Old
CHESTER
in Delaware County, PA
OldChesterPa.com: What's
New
Now celebrating
8 years
on the
web!
Always check our "What's
New" page
Kom
arnicki's
Korner
Pop's Everlasting Christmas Gift
Be sure to check the table below for the most recent additions to the site.
Please visit & sign our
GUEST BOOK
at "The Newsstand"
Our Community Bulletin Board!
SEARCH the website - Thousands of pages of Chester History!
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Contacting me: For the next few days you may not be able to contact me by email as I attempt to resolve a major spam problem. I'm going to let my mail box fill completely in hopes that enough spam emails bounce to get me removed from some of the lists. Meanwhile, you can contact me by phone. Follow this link for phone number. -John Sponsor |
A project of the National Heritage
Foundation
What is this Foundation?
I'd
like to make a donation to help support this website!
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Some local Chester organizations that would be very appreciative of our support... |
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The
Bernardine Center (Supercupboard) CityTeam Ministries Salvation
Army Chester Corps If anyone would like to suggest others, I'd be happy to add them to this list. |
Once again I am extremely pleased yet very humbled to tell you that I have been chosen as this year's recipient of the Cecil W. Bond Freedom Award by the Chester Branch NAACP. This recognition comes in appreciation for what OldChesterPa has contributed to the city of Chester. It's difficult for me to find words to adequately describe my feelings about having been chosen for this award and I consider it especially appropriate that the award is named for Cecil W. Bond, an earlier President of the Chester Branch and active with the Pennsylvania State conference. The Chester Branch, one of the oldest, was organized in 1910 and the first president was Ruth L. Bennett.
I am looking forward to being in Chester next Friday (4/11) evening to receive the award at the annual awards banquet to be held this year at Harrah's.
My eye surgeon has given me the ok now to fly and, although the retina seems to now be firmly attached, there is fluid behind it that is preventing vision. As a result, there will be a third surgery for me to look forward to later this month. My thanks to everyone who has expressed their concerns and remembered me in their prayers over these last 4-plus months.
John
Many thanks to all for your very
kind words of congratulations on the A. Lewis Smith award presented to me
on Saturday October 27, 2007 by the Delaware County Historical Society and a
special thanks to those who braved the uncertain weather to attend. While
I am very appreciative of the award, once again I humbly accept in on
behalf of all of you who have contributed to make
OldChesterPa.com the rich source of Chester and Delaware County history
that it has become. You are the ones who have so generously
shared your stories, photos and knowledge of Chester so that we could
build this online encyclopedia of Chester history!
- John
PS: The text on the plaque reads, "Delaware County Historical Society - A. Lewis Smith Award - Presented to - John Bullock - In Grateful Recognition of his Generous Service to the Society - and to the Preservation of the Historical Buildings of Delaware County - Board of Directors - October 27, 2007"
This year instead of program book advertising, I am asking for your help by sponsoring one or more days of our "Today in Chester's History" feature on "The Newsstand". The sponsorships are only $5 per day - an amount that I intentionally set to be easily affordable for most anyone who visits, enjoys and benefits from OldChesterPa. Your personalized message that day also adds yet another item of interest for all visitors.
The immediate goal is to still add at
least 100
sponsored days.
As of today, still just 55
additional days have been sponsored.
Please visit this link to sponsor as many days as you would like. At checkout, you will have the opportunity to choose your preferred date(s) and to give me the message you would like to appear on the day(s). If your particular day has already been taken, I will put your message on the next available day. As soon as I have your day(s) set up, you will receive a confirming email with instructions for previewing your message(s).
- John
PS: Class Reunions reminder - it's not a good idea to set a bookmark or "favorite" directly to your particular school or class page. Due to the spam postings, I often need to change the exact URL of these pages. It's usually best to navigate through the main reunions page or from the links on our main page or "The Newsstand" page.
Congratulations to the MLK Jr. Commemorative Committee of Chester & Vicinity for their excellent work in organizing this year's 14th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. It was my pleasure to be here in Chester this year for the day's full schedule of events and I thoroughly enjoyed the day and the opportunities to hear a great deal of discussion about this year's theme, "Daring Leadership".
I also had the opportunity to chat briefly with recently-elected Congressman Joe Sestak and invite him to visit us both here on OldChesterPa and at our annual Chester reunion in October. I found him to have a great deal of curiosity and interest in learning more about Chester's rich history.
John
Click here for a printable Adobe pdf flyer with the detailed listing of the day's events.
An
Unexpected Answer, the Story Behind OldChesterPa.com, is now
available, just 7.95 plus $1 s&h. Mail checks payable to "Graphic
Details" to my address below.
John
351 Pin Tail Dr.
Reidsville, NC 27320-9186
Heritage Commission of Delaware County Presents Award
Many thanks to our long-time contributor and supporter of OldChesterPa, Jack Chambers, for taking the picture above at the Tuesday May 2, 2006 award presentation in the Delaware County Council Chambers in Media.
