Frankford Community Blog | Local News, Events, Community Resources
Old Baldy was finally at home and on view yesterday at the Grand Army of the Republic museum on Griscom Street. The Inquirer did a nice job of covering the story. You can read it here.
Thanks to Joe Menkevich for the tip on the slide show below. The GAR Museum is another one of Frankford’s treasures.
There are written references to Thomas Jefferson being in Frankford on July 4, 1776 but attempts to verify the accuracy of those accounts have not been successful. Joe Menkevich has done exhaustive research in exploring the story that Jefferson was here on the first Fourth. Read the results of his research here in the Frankford Chronicles and see some more related documentation on our history corner page under Quick Links. Read the entire document. Some of the most interesting material follows in the research notes.
Joe Menkevich reminded me today of what I had read last year in the John Adams Biography. Adams wrote to his wife Abigail on July 3rd, 1776 about the momentous event that had taken place the day before on July 2nd. That was the day the vote was taken to declare independence. It took until the fourth to hammer out the exact language that everyone would accept in the formal declaration.
Here is a link to the Pennsylvania Gazette for July 3, 1776. (images owned by the Accessible Archives). It is just one line on the far right column of page 2 – stuck between the news.
Joe supplied these sources:
“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.”
full document link is below:
Thomas Jefferson had this to say:
1821. Jan. 6.
At the age of 77, I begin to make some memoranda and state some recollections of dates & facts concerning myself, for my own more ready reference & for the information of my family. …
http://memory.loc.gov/master/mss/mtj/mtj1/052/0500/0517.jpg
… It appearing in the course of these debates that the colonies of N. York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina were not yet matured for failing from the parent stem, but that they were fast advancing to that state, it was thought most prudent to wait a while for them, and to postpone the final decision to July 1.
but that this might occasion as little delay as possible a committee was appointed to prepare a declaration of independence. The commee were J. Adams, Dr. Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston & myself. Committees were also appointed at the same time to prepare a plan of confederation for the colonies, and to state the terms proper to be proposed for foreign alliance. The committee for drawing the declaration of Independence desired me to do it.
It was accordingly done, and being approved by them, I reported it to the house on Friday the 28th of June when it was read and ordered to lie on the table.
On Monday, the 1st of July the house resolved itself into a [committee] of the whole & resumed the consideration of the original motion made by the delegates of Virginia, which being again debated through the day, was carried in the affirmative by the votes of N. Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, N. Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, N. Carolina, & Georgia. S. Carolina and Pennsylvania voted against it. …
Congress proceeded the same day to consider the declaration of independence which had been reported & lain on the table the Friday preceding, and on Monday referred to a [commee] of the whole …
The clause too, reprobating the enslaving the inhabitants of Africa, was struck out in complaisance to South Carolina and Georgia, who had never attempted to restrain the importation of slaves, and who on the contrary still wished to continue it.
Our northern brethren also I believe felt a little tender under those censures; for tho’ their people have very few slaves themselves yet they had been pretty considerable carriers of them to others.
The debates having taken up the greater parts of the 2d 3d & 4th days of July were, in the evening of the last, closed the declaration was reported by the commee, agreed to by the house and signed by every member present except Mr. Dickinson.
As the sentiments of men are known not only by what they receive, but what they reject also, I will state the form of the declaration as originally reported. …
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/index.html
We walk the historic streets of Frankford everyday and most of us give little thought to what has gone before. I have been fortunate over the last few years to talk to people in Frankford who know far more than I about our history. So we are offering this space to let our local historians tell us the story from time to time.
Our first offering in this series is from Joe Menkevich and it follows below. It contains an interesting description of Frankford about the period of the early 19th century (correct me if I am wrong Joe). You can also read an illustrated pdf version here. In the future, these posts will be linked all together under the History Corner in the Quick Links section above.
CALICO PRINT WORKS AT COMLYVILLE. 2
IN the November Number of the Lady’s Book, we furnished a Lithographic view of Comlyville, near Frankford, with a brief description of the works, and scenery in that neighbourhood. In the sketch prefixed is presented a view of a part of these works taken from a different point, intended to exhibit the Calico Manufactory in bolder relief than it was shown in the former picture.
The situation of these works combines advantages which are rarely found to belong to manufacturing establishments. They are at a convenient distance from the city, being in the vicinity of Frankford, a pleasant and flourishing village. The scenery immediately adjoining is picturesque and beautiful, presenting an agreeable variety of hill and dale, forming a striking and interesting prospect. The Frankford creek flows through the settlement, and is crossed by a covered bridge from which the accompanying view is taken.
