Using historic maps, photographs, artifacts, and documents, the Historical Society of Frankford's new exhibit Frankford and the 1876 Centennial provides a snapshot of Frankford at the time of the U.S. Centennial. Still in the midst of an industrial depression, Frankford’s developing industries were not heavily represented at the Exhibition, but they were the heartbeat of the neighborhood. The fair offered Frankford visitors technological expertise and inspiration, as well as a wide variety of souvenirs. Among the artifacts preserved in the Historical Society of Frankford’s collections is a rare carved chair from the Pennsylvania Pavilion, a match to ones owned by the Smithsonian Institution, the Atwater Kent holdings, and in a private collection.
The exhibit opens Tuesday evening, September 8, for the Historical Society of Frankford's monthly lecture and runs through the Semiquincentennial year. Admission is free during the Society's current opening hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The same evening as the exhibit opening, historian Jeff Denman will speak about his new book, Philadelphia Quakers and the American Revolution. Denman shows how the Quakers’ pacifist beliefs ran afoul of revolutionary passions, undoing their control of Pennsylvania politics and government. Copies will be available for purchase and signing.
The Historical Society of Frankford is located at 1507 Orthodox St, Philadelphia. Doors open at 7:00 PM, and Denman’s presentation begins at 7:30. It will also stream live on the HSF Facebook page. The lecture is also free and open to the public. Free, off street parking will be available across Orthodox Street at the Frankford Friends School. Light refreshments will be served before and after the presentation.
Please join us for two intriguing examinations of Frankford and Philadelphia history.