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Tag: historical society of frankford
Castor Family History in Frankford
Rick Castor wove a tapestry of the Castor family history in Frankford last night to the crowd at the Historical Society of Frankford. Completing the circle started by his great grandfather, Horace Castor, he stood in the hall addressing a meeting of the HSF. Horace was active in the Society for many years, as local history was among his many lifelong interests.
The history of the Castors is fascinating in several ways with each generation making a contribution. There is far too much to go into in detail here but as some of the pictures below attest, invention and architecture were among them. While Horace was a prominent architect during an age of rapid growth in Philadelphia.
Thomas was an innovator and inventor of an earlier generation. Two interesting models were on display last night. One is of a Frankford and Southwark street railway car where his innovation was to add an iron spiral staircase to allow passengers access to the upper level. These were old horse cars that were converted to trailers on the new powered lines sometime after 1863.
Another of his inventions was what we would call a dump truck except back then they were used on horse carts delivering coal and other bulk materials. He perfected the mechanism that made the dumping possible.
Ricks presentation would make a great documentary in its own right. Next month another great program is scheduled at the HSF. Rick Spector’s “MOVIEHOUSE” remembers this lost world of entertainment through a citywide tour of old theaters, including several in Frankford.
Historical Society of Frankford 11/8/11
There will be a new program next week at the HSF that looks really interesting. Another good one due in December.
Preserving and Presenting the History of Northeast Philadelphia since 1905
HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF FRANKFORD
THE CENTER FOR NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA HISTORY
1507 Orthodox Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124
www.frankfordhistoricalsociety.org 215-743-6030
Tuesday, 08 November 2011 7:30pm
HORACE W. CASTOR
The Frankford Architect with the White Boutonnière
Richard Brent Castor
Learn of the life and accomplishments of Horace W. Castor, a Frankford-born, world-renowned architect as presented by his great, great grandson. Ten generations of the Castor family just celebrated 275 years in America. A special display has been mounted in the Exhibition Room to illustrate this presentation.
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Coming up in December . . .
Tuesday, 13 December 2011 7:00pm (note earlier time)
WINTER HOLIDAY SOCIAL
“MOVIEHOUSE”
Rick Spector – www.moviehouseproductions.com
Few of the “jewel box” movie theaters that dotted Philadelphia exist. Rick Spector’s “MOVIEHOUSE” remembers this lost world of entertainment through a citywide tour of old theaters, including several in Frankford. Join Society members, staff, and volunteers in this annual Holiday Social. Please bring light refreshments or desserts to share.
The monthly public meetings of the Historical Society of Frankford are held in its own Museum and Library, built in 1930. Enjoy the Society’s collections and exhibitions as you learn something new each month. Following each program, light refreshments are served so participants and presenters can refresh and exchange ideas on the topic.
Refreshments served. Members free; Others $5.00
Haunted History Tour Wrap Up
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
Frankford Haunted History Tour, October 22nd
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.
Several of the participating organizations have been previously visited by the South Jersey Ghost Research, a group of investigators that conducts discreet investigations and field research using the latest scientific methods and tools as well as psychic investigators. Learn of their findings at the various sites on the tour – which have been documented through photographs and sound recordings – and perhaps experience your own special phenomenon.
Frankford Community Development Corporation: Frankford CDC regularly organizes special events as part of its mission to revitalize the Frankford Avenue commercial corridor and its surrounding neighborhood. To celebrate Halloween, FCDC turned to its community partners to provide an interesting and fun way to learn about Frankford’s rich history by visiting neighborhood landmarks such as St. Marks Church, the Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library, and the Historical Society – and hearing firsthand about hauntings that have taken place in and around those buildings.
“Our goal is to spotlight just how special our neighborhood is, and in the process we hope to draw individuals and families from throughout the Philadelphia area, so that they too can see all that Frankford has to offer,” said Michelle Feldman, Commercial Corridor Manager and Special Events Coordinator for the Frankford CDC. “Frankford’s unique and fascinating history is just one of the many wonderful assets our neighborhood possesses, and we believe our tour will show just that.”
For more information about the tour or to reserve your ticket, please contact Michelle Feldman at 215-743-6580. All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). Space is limited, so be sure to call ahead.
