Tag: Frankford History

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Historical Society of Frankford

From the Northeast Times this week:

The Historical Society of Frankford is looking for a few good volunteers. Well, make that more than a few.
The society, which has existed since 1905, is in dire need of people who can donate their time to help run the historical society’s museum as well as organize and catalog it’s collections.
During a recent community meeting and forum, Jack McCarthy, the society archivist and director of planning, expressed the concern of the organization’s board members.

Read the entire story here.

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Unity-Frankford Grocers

There was a time when you could not walk down the street in almost any neighborhood in Philadelphia without seeing a Unity-Frankford Grocery store sign.  Before the mega food store chains, mom and pop ruled the grocery business.  The Unity-Frankford Grocers was an association of these stores.  They benefited from group buying and established the Unity brand as unique to those little businesses.

Their warehouse, where several of my ancestors worked, was down on Griscom Street at Unity Street.  You can still see the Frankford Grocery sign up at the top of the building.  It later moved down to Erie Avenue.

Those Unity-Frankford signs have become collectors items over the years and people are looking to catalog where they can still be seen.

We checked, there are no signs at:

  • Mascher and Spencer
  • Torresdale and Magee, there could be one under the Grocery Queen awning, but we didn’t get too close to tell
  • Olney and Mascher or 2nd

Here are the ones that we’ve found


222 Hartel Ave:

Unity-Frankford Sign closeup 222 Hartel Ave

8344 Torresdale Ave:

29th and Jefferson:

photo credit: Chris_In_Philly_’08
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Historical Society of Frankford receives grant

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of Governor
Edward G. Rendell's commitment to creating a first-rate public education
system, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission today announced
the award of more than $3 million in grants to more than 200 museums,
historical organizations and local governments statewide.

 Historical Society of Frankford, archives and records management,
$4,800