The Bulletin Newsletter: February 2026

 Here we have an 1851 indenture signed by both John Price Crozer and his wife Sarah, selling a portion of their land to the establish the church, at the time established as the Rockdale Methodist Episcopal Church, later to be renamed as the Crozerville Methodist Church. Today, the building serves as the Mill Works Creator Space in Rockdale Arts District.

Events and Programming:

Poster by Frances Beaver

In partnership with the NAACP Media Area Branch, DCHS will be hosting our Winter Open House on Saturday, February 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM. The open house will feature displays highlighting the 101-year history of the NAACP Media Area Branch, established in 1924 by Percy O. Batipps Sr.

The open house is free and open to the public, and the display will remain up through March 10th. Please join us for a remarkable exhibit!

To learn more about the NAACP Media Area Branch, visit their website here: https://naacpmediabranch.org/

Sign up for National History Day!

DCHS is participating in the National History Day (NHD) competition on March 26^th and 27^th, 2026. The competition is open to middle school and high school students in Delco and is a wonderful opportunity to engage with academic history writing and presentations. 2026 is the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and students will be asked to present on the themes embedded in the founding documents. Please share the info below with your students and colleagues, to encourage participation in Delco. Last year Delco students performed better than their county peers, and we hope to do so again this year!

Please see below for links and information to share with your students about registration and more. We hope to see you at the Chester County History Center in West Chester in March!

Registration opens:  January 15^th, 2026.

Registration closes: March 11^th, 2026.

Register here: PA Region 10 National History Day 

DCHS Announces Legacy Giving Opportunity:

The mission of Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) is to protect, collect, and preserve the history and culture of Delaware County, and to make it accessible to all, through strong educational outreach. Providing a financial legacy to DCHS will help ensure that the historic treasures of the collection will be preserved for future generations to appreciate. DCHS also provides free and engaging programming to the public, to promote local history, and provide accessible humanities to the community of Delaware County.

Bequest: Designate a specific dollar amount, a particular asset, a percentage of your estate to be donated to DCHS.

Beneficiary Designation: Name DCHS as a beneficiary in your investments, retirement accounts, life insurance, bank accounts or an annuity.

Charitable Gift Annuity: Donate a lump sum to DCHS and receive a tax advantage.

IRA Distribution: Make a contribution of $1,000.00 or more as a qualified charitable distribution from your traditional IRA account.

Benefits of Supporting DCHS:

Special acknowledgement on our website

Acknowledgement at DCHS events and promotional materials

Included in our Delco Legacy plaque

Exclusive tour of the DCHS archives.

Opportunity for family/business display at DCHS

Reach out today to DCHS Director Paul Hewes for more information:

outreach@padelcohistory.org

Thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities!

Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) is excited to announce that we have been awarded the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Chairman's Grant! This grant will help support DCHS programming in 2026, highlighting America 250 and Delco history. The DCHS staff and volunteers are working hard to plan fun and engaging events, that share the stories of Delco's unique history. We are excited about the wonderful events and programming we will have for you this year, including our lecture series History Under the Stars, our Second Annual Delco Historical Conference, the Delco Summer Social, and of course the Second Annual Delco Downhill Derby. 

We are excited for the matching support to help DCHS continue our mission to protect and promote Delco history. Thanks to all of our community friends and partners for their support!

From the Archives:

An issue of The Voice: Bulletin of Crozer Theological Seminary, dating from October 1968. This edition was published in Dr. King's honor after his assassination.

A plaque from Dr. King's dormitory room at Crozer Theological Seminary. (During the Civil War, the building served as a military hospital. King's former dormitory room housed both Union and Confederate soldiers.)

Another recent accession folks may have seen at our location is this wonderful Telechron Wall Clock, dating from around 1917. Telechron introduced the synchronous electric clock, which keeps time by the oscillations of the alternating current electricity that powers it from the electric power grid. As we understand, this is a very early model and was dedicated to Crozer Theological Seminary by the Class of 1917 who purchased it that same year. Thus, making it a very early model of these sorts of clocks!

Taken by Chester F. Baker in 1904, this photo is of the waterfront in Marcus Hook along Delaware Avenue. As you can see, it appears he took the photo STANDING ON THE DELAWARE RIVER! The winter of 1904 recorded the coldest temperature in recorded Pennsylvania history, at -42 degrees Fahrenheit. The winter was so cold, that it froze the Susquehanna River into solid ice at two feet thick. In the spring, came the usual amount of rain, but combined with the thawed ice, caused devastating flooding in Lancaster County. The winter of 1904 was clearly also felt here in Delco. If you look closely, you can see the trees are completely frozen over and there's even a boat sitting on the ice.

Special Thanks to our Partners:

Delaware County Community College

Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum

Willows Park and Preserve

Media Arts Council

Media Borough

Delaware County Institute of Science

YES, Center of Chester

The Mill at Rockdale

Warehouse 3 in Swarthmore

Elwyn Inc.

America 250 Delco

Visit Delco

Visit Media

Greatest Hits Records and Books

Three Potato Four

Ship Bottom Brewery

Special Thanks to the DCHS 2026 Sponsors:

Delaware County Council

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semi-Quincentennial

National Endowment for the Humanities

Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority

The Burman Family Charitable Fund

Mr. Andrew Saul

Dr. John S. Brooks

Visit Delco!

The Philadelphia Foundation

Please consider supporting DCHS today by donating or becoming a member. Funding by members and friends help DCHS continue our mission of collecting and preserving Delaware County history and culture and making it available to the community!

Donate/Friend of DCHS

 Venmo- @Delcopahistory

You can send a check or money order made out to Delaware County Historical Society, and mail it to our address at: 9 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063

Links and Contact Information:

DCHS Website: Delaware County Historical Society (padelcohistory.org)

Follow DCHS on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/padelcohistory

Follow DCHS on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/padelcohistory/

Check out our YouTube Page: Delaware County Historical Society - YouTube

Email:

Director, Paul Hewes: outreach@padelcohistory.org

Library and Program Manager, Zach Beaver: research@padelcohistory.org

General Inquires: info@padelcohistory.org 

Phone: 610-750-0622

Address: 9 W. Front Street- Media, PA 19063. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 am to 3pm.