History of Early Chestnut Hill

History of Early Chestnut Hill PDF Author: John James Macfarlane
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chestnut Hill (Pa.)
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description

History of Early Chestnut Hill

History of Early Chestnut Hill PDF Author: John James Macfarlane
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Chestnut Hill (Pa.)
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description


Suburb in the City

Suburb in the City PDF Author: David R. Contosta
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
ISBN: 0814205801
Category : Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
"In Suburb in the City, David Contosta tells the story of how Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, once a small milling and farming town, evolved to become both a suburban enclave for wealthy Philadelphians and a part of the city itself." "In 1854, the railroad connected Philadelphia and Chestnut Hill and the village was annexed by the city. Attuned to the romantic currents of the age, the wealthy men and women who moved to Chestnut Hill believed that the village's semi-rural surroundings might uplift them physically, spiritually, emotionally, and morally. At the same time, they wanted to continue to enjoy the best that the city had to offer while escaping from its more unpleasant aspects: dirt, crime, disease, and other shortcomings. They thus cultivated a dual identity with both suburb and city." "Ironically, this led to a sense of division as prosperous suburbanites held themselves aloof from the resident shopkeepers and domestic servants who provided so many of their creature comforts. Being a suburb in the city also meant that Chestnut Hill could not control its political destiny, as communities outside the municipal limits could. In response, residents developed a number of civic organizations that became a sort of quasi government." "Contosta's study of Chestnut Hill thus illuminates the divided and often ambivalent feelings that Americans hold about their great cities. He includes anecdotes gleaned from dozens of interviews with men and women of many backgrounds - lawyers, nuns, debutantes, grocers, craftsmen, and former servants - who tell of their lives in Chestnut Hill. More than one hundred photographs, many never before published, further enliven this analysis of suburban America."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill PDF Author: Thomas H. Keels
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738510613
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 140

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Book Description
Chestnut Hill, in northwest Philadelphia, is one of America's most beautiful urban villages thanks to the fusion of a magnificent physical setting, notable architecture, historic preservation, and careful planning. During the Colonial period, Chestnut Hill was a rough-hewn village of farmers and millers. After the railroad reached the area in 1854, Chestnut Hill's natural splendor and healthful atmosphere made it a popular spot for Philadelphia's wealthy. Soon, it was ringed by magnificent estates designed by Frank Furness, T.P. Chandler, and Horace Trumbauer. Living side-by-side with the wealthy were hardworking communities of Italian, Irish, and German immigrants. Chestnut Hill, a fascinating photographic record of Chestnut Hill's past, reveals some surprising secrets about this vibrant community. The current community center was once the site of a perpetual motion machine hoax that swindled nineteenth-century Philadelphians, and one local hotel provided liquor (and perhaps other illicit services) to Chestnut Hillers during Prohibition. The stunning photographs and riveting stories of Chestnut Hill include those of the anti-Catholic Know-Nothings, who threatened to halt the construction of Our Mother of Consolation Catholic Church in the 1850s, and of Richard Norris Williams II, who survived the sinking of the Titanic and went on to win the national tennis championship twice at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.

Chestnut Hill Revisited

Chestnut Hill Revisited PDF Author: Elizabeth Farmer Jarvis
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738535272
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Chestnut Hill was home to some of America's most affluent and socially elite families at the beginning of the twentieth century. They engaged prominent architects to design their houses in the latest styles, leaving Chestnut Hill with a rich architectural legacy. It was also a destination for immigrants. Stonemasons from Italy came to build the splendid estates. Irish families escaping poverty worked as domestic servants, gardeners, and chauffeurs. People of all backgrounds crossed paths on Germantown Avenue, where shopkeepers saw to the needs of the rich and modest alike. This busy artery was Chestnut Hill's link to downtown Philadelphia. Trolleys, railroads, hospitals, and the Wissahickon Creek were all part of the Chestnut Hill story. Chestnut Hill Revisited uses photographs unearthed from family albums and historical archives to show the area as it once was.

Houses of Philadelphia

Houses of Philadelphia PDF Author: James B. Garrison
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
"Examines 40 properties in detail with over 300 archival and contemporary photographs, drawings, and floor plans." -- Dust jacket.

