The Bulletin Newsletter: July 2026
- Delaware County Historical Society
- Jul 1
- 7 min read
Events and Programming:
Tonight, on July 1st, Delco Historical Society will be on State Street for Dining Under the Stars where we will be bringing the history to you! Please be sure to join us for a fun night of Delco history and more!
On Fourth of July, Delco Historical Society will be hosting our Summer Open House from 11 am to 4 pm. Stop by our location to see pieces from people such as Delco signer John Morton, Benjamin West, George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette and more! Stop by and celebrate America's birthday with Delco Historical Society!
9 W. Front Steet
Media, PA- Free and open to the public!
Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) brings you the Second Annual Delco Downhill Derby aka The Triple D; a kinetic sculpture derby held on N. Edgmont Street in Media, PA on Saturday September 26th (Delco's and DCHS' Birthday!) The top prize winner will of course be immortalized in Delco history with their name carved into the famed William Penn stump of 1682!
The Triple D will be from noon to five pm and will feature stunning creations from folks all over the Delco community. Join us for a fun filled day of racing, creativity, and community! See you on the derby track!
$25.00 registration fee to participate. Free and Open to the public to attend, rain or shine. Register here: Registration Form-Delco Downhill Derby DCHS
Big thanks to our sponsors and supporters:
Visit Delco, PA: Visit Delco, PA - From Philly to the Brandywine
National Endowment for the Humanities
Mr. Andrew Saul
Media Borough: @media.borough
Wawa Inc: @wawa
Sun East Federal Credit Union
Delco Historical Society honored by the Delaware County Heritage Commission
Delco Summer Social A Success!
Thanks so much to everyone who came out this past Saturday for the Delco Summer Social! We appreciate the support of our friends and neighbors, and we appreciate the love we receive from our community. We look forward to doing this again next year!
Big thanks to our performers:
Knifeplay
Sun Organ
Radiator Hospital
Big thanks to our program partners and sponsors:
Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semi-Quincentennial
Super Big Thanks to our Volunteers and staff:
Zac Beaver, Frances Beaver (special shout out for the flyer), Mike Gaydos, Jared Loss, Paul Fellman, Nat Harper, and Jude Hutchinson!
Thanks for Having Us Delco Pride!
Help Save Historic Delco Art!
DCHS has launched a new fundraising campaign called "Help Save Historic Delco Art!". The fundraiser is to help DCHS restore and protect incredible pieces of Delco art history for the public to enjoy. Preserving and restoring these works is a costly endeavor, but necessary to help ensure that these works of art are preserved for the next generation of stewards to appreciate. The goal of DCHS is to have the Marquis de Lafayette portrait restored by Fourth of July, and to have a continuing rotation of works restored after. With each work restored, DCHS will feature the work on display during our special open house events for the community of Delaware County. Your support will help ensure these wonderful Delco historic treasures are preserved.
Click here to donate to our fundraiser directly!
From the Archives:
The Story of Allen Ricketts of Darby, PA.
Allen Ricketts was born sometime in 1820, enslaved in Maryland. Ricketts managed to escape enslavement at the age of 11, making his way to Darby, PA. Upon arriving in Darby, Ricketts was taken in John and Rachel Hunt, a Quaker family, and was educated at Darby Friends School.
In 1847, while Ricketts was working as a farmer at the Sharon Boarding Academy, he was kidnapped and taken to Baltimore and sold to the notorious enslaver Hope H. Slatter. Ricketts, who was literate, was able to write a letter to a friend in Darby, George Truman, and urged him for his help. Truman went to noted Maryland abolitionist John Needles for his help to negotiate for Ricketts freedom. Slatter refused to free Ricketts unless he was paid $800 by the following week. Darby minister John Jackson helped to spread the news to the people of Darby. The residents of Darby, led by the Darby Monthly Meeting, raised the $800, and after two weeks of enslavement, Ricketts was returned to Darby.
By 1860, Ricketts was married and working as a coach driver in Elmwood Park. In 1870, he moved his family to Darby, where he lived until he passed away at the age of 91 in 1910. Allen Ricketts was laid to rest at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale. His daughter, Estelle Ricketts, was an accomplished pianist, and her 1893 parlor piano piece "Rippling Spring Waltz" is the earliest known piano solo written and published by a Black woman. The Ricketts family is one of the most incredible stories of Black history in Delaware County.
