Old as I am, I remember hearing about the Flying Dutchman airport. Didn’t know anything about the guy behind the name. Dr. Harry C. Silcox and Jack McCarthy fill in the blanks in this weeks Northeast Times. Read it here.
Tag: History
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:
8344 Torresdale Ave:
29th and Jefferson:
- photo credit: Chris_In_Philly_’08
History of aviation in Northeast Philadelphia
Dr. Harry C. Silcox and Jack McCarthy are in the week’s Northeast Times with the first part of a 4 part series on aviation in Northeast Philadelphia. Some of us may be old enough to remember one of those old air fields up in our part of the city. Read it here.
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
Boulevard Pools
From Dr. Harry C. Silcox and Jack McCarthy For the Northeast Times:
One of the main attractions in Northeast Philadelphia between 1929 and the 1960s was the Boulevard Pools. This paradise for swimmers was begun with the idea of producing entertainment on a “grand scale” in the Northeast. Everything would be bigger and better, with entertainment that would rival anything elsewhere. It all began in 1926 when famed pool architect William F.B. Koelte began planning a pool for the Northeast.
While it would be located in Mayfair, the pool’s target clientele would be from the more populated neighborhoods to the south.
I remember seeing the pools as a kid but never had a clue about the history. It is well worth the two minutes it will take you to read it. This is the link.