Although many of the award recipients did not speak, I asked if I might say a few words. I told the audience, which included quite a few of our regular contributors and supporters, that it was a bit difficult for someone who refers to himself as "Ye Olde (and very humble) Webmaster" to accept an "Outstanding Individual" award. I mentioned that many people from around Delaware County, the state of PA, other states and indeed from around the world have contributed to make OldChesterPa what it has become. I wanted to accept the award on behalf of the thousands of people who have so generously contributed their recollections, their stories and their pictures to make OldChesterPa the rich resource of Chester's history that it has become.
Among those present were Dave & Eleanor Andrews, Jack Chambers, Dot & Al Ferrari, Delores Freeman, Marion Hampton, and Larry Wood.
For those who may not have read the announcement here earlier, Mr. Dave Andrews, another long time supporter of and contributor to the site, nominated OldChesterPa for an award to the Heritage Commission of Delaware County under the "Special Program" category. The committee chose instead to honor me as an "Outstanding Individual" for my efforts in producing OldChesterPa.com, a "tremendous source of information, inspiration and nostalgia for so many of Delaware County citizens. You have truly contributed to our awareness of our heritage."
Ye Olde (and very humble)
Webmaster
- John
| Date | What's New... |
| 11/12/2007 | Many thanks to Barbara Selletti for taking and sharing with us pictures of the first phase of demolition of Highland Gardens which was begun on September 25, 2007. Barbara has also shared a couple of pictures of the new drug store on the site of the old Resurrection of our Lord church. |
| 11/12/2007 | Many thanks to VaDear Rice, CHS Class of '92, for sharing some pictures of their recent reunion and congratulations to her team for planning an event that will live for many years to come in the memories of classmates who attended. Everyone who signed in on their page afterward had glowing reports of the evening! |
| 10/17/2007 |
Many thanks to Paul Dougherty,
Aston Twp. Historical Society, for sharing with us a picture of the Southern Penn Bus Company Shop Employees taken in 1949 when the new garage was dedicated. |
| 10/15/2007 | Many thanks to Caroline for taking lots of pictures to document our 2007 All-Chester Family Reunion. Here's the link to the Slide Show. |
| 9/7/2007 | Many thanks to Eleanor Nealy who some time ago sent me this picture of the North side of W. 7th St. including the State Theatre. |
| 7/21/2007 | Many thanks to Michael Raikowski for sharing two pictures from the mid-1970's - McCaffery Village and Chester West Little League. |
| 4/24/2007 |
Many thanks to Michael Trasatti,
Rez class of '82, for taking some time on April 3 to get into the Resurrection
of Our Lord School building one last time before demolition and
taking a number of pictures. In some cases, he even wrote the teacher's
name on the room's blackboard. I have a slide
show of his 78 pictures posted here. The building has now been
completely leveled. 1.5 |
| 4/22/2007 | Many thanks to Wally Wolenski, Boothwyn, PA, for providing our first photo taken around 1943 in front of the Lyric Theatre. Let me know if you can ID the lady pictured between Wally and Eddie Piela. |
| 4/15/2007 | Preliminary news is just in about a St. Michael's Class of 1957 reunion being planned for October of this year. Please check out their new page and see if you can help to locate any of their "missing" members. |
| 4/15/2007 | Many thanks to Thea Scott for sharing some pictures of the Chester High Class of '85 get together held recently at the new Chester Harrah's. |
| 4/7/2007 | Today we welcome a new sponsor for our Class Reunions pages - Thyme Catering at The Austin Room on Chichester Ave. in Boothwyn. Be sure to visit their web site and get in touch with Jan if you're planning an event for 80-250 guests for dining and dancing! |
| 4/3/2007 | Many thanks to both Desiree R and to Caroline for continuing to capture the ongoing demolition of the former Resurrection of Our Lord (Rez) / River of Life Church and surrounding buildings. This link will take you to the second page of pictures. |
| 3/24/2007 | Many thanks to Desiree R. for capturing a sad yet important milestone in Chester's history - the demolition now underway of the former Resurrection of Our Lord (Rez) / River of Life Church. |
| 3/21/2007 | Thanks to Herb Grubb for taking the time to key in a very complete listing of faculty, students, organizations, officers and even the class poem for the Smedley Jr. High Class of 1954. |
| 3/15/2007 | Many thanks to Kim J. Carroll for getting in touch to let us know about a Retirement Celebration for her dad, Chester High Coach and St. James' graduate, Joe Carroll. [Invitation] |
| 3/1/2007 | Many thanks to Barbara Usavage Montello for sharing with us a program from the Lyric Theatre from the week of 12/3/1950. (Coincidentally the same week that Ye Olde (and very humble) webmaster was making his own debut at Chester Hospital!) |