From the Archives:
-A Copy of "Boyd's Directory: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, 1902-1903" where it lists Allen Ricketts of Darby residing at 115. N. 10th Street.
-We have two copies of this directory dating from 1906, compiled by Lawrence L. Barrett and C.I. Wilson, titled: "Home Directory of the Colored People of the City of Chester". The directory not only has home addresses, but descriptions about local clubs, churches, businesses and more, all based within the Black community of Chester.
Delco Shorthand:
An incredible hand drawn cartoon by Delco's own historian Chester F. Baker, created by him when he was 15 years old in 1908. Chester Baker would serve as president of the Chester Rural Cemetery Association and director of the Delaware County Historical Society. Baker also compiled an immense number of volumes of scrapbooks, photographs, notes, letters, and indexes of Delco history going back three hundred years.
Delco has been used as a shorthand going back to the 19th century but was mostly used as a means of saving space or money, as paper printers charged either by word or letter. We were looking for an early use of "Del. Co." and this was a good one. It's from 1908 as well, advertising the architect, Charles. M. Wells based out of Rutledge, Del. Co. PA., printed in the Morton Chronicle.
John Morton (1725-1777)
John Morton (1725-1777) was born and raised in Ridley, and a descendant of Finnish immigrants. His great, great grandfather Martti Martitsen, or as in Swedish style, known as Martin Martinsen was born in Rautalampi, Finland and arrived in Pennsylvania on the ship the Eagle in the 1650’s. Both sides of John Morton’s family immigrated from “Sweden and/or Finland.” Morton’s father passed away in 1725, and his mother remarried an Englishmen named John Sketchley. Morton was taught surveying by Sketchley, and here are two examples of his work. It is understood Morton assisted neighbors by overseeing their books and maps as well as surveying their property.
John Morton’s legal career began in 1757 and continued through 1774. His positions included Justice of the Peace, High Sheriff of the County of Chester, presiding Judge of the Court of General Quarters Session, Common Pleas of the County of Chester, and Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In 1770 John Morton’s name appears as the Justice of Orphan’s Court where he was the presiding officer until March 25, 1774.
Morton was elected and served as a delegate to the First and Second Continental Congress. Morton's role as a delegate proved crucial, when he provided the important swing vote for the colony of Pennsylvania to vote in favor of independence from Great Britain and solidifying the ratification of the Declaration of Independence on July 2nd. Morton signed the Declaration on August 2nd with most of the other delegates. Morton also served as the chair for the committee on the Articles of Confederation but would pass away from (what many believe) tuberculosis before their ratification. Morton passed away in 1777 and was laid to rest at St. Paul's Burial Ground in Chester. His grave was unmarked until 1845, when the present 11-foot obelisk was raised in his honor by his descendants.
A wonderful surviving example of John Morton's handwriting. Morton of course was Delco's own signer of the Declaration for Independence, born in Ridley in 1725. This piece is part of survey Morton drew up for the heirs of Stephen Ogden's tract in Springfield, dated March 30th, 1773. The very next year Morton would be elected to serve at the First Continental Congress at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia.
Unfortunately, after Morton passed away in 1777, his house was burned down by the British, destroying practically anything that could give insight into his political thinking. Thankfully, at Delco Historical Society, we have wonderful examples like these that illustrate his service to his neighbors here in present day Delco!
A survey of land hand drawn by John Morton in January of 1774, between Cobbs and Darby Creeks. The area today is known as Colwyn Borough.
Special Thanks to our Partners:
Delaware County Community College
Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum
Media Arts Council
Media Borough
Delaware County Institute of Science
YES, Center of Chester
Rose Valley Historical Society
The Mill at Rockdale
Warehouse 3 in Swarthmore
Media Chapter NAACP
Brandywine Art Museum
America 250 Delco
Visit Media
Greatest Hits Records and Books
Three Potato Four
2SP Brewery
Special Thanks to the DCHS 2026 Sponsors:
Delaware County Council
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Visit Delco!
Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semi-Quincentennial
National Endowment for the Humanities
Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority
The Burman Family Charitable Fund-In Memory of Harvey Burman
Mr. Andrew Saul
Dr. John S. Brooks
John and Gail Moore
Wawa Inc.
The Philadelphia Foundation
Sun East Federal Credit Union
McLean Contributionship
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
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!
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.
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