History
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HistoryThe Local Lens: Old Money Mansions
The life of Philadelphia’s wealthy and privileged classes can be fascinating to study. Take for instance one of Philadelphia’s most famous mansions, Ardrossan, the 50-room Georgian Revival estate in…
Thom Nickels | 05/18/2017 -
A&E in FairmountNewly Opened Eastern State Hospital Cellblock Provides Window to Early Medical Care
“It was just lost to time,” Sean Kelley said of Eastern State Penitentiary’s long-shuttered Cellblock 3. The wing, which functioned previously as the hospital quarters in the historic Fairmount prison,…
Jen Colletta | 05/03/2017 -
A&EKNOW YOUR HISTORY: Museum of the American Revolution Opens
On Thursday, April 13, Spirit News was granted access to a press preview at the Museum of the American Revolution at 3rd and Chestnut Streets. The new museum promised to…
Spencer Homan | 05/02/2017 -
Features in FishtownUncovered History: Documents Paint Picture of Pre-Revolutionary Fishtown and Palmer Cemetery
Most of us are accustomed to receiving doses of history in classrooms or on visits to a sterile museum where you can often look, but not touch. Fortunately for…
Ptah Gabrie | 04/12/2017 -
EducationKNOW YOUR HISTORY: The Story Behind Ethel Allen Elementary’s Namesake
Today, the Dr. Ethel Allen Elementary School is located at 3200 W. Lehigh Avenue in Strawberry Mansion. Have you ever wondered who Dr. Ethel Allen is and why they…
Spencer Homan | 04/03/2017 -
History in Art MuseumParkway Council Details Initiative to Celebrate 100 Year Anniversary of Parkway
A century ago, after decades of planning and debate over how to connect Fairmount Park to the center of Philadelphia, construction began on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Now,…
Steve Bohnel | 04/03/2017 -
HistoryLocal Lens: Remembering Mother Divine
On March 14th of this year, the New York Times ran the following headline: “Mother Divine, Who Took Over Her Husband’s Cult, Dies at 91”. Mother Divine actually died…
Thom Nickels | 03/24/2017 -
History in Northern LibertiesPhiladelphia’s Historian Leaves Philadelphia
Harry Kyriakodis is a man who knows the value of the past. The history of a building, an industry, a town enriches its present-day metamorphosis, just as the warm and…
Jacquie Mahon | 03/15/2017 -
History in KensingtonKNOW YOUR HISTORY: The Unique Courts of Kensington’s Sloan House
There is a small house on Front Street under the El that can be easily missed. In fact, if you have seen it, there is a good chance you were…
Spencer Homan | 03/08/2017 -
HistoryThe Local Lens: Thomas Nevell’s Legacy
The year is 1797 and somewhere on Spruce Street in a tiny rented room sits an ailing 75-year-old man. The roomer has a nurse who comes to visit him…
Thom Nickels | 02/23/2017 -
History in Northern LibertiesKNOW YOUR HISTORY: Dougherty Bonded Warehouse
In the Riverwards stands an old warehouse that was constructed during the Civil War, and has remained on Front Street ever since. This past summer, the Historical Commission in Philadelphia…
Spencer Homan | 02/22/2017 -
Features in Temple UniversityTemple University’s African-American Studies Department hosts 14th annual Black History Conference
On February 15th, Temple University’s Africology and African-American Studies Department hosted its 14th annual Underground Railroad and Black History Conference. A Temple tradition since 2002, the conference is the only…
Ruthann Alexander | 02/22/2017