the Globe Dye Works.  And that’s not necessarily in the plan yet.  So show up and help me out.

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