A Philadelphia Family

A Philadelphia Family PDF Author: David R. Contosta
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 9780812214062
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
Three generations of the Houston-Woodward family, one of the wealthiest and most influential in Philadelphia, have been leaders in politics, diplomacy, suburban planning, housing reform, land conservation, and historic preservation. In A Philadelphia Family, David Contosta analyzes the impact the Houstons and Woodwards have had economically, politically, and demographically on Philadelphia, a city known for its reserved and private leading families. The story of the Houston and Woodward families' continuing public service offers a unique perspective on Philadelphia history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Family founder Henry Howard Houston (1820-1895) was one of America's greatest post-Civil War entrepreneurs, a top executive of the Pennsylvania Railroad as well as a leading speculator in oil, mining, and other railroad ventures. Houston created a unique, planned suburb in Chestnut Hill, which his son Samuel and son-in-law George Woodward maintained and expanded in the twentieth century. Woodward, in particular, became an energetic crusader for housing reform. Other family members have distinguished themselves in government service and charitable work. Stanley Woodward served in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, George Woodward was a state senator for 30 years, and Lawrence M. C. Smith was founder and owner of a prominent classical music station in Philadelphia.

Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill

Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill PDF Author: Judith Callard
Publisher: Arcadia Library Editions
ISBN: 9781531602468
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
Called the most historic street in America, Germantown Avenue follows the path of an ancient Lenni Lenape trail. This historic route links Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill, the three neighborhoods of the city of Philadelphia that make up the old German Township. From the first protest against slavery in North America, to the battle of Germantown in 1777, to the service of its two military hospitals during the Civil War, Germantown has been the site of some of history's most significant events. Many rarely seen images from the archives of the Germantown Historical Society are in Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Covering the period from Colonial times to the twentieth century, these images tell in sharp detail the story of the region founded by German-speaking settlers in 1683. From these beginnings, Germantown evolved into a prosperous industrial center by the mid nineteenth century. It also became home to wealthy businessmen who built elaborate Victorian villas and gardens. Germantown was home to one of the nation's first commuter railroads and to many factories and textile mills. Immigrants from all parts of Europe were attracted to Germantown. These faces, events, and places are what make Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill an indispensable keepsake.

Germantown, Mountairy, and Chestnut Hill

Germantown, Mountairy, and Chestnut Hill PDF Author: Judith Callard
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780756773823
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
Called the most historic street in America, Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia links Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill, the three neighborhoods of Philadelphia that make up the old German Township. Germantown has been the site of some of history's most significant events. Covering the period from Colonial times to the 20th century, these images tell in sharp detail the story of the region founded by German-speaking settlers in 1683. Germantown evolved into a prosperous industrial center by the mid-19th century, and became home to wealthy businessmen who built elaborate Victorian villas and gardens. The area was home to an early commuter railroad and to many factories and textile mills, which attracted European immigrants. 200+ B&W photos.

This Used to Be Philadelphia

This Used to Be Philadelphia PDF Author: Natalie Pompilio
Publisher: Reedy Press LLC
ISBN: 1681063123
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Philadelphia is thick with American firsts. Some—including the first zoo, first hospital, first public library, first university, first computer—are well known. Others are not and are here to be appreciated: Girl Scout cookies were originally baked by a commercial bakery here and “American Bandstand” was born in a West Philadelphia TV studio. This Used to Be Philadelphia goes deep inside the buildings, monuments, and familiar sights of the city to uncover its rich history, layer by layer. This book will introduce you to the city’s first residents, the Lenni Lenape, the tireless workers who made this “the Workshop of the World,” and the current residents who love all of these stories as told through the spaces they have filled. Learn how buildings from the 1876 World’s Fair, the first to be held in the U.S., are used today. Appreciate the city’s creative adaptive reuse projects, including a former technical school turned office space with a rooftop bar and the railroad headquarters that’s now artists’ studios. Take a colorful tour of the city’s bygone days with local sisters Natalie and Tricia Pompilio. You’ll never look at an old building in Philadelphia the same way again.

Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill

Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill PDF Author: Judith Callard
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
ISBN: 9780738504162
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
Called the most historic street in America, Germantown Avenue follows the path of an ancient Lenni Lenape trail. This historic route links Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill, the three neighborhoods of the city of Philadelphia that make up the old German Township. From the first protest against slavery in North America, to the battle of Germantown in 1777, to the service of its two military hospitals during the Civil War, Germantown has been the site of some of history's most significant events. Many rarely seen images from the archives of the Germantown Historical Society are in Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill. Covering the period from Colonial times to the twentieth century, these images tell in sharp detail the story of the region founded by German-speaking settlers in 1683. From these beginnings, Germantown evolved into a prosperous industrial center by the mid nineteenth century. It also became home to wealthy businessmen who built elaborate Victorian villas and gardens. Germantown was home to one of the nation's first commuter railroads and to many factories and textile mills. Immigrants from all parts of Europe were attracted to Germantown. These faces, events, and places are what make Germantown, Mount Airy, and Chestnut Hill an indispensable keepsake.