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THE BULLETIN: NEWSLETTER OF DELAWARE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY SEPTEMBER 2 0 2 4





From the Archives: A land survey for Jesse Maris of Springfield Township by John Morton of Ridley Township, 1769.


Updates: Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) has successfully moved to new location in Media, at 9 W. Front Street! After nearly two years of indexing, organizing, and culling through the collection, DCHS was able to safely move the collection to new quarters. DCHS will have a grand re-opening celebration on Thursday September 26 at 10 AM, with a ticketed event to follow at 6:30 PM at Media Borough Hall. Please click the link here to reserve your ticket today!



The Chester F. Baker Collection at DCHS.


With our move into our new location, DCHS will begin the long and difficult process of digitizing the DCHS collection. Thousands of photos, deeds, documents, slides, and so much more, need to be digitized in order to provide digital copies to the public for research purposes. DCHS will serve the community of Delaware County through our four pillars:

- Archives/Research: Providing the people of Delaware County with a reliable and accurate archive to house the historic treasures of Delaware County.


- Education: Creating accessible avenues for k-12 and collegiate students to have equitable access to local history.


- Collaboration: Working with like-minded institutions to provide accessible humanities and local history to the people of Delaware County. DCHS acts as a beacon for all local historical societies and groups.

- Inclusivity & Accessibility: Curating programming that is reflective of all communities within Delaware County and ensuring that programming is accessible to all.


News:

DCHS at the Franklin Institute by Sandra Tutton, DCHS Vice Chair


We at DCHS were contacted recently by the Franklin Institute, which was looking for Delaware Countians who have had contact with the Baldwin Locomotive Company, in Lester. Board Treasurer Paul Tutton’s grandfather worked there in the early 20th century and he himself had interviewed there for an engineering position following his graduation from Pennsylvania Military College (Widener University) in 1968, so he responded. The curators were delighted with his background, and he was asked to come in to videotape his information. Board member Sandy Tutton, his wife, accompanied him and was able to compare notes on housing and displaying artifacts with Franklin Institute staff.


Many of us have childhood memories of the largest artifact on display from the Baldwin works, the locomotive. It is as impressive as ever, filling half the gallery it was driven into on newly laid tracks, through a hole in the wall. The Institute is celebrating its 200th year of operation and is featuring a newly designed gallery and the display of 200 items from its history, including materials from the Wright Brother’s works, the Baldwin Company and Benjamin Franklin himself. This display is planned to open in November and DCHS membership is urged to make time to visit. It will be open for about a year. For more information on this exhibit, please visit 200 Years of Science: TFI is Transforming | The Franklin Institute.


A Celebration of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette in Chester by Paul Hewes, DCHS Director


On October 5th, 2024, Delaware County will celebrate the 200th anniversary of an important figure from the American War for Independence who visited Chester. In 1824, nearly fifty years after the war, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, landed on the shores of the Delaware River in Chester, and began a procession down Market Street (now Avenue of the States) to be greeted with a large celebratory dinner at the Chester Courthouse. It was reported that over a hundred guests were crammed into the tiny Georgian courthouse, and toast were made in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American War for Independence. For the 200th anniversary of this occasion, DCHS will be in historic Chester city, and help celebrate by displaying two of the dinner plates that were used for the 1824 celebration! Come join us at the 1724 Chester Courthouse on Saturday October 5th from 1 PM until 4 PM. There will be games, entertainment, historic displays and even the Marquis de Lafayette himself!





Photo: The 1724 Chester Courthouse picture circa 1880-1890’s. The Marquis de Lafayette visited here on his grand tour in 1824, just when the courthouse turned 100 years old!






Collection Highlight: Since it’s an election year, we thought we would share one of our most prized pieces of campaign memorabilia. This piece dates from 1888 during the presidential campaign of Benjamin Harrison. His running mate, Levi P. Morton, was a descendant of Nathaniel Morton of New England. (Not of the Ridley Township Morton family!)


Call for Interns!! Are you a college student looking to advance your experience working in history? Do you need an internship for college credit? Then come intern at DCHS! Please email a brief bio and CV to outreach@padelcohistory.org today!


Upcoming Events:

September 21- Fall Festival at the Newlin Grist Mill-DCHS will have a table with games and information. Find out more here! 219 South Cheyney Road, Glen Mills. 10 AM to 4 PM, free to the public.


September 26- DCHS Grand Re-Opening Celebration! Join DCHS for their re-opening at 9 W. Front Street. There will be an open house from 10 AM to 3 PM, followed by a ticketed event at Media Borough Hall at 6:30 PM. For tickets and more information, click here!


October 5- DCHS will be participating in the Lafayette Grand Tour 200th Anniversary Celebration at the 1724 Courthouse in historic Chester! The activities will kick off at 1 PM, featuring the Marquis de Lafayette himself! DCHS will have on display two plates from the historic dinner that Lafayette himself attended!


October 6- DCHS will have a table at the Media Fall Festival on State Street.


October 12- DCHS will have a table at Saint Augustine Heritage Foundation History Fair, 11 am to 4 pm. St. Augustine Church, 250 N. Fourth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.


Links and Contact Information:


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

Phone: 610-750-0622

Address: 9 W. Front Street- Media, PA 19063

Support DCHS today by donating and becoming a member! - https://www.padelcohistory.org/support

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