Beside the Print Works exhibited in this view there are several factories, in the village, one, particularly, belonging to Mr. J. Steel, which employs one hundred and fifty hands; with two hundred and sixty-four power looms, in weaving bed-ticking, cords, &c. being the most extensive in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia. There are likewise a number of mills, driven by water, for sawing mahogany, grinding logwood, expressing oil, &c. In addition to the larger buildings there are about thirty neat stone and wood tenements for the accommodation of the workmen and their families. The neighbourhood is remarkably healthy. 3
Notes:
- http://books.google.com/books?id=7tQRAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA337&dq=%22Comlyville%22&hl=en&ei=2jQjTNShA8KB8ga42LmrBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAg
- Godey, Louis Antoine, and Sarah Josepha Buell Hale. January1831. Godey’s magazine. New York [etc.]: The Godey company [etc.] this article is also available at Accessible Archives
- My experience with Google Books it that their scanned books are difficult to cite as Google will not guarantee their accuracy. See incident:
Re: [#465893271] other
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 3:30 PM
“Thank you for contacting Google Books support. I understand you received an incorrect volume from Abebooks after searching for it in our program. I also understand that you weren’t able to locate a certain legal brief based a book citation in Google Books.
Joseph, I apologize for any trouble you experienced in these instances. I’ve forwarded your observations to our product team as feedback, so that we may improve our program.
One matter I’d like to point out, though, is that for listings such as these, we automatically acquire identifying information from third-party metadata sources. As such, we don’t have control over the nature of this material. I apologize that I am not able to provide you with more helpful information about the legal brief in which you are interested.
That said, we do greatly appreciate your feedback and hope you will continue to let us know how we can improve Google Books.”
This Presentation © Joseph J. Menkevich
The Fox Chase Cancer Center lost another round in their effort to expand the hospital using what is now Burholme Park land. The city had proposed to lease the park land to the Cancer Center. Neighborhood groups rallied to oppose that intrusion into the park. The courts have ruled for the neighbors.
The land was left to the city with the proviso that it be used for a park. It is that simple. Kind of if I left you some money to care for my cat and after I was gone you decided the cat did not suit your lifestyle and dumped the cat and kept the money. It’s not quite right.
Joe Menkevich has done some research on this issue and wrote the editor of the Northeast Times yesterday. I have his permission to reprint his letter.
December 17, 2009A Lesson to John Scanlon, editor of the Northeast Times:
History the way I see it:
There is always a certain level of arrogance that come with money, power and elected Public Servants. They forget the reason why they were elected. It would seem that they think too much of their own thoughts, while the money whispers in their ear.
The reason why this decision was so important –
It upholds the Donated and Dedicated Property Act of 1913 as well as the Public Trust Doctrine.
It protects the Holmesburg Library and other property that was donated by the Public from being confiscated by government and given to private developers. (It should even protect our natural resources, which are public property from being given away to the energy development companies by Gov. Ed Rendell but a petition has not yet been filed.)
Much of the research in this case was done by Leonard Williams (deceased) and a certain unnamed co-conspitator. The information was then passed to Fred Maurer who took tremendous (and unfair) criticism in the press by the Northeast Times Editor, who did not care about our rights and was more interested in promoting Fox Chase Cancer Center’s expansion.
By not taking a position of neutrality, the N.E.Times editor John Scanlon, abused his obligation to report the news and the facts. Instead in the press he sided with FCCC, by chastising Fred Maurer and characterizing him and anyone opposed (as being “evil”).
This was a well coordinated attack, as Fred was simultaneously being hit with a SLAPP suit from Fox Chase. It was all done for maximum impact and maximum pain.
It was a case Goliath accusing Samson of being too small to count, so Fred was sued for his smallness.
Mr. Maurer did not lose his cool. In the end, he won on all counts. We all won – except for neutrality and Freedom of the Press.
The lesson to be learned here is just because projects are backed by the Wall Street Pharmaceutical Companies endless supply of money, it does not mean they are good or right.
Cancer Treatment is always well packaged and well promoted as if it was the elixir of life itself. Unfortunately even with cancer treatment people still die. They always have, they always will. Such is the nature of life.
Unfortunate too is that Cancer Treatment a business which is billed like it’s a charity; but it not a charity.
The lesson:
Take nothing for granted. WE must fight for our rights or lose them.
Nothing is free – least of which are the PUBLIC’S RIGHTS to accountability.
There are still other fights on the horizon. There always will be.
Stay vigilant.
J.M.
