Tag: historical society of frankford

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Howard Barnes We Miss You

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.

 

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Historical Society of Frankford

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.

 

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Castor Family Reunion

The name Castor means more than a quick way around Oxford Circle.

An international reunion of well over 230 members of the Castor family of Philadelphia was held last weekend (Aug. 12-14th), at the Radisson Hotel, NE in Bensalem. The event commemorated the 275th year that their ancestor, Hans George Gerster(Castor), came to America in 1736 from Basel, Switzerland.   The 12 generations of the Castor Family plus six Swiss guests, gathered throughout the weekend to discuss many topics including the difficult voyage of Hans by ship to America and life as an Emigrant in the early 1730’s.  This included experiences living in the early days of Philadelphia with the Indians.

Congressman Fitzpatrick and Bob Castor

Michael Fitzpatrick, U. S. Congressman PA of the 8th district, spoke at the Saturday night banquet and presented organizer, Bob Castor, with a flag that flew over the White House in honor of the Castor reunion.  Workshops were featured Saturday and family members learned more about some of the numerous contributions their ancestors made to the history of Philadelphia as they traced their colonial roots.

Hans and his wife had lived in the Philadelphia area and Hans earned a living as a linen weaver.  In 1762 they purchased a 202 acre plantation in what was called Oxford Township (Oxford Circle).  A road leading to their farm was called Castor Avenue.  Hans and his sons George, Frederick and Jacob were founding members of the Presbyterian Church of Frankford, which was formerly the German Reformed Church.

Castors at the Presbyterian Church

Another descendant  was George Castor, who moved to Pennypack Farms.  Horace Castor(1870-1966) an Architect, was responsible for the building of over 1,000 buildings in Philadelphia and other areas including Einstein Hospital, Methodist Episcopal Hospital, Scottish (Shriner’s) Town Hall and over 30 churches and  numerous schools and industrial plants.

Dean Castor, Evelyn Castor and Diana Castor

Thomas Castor and his brother patented and manufactured carriages and the first horse drawn cars to run on steel rails in 1860.  These cars were so beautifully painted and decorated that he also built cars for Barnum and Bailey Circus wagons. Thomas improved early transportation such as the spiral staircase for double decker cars.  He improved lighting and ventilation on the cars and invented new features such as the dump wagon.

George A. Castor was a U.S. Congressman from Philadelphia and died in office in February, 1906.  He built “Stonyhurst” Mansion on the grounds of what is now Father Judge High School.  The mansion in now owned by the Nuns of the Missionary Servants of the most Blessed Trinity.

General Samuel Castor was Commander of the troops escorting Marquis De Lafayette through Philadelphia in his farewell tour to Washington in 1824

A third book of the Castor family “A Castor Family in America, Volume lll” has been updated by Robert (Bob) Castor and contains present information of family charts, pictures and stories.  The reunion concluded on Sunday with a service at the Frankford Presbyterian Church located on Frankford Ave. and Church St. and a visit to the Historical Society of Frankford.  The group then traveled to Stonyhurst Mansion for a tour of the grounds and the first floor.

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Antiques and Collectables Appraisal Fundraiser at the HSF

The antiques and collectables appraisal fundraiser at the Historical Society of Frankford was a first for me.   The only thing old in our house is me so I didn’t think I would find it too rewarding.  On the other hand I do enjoy the Antiques Roadshow on PBS and the somewhat funkier shows on the history channel like Pawn Stars.  So I decided to give it a look.  I did have an old atlas to take for appraisal and since it was a fundraiser, what the heck, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t worth anything.  The money was going to support the HSF which is one of Frankford’s unrecognized treasures.

So last Tuesday night, there we were standing in line.  I didn’t expect to do any video but I keep that little video camera in my pocket just in case and ended up using it. It was just like Antiques Road Show but on Orthodox Street.  People had all sorts of stuff; clocks, radios, coke bottles, jewelry, clothing, flatware and fine old books such as mine.  Most of the fun is in watching what other people have and wondering “what is that thing”.

What I cannot figure out is how these guys know all this stuff.  Barry Slosberg and Rob Goldstein were doing the appraisals for Barry S. Slosberg Inc.  I videod the entire appraisal of our humble atlas by Rob so you can get a feel for what they do.  You have to pay attention because Barry was doing another appraisal right next to us.  You get some history of the item, some historical context and then a guess at the value.

One guy had something that they did not identify except to say it was definitely old and authentic and worth doing some more research on.  Everybody was having a good time and a lot of people were just enjoying the show. All in all a fun time.  Now I have to look for something really old for next year.

One item of note is that last night was the last meeting of the HSF for outgoing president Rev. Paul Andell.  He is retiring from his post as pastor of St. James Lutheran Church and returning to the home of his ancestors in Minnesota.  He will be missed.  He can be seen at the very end of the video.

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Frankford’s Unlikely Spy

If you can imagine a man living around Kindred and Castor as a spy that was known throughout the world, you have a great imagination but its true.  Allen Hornblum (author of  “The Invisible harry Gold: The Man Who Gave the Soviets the Atom Bomb“) mesmerized the  crowd back on May 14th at the Historical Society of Frankford as he spun the tale of an ordinary man who did a very bad thing.  A Philadelphia guy who got into industrial espionage in the thirties when he was recruited by the Soviets.  He was so unassuming that you would never suspect he was a key player in the plot to steal the secrets of the Aomic bomb by the Soviet Union.

In the end he repented, confessed and went to prison.  Others conspirators denied the truth until the end.  Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed in 1953.  Don’t ever pass up an opportunity to see Allen Hornblum in person.  He tells a great story.

The HSF has another great program coming up in a few weeks.  On June 14th they will be having their annual Antique and Collectible Appraisal fundraiser.  Appraisals will only cost $8.00 per item and it is a fundraiser for the Society so it is money well spent.  Watch the Gazette for details.

The Invisible Harry Gold: The Man Who Gave the Soviets the Atom Bomb