| 2/24/2007 | Often recalled here and now we finally have a picture of the MAC Theatre (9th & Walnut), thanks to Florence Smalley Knott! |
| 1/31/2007 | A few years ago William H. Crystle, 3rd shared with me his collection of files on some of Chester's major fires and tragedies. In response to an inquiry from the granddaughter of Joseph R. Wright, this morning I have posted the Chester Times' coverage of the August 27, 1955 collision of the Moyamensing and Hanley Pumpers at 5th & Edgmont. Mr. Wright was killed in that accident. |
| 1/22/2007 | Robert Bocchino has shared another vintage photo with us, the Market Square Trolley (in Market Square) from “Trolleys of Lower Delaware Valley Pennsylvania” by Paul Schieck (formerly of Brookhaven) and Harold E. Cox (formerly of Forty Fort PA). |
| 1/19/2007 | A significant milestone for us today... Thanks to former WVCH announcer, Robert Bocchino, we have our very first audio sample of Chester's history on the web site, a narrative that Bob recorded on board the "Chester" on January 28, 1974, just days before the ferry ceased operations. He has also shared 2 pictures of the "Bridgeport" midstream which are mentioned in his report. Be sure to click the "Listen" link and turn up your speakers to hear his report. |
| 1/18/2007 | Many thanks to TEAM Gibbs for sharing 2 pictures of CHS Class of '81 all-around athlete and Boxing Champion, Fredia Gibbs. In addition to her athletic accomplishments, Fredia has also appeared on television and in films! |
| 1/18/2007 | Many thanks to former WVCH announcer, Robert Bocchino, Haverford, PA for sharing a picture of Chester-Bridgeport Ferry Captain Ward Perry Moser, taken aboard in the wheelhouse just days before the ferry's last crossing. Robert also provided a scan of the ferry's time sheet and added more to our list of known WVCH announcers. |
| 1/18/2007 | I received an interesting email a few days ago from John Reisinger, who appeared in a Ranger Joe ad in 1949. He has shared a copy of the ad as well as a current picture of himself. |
| 1/8/2007 | This morning I added a biographical sketch of Wm. Provost, Jr. from a Souvenir History of Chester published 1903 by the Board of Trade. He was certainly one of the most prominent Chester builders of the early 20th century. Many of the buildings we remember were erected by him including Chester High School, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Moyamensing Hook & Ladder, Chester Free Library, the Cambridge Building, the residences of Richard & Robert Wetherill and many other prominent residences and businesses which are listed on the page. |
For earlier additions to the site, check the "What's New"
Archives: |
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~
In Memory of ~
Vanessa Berrian Eleanor J.
Bissinger (nee Hampton) Louis D. Bondrowski Delema Caldwell Carsonia (Sony) Daniels Hinson Butler
Maurice
W. “Buzzy” Charlton
Bill
Crowther Monica
Bush “Mamie” Czyszczon Claude Davis Jr.
Joseph
F. Donlevie J. Edward Doubet Virginia Faith
Dugan (nee Luty) William
J. "Bill"
Folger Earl
L. Foster Helen
E. Greenhalgh Charles Hughes Benjamin "B I" "Ben" Iannucci Elizabeth
Innis (nee Derrickson) David
Kilgour Judith
Knott Ludwig Krasowski Edward A. Lajca, DDS
Sophie Wysocki Litwa Harry
Evans Lobb Joseph M. Lombardo, Sr. John "Hooch" McGonigal Henry
"Hank" Mann Jr. Ralph W. "Chuck" Miles, Sr. George F. Moretti Victor Nicholas
Moretti, Jr Helen
R. Passaro (nee Castaldi) Tom Ruger
David
A. Segich Marc J.
Talarico Anne Norpel Tancredi Louis L. Toth Solester Watts John Zimath May light perpetual shine upon them. |
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Click here for the complete list (and some pictures) of our visitors!
Click here if you would like me to add you to our list. Also, be sure to sign the Guest Book at "The Newsstand"
GENEALOGY & HISTORY RESOURCES |
List of Research Resources available at the Delaware County Historical Society library.
Paul Crowther has offered to do lookups in City Directories (1887-1893) for Allentown, Erie, Pittsburg, Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Reading, Bradford, Norristown, Scranton, Philadelphia, Wilkes-Barre, and CHESTER!
For those doing genealogy research, Helen M. (Webber) Imburgia has been kind enough to share with us a very useful list that she compiled of Research Facilities in Delaware County, PA. She has included contact info, library hours plus a summary of the holdings at each location!
Rick Nicholson, is in the process of posting the entire "1884 History of Delaware County" by H. G. Ashmead on the www.delcohistory.org website. This work is a wonderful source of information on the early years of Delaware County and is a must bookmark for those folks working on genealogy. Click Here for the direct link to the beginning of the pages that pertain specifically to the city of Chester.
Fall
2004 Reunion
Slide Show!
(Photos courtesy of Caroline
& "Joker" Jack Chambers)
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Chester
Music Memories Specialty, historical 234-page book with 430 photos! Elementary & Jr.
High Music Clarence D.
"Chuck" Lutton |
