Opinion Eyes on the Street

November 11: Public history in 21st century Philly

Ashley Hahn

November 5, 2015

First bicyclist meet in front of Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park | Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Penrose Pictoral Philadelphia collection — (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Penrose Pictoral Philadelphia collection)

Devoted readers of this space know how much we love sharing images of the city’s past – from early 20th century aerials to streetviews of the mid-century city. These photographs help illustrate just how much Philadelphia has changed over time – and just how much remains the same. Lucky for us the sources for these views of urban history are many.

One of the deepest wells is the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP). HSP has a stunning 21 million documents, including an exceptional wealth of historic Philadelphiana.

But what can an early 19th century institution like HSP teach us about being a 21st century city? How can archives illuminate current concerns, like urban bicycling, flood risk, park life, demolition and vacancy, vibrant commercial corridors, legacy transit system, the skyline, and our sports?

Take a look at this selection of images from HSP’s collection – mostly drawn from the photo morgue of the Philadelphia Record, which was published from the 1870s until 1947 – and each tells a story:

Delaware Avenue flood, Record Number: 748 Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue [V07], Folder Number: FF 994 Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Address: 116 Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA Date of Original: 1930s (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Rittenhouse Square–1915, 1929-44 Record Number: 1086 Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue [V07], Folder Number: 3317 Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Depicts: Rittenhouse Square (Philadelphia, Pa.) Assorted photographs of Rittenhouse Square, predominately from the 1930s and 1940s. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Aerial photograph from William Penn statue atop City Hall, Philadelphia | Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to San Francisco and return Record Number: 3077Collection: Photo album documenting the Liberty Bell’s trip from Philadelphia to San Francisco [3702] Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Photographer: Kuenzel, Harry Date of Original: 1915 Liberty Bell’s trip in 1915 from Philadelphia to San Francisco (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Planes fly in front of City Hall Record Number: 3181Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue [V07], Folder Number: FF 33.2248 Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Address: North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA Date of Original: 1945 Photograph depicts aerial view of Curtis SB2C Helldiver’s flying over Philadelphia in front of City Hall. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Shibe Park Record Number: 1085Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue [V07] Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Date of Original: 1941 Aerial view of Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack stadium. One-time home of the Philadelphia Athletic and the Philadelphia Phillies. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
(Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Penrose Pictoral Philadelphia collection)
Record Number: 380 Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue[V07] Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Address: 1500 N. Alder Street Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA Date of Original: 1945 Image description: Photograph depicts children playing in the street after the rain, while their mother looks on. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Record Number: 627 Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue[V07] Folder Number: FF 3736 Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Address: Philadelphia, PA 19147, USA Date of Original: 1892 Photograph depicts an electric trolley from the Philadelphia Traction Company. The trolley, no. 871 (Catherine and Bainbridge Streets), is one of the first electric trolleys in the city. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Record Number: 744 Collection: Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue[V07] Folder Number: FF 3011 Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Address: 1239 Market StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19107, USA Date of Original: February 3 1938 Image description: Photograph depicts Market Street at night looking east from 13th Street, showing N. side of street. (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)
Folder Number: FF 3240 Reproduction restrictions: Unknown Photographer: American Airlines Address: Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA Date of Original: July 1 1940 (Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Record Photograph Morgue)

Resources like these help HSP connect researchers, armchair historians, students and educators, and heritage institutions with pieces of our collective past, enabling us all to tell richer stories about our city, and help shape our sense of place.

For that work HSP is featured in a episode of the PBS documentary series Visionaries, which we’ll be screening at WHYY on November 11 at 7pm. After the brief screening I’ll be moderating a discussion about HSP’s ongoing efforts to provide new ways to access its rich collection, and how repositories like HSP help provide context for our understanding of 21st century Philadelphia. Joining me will be Page Talbott (President and CEO of HSP), Patrick Grossi (Director of Advocacy, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia), George Boudreau (Assistant Professor of History, La Salle University), and Bill Mosher, (Director and Producer of Visionaries).

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