Philadelphia Area Archives Research Portal (PAARP)

Anthony F.C. Wallace (born 1923) is a noted Canadian-American psychological anthropologist and historian famous for the theory of revitalization movements. His book, Rockdale: The Growth of an American Village in the Early Industrial Revolution (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1978), is a psychoanthropological history of the Industrial Revolution in which he studies the cultural aspects of the cognitive process, especially involving the transfer of information during periods of technological expansion. The Anthony F. C. Wallace "Rockdale" research files, circa 1975, consist of notes made by or under the direction of Wallace during the research and writing of his book. Most of the material is transcripts or extracts from primary-source documents, such as ledgers and account books, with information about the residents of Rockdale (along the banks of Chester Creek in Delaware County, Pa.) from the early to mid-19th century. (View full finding aid.)

The City of Chester in Delaware County is the oldest city in Pennsylvania. It was settled by Swedish immigrants in 1644, incorporated as a borough in 1701, and incorporated as a city in 1866. The Chester City Council meeting minutes, 1970-1979, cover the years leading up to Chester's passage of a new home rule charter in 1980. (View full finding aid.)

Chester F. Baker (1891-1963) was a municipal engineer and amateur historian from the city of Chester in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Among his many affiliations with historical and genealogical organizations, Baker was president of the Chester Rural Cemetery Association and director of the Delaware County Historical Society. The Chester F. Baker local history research and family papers, 1864-1960 (bulk 1925-1960), consist of well over 100 binders with research materials on history topics, papers from organizations with which Baker was involved, and papers relating to his work as a surveyor. There are also a few personal and family photograph albums and scrapbooks. (View full finding aid.)

The Chester Redevelopment Authority (CRA) was the administrative agent for most economic and community development programs and activities in the City of Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Amidst controversy that CRA's grant programs had not adequately been administered, its funds were transferred to the newly-created Chester Economic Development Authority (CEDA) in 1995. The Chester Redevelopment Authority records, 1955-1995, consist largely of newspaper clippings, 1955-1995, with a large quantity of case files relating to the Emergency Rehabilitation Program, 1986-1991, and some folders on other CRA projects. (View full finding aid.)

The Citizen's Council of Delaware County (Pa.) is a county-wide citizens organization concerned with studying and making suggestions for solving the physical problems caused by the growth of the county. It was created in 1957 by the merger of the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association of Delaware County (CHPA) and the Citizens' Creek Valley Association of Delaware County (CCVA). The Citizens Council of Delaware County records, 1958-1977, include correspondence, minutes, pamphlets and brochures, ephemera, newspaper clippings, newsletters, and several maps. Subjects include Tinicum Marsh, the construction of the Blue Route, landfills, recycling, and open space / Rose Tree Park. (View full finding aid.)

The southern portion of Interstate 476, colloquially known as the "Blue Route" (also called the Mid-County Expressway), passes through the suburban Philadelphia counties of Delaware and Montgomery to connect the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike with I-95. Planning for I-476 began in the 1950s, but environmental concerns and opposition from local community groups including the Citizen's Council of Delaware County stalled construction for decades. The highway was completed in 1992 at a total cost of about $600 million. The Collection on construction of I-476, 1961-1992 (bulk 1970-1980), includes materials relating to I-476 opposition, in the form of original and copy correspondence, newspaper clippings, notes, rough meeting minutes, drafts, printed materials such as environmental impact reports, and materials relating to court hearings. Most materials seem to have been collected or created by the Citizen's Council of Delaware County or by the Radnor-Marple Blue Route Committee; the Regional Transportation Alliance and the Radnor, Ithan and St. David's Civic Association are also represented. (View full finding aid.)

The borough of Darby in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was settled by Quakers in the early 1680s. It had its first Town Meeting in 1683 and was incorporated in 1853. The Darby Borough Historical and Preservation Society local history collection, circa 1900-2012, focuses on the history of Darby Borough and surrounding areas. It consists principally of secondary materials, such as copies of photographs and documents, computer print-outs of articles and narrative histories, newspaper clippings, printed materials including newsletters and ephemera, and genealogy research, with a very small amount of original materials such as scrapbooks. (View full finding aid.)

The Delaware County Choral Society, based in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1927. Although the society was a community choir that did not require auditions for its members, it compiled an impressive resume, performing with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and working with world-renowned soloists, composers, and musicologists. The society performed internationally and at the New York World's Fair and the White House. The Delaware County Choral Society collection, 1934-2001, consists of administrative and financial records, member information, photographs, scrapbooks, and ephemera. Also included are materials relating to the society's performances and concert tours, including audio and video cassettes and LPs. (View full finding aid.)

The first county federation of the General Federation of Women's Clubs in the country and the largest organization of volunteer women in the country, the Delaware County Federation of Women's Clubs was founded by Mary Barton Luckie in 1912. It was federated in 1915. The Delaware County Federation of Women's Clubs records, 1912-2012 (bulk 1975-2012), consist of administrative and financial records, publications, and various materials relating to events and activities run by the organization as well as materials relating to its history. (View full finding aid.)

The annual Delaware County High Schools Track and Field Championships, co-sponsored by the Union Athletic Association of Lansdowne and Lansdowne-Aldan High School, began in 1924. Any high school in Delaware County, Pennsylvania was eligible to enter, and the event was usually held at Lansdowne-Aldan High School's Stewart Field. Delaware County High Schools Track and Field Championships records, 1947-1970, consist mostly of score sheets from the championships. Also included is some correspondence with participating high schools and event programs. (View full finding aid.)

Settled in the early 1700s and incorporated in 1893, the Borough of Lansdowne, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, has a rich industrial and commercial history. Located just six miles from the center of Philadelphia, the town became a haven for middle-class families beginning in the early 20th century as well as a popular design location for the area's best architects, including renowned Philadelphia architect Frank Furness. The Delaware County Historical Society collection on Lansdowne Borough, 1919-2012, consists of records and materials relating to numerous Lansdowne institutions, organizations, and events. About one third of the collection pertains to Lansdowne-Aldan High School (formerly Lansdowne High School) class reunions. (View full finding aid.)

Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society deeds and documents collection, 1681-20th century, consists of over 8,000 deeds and similar property, estate, and legal documents. It includes a large number of 19th and 18th century documents - the earliest is from 1681 - as well as several deeds from William Penn and John Morton. (View full finding aid.)

Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society map, atlas, and blueprint collection, circa 1870-2013, includes maps, surveys, technical drawings, and atlases, mostly for the City of Chester and Delaware County, Pennsylvania. (View full finding aid.)

Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society miscellaneous manuscripts, 1728-1997, consist of miscellaneous original manuscript and printed/ephemera materials relating to local people, organizations, and businesses in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Types of materials include: ledgers, diaries, correspondence, ephemera, pamphlets, and scrapbooks. (View full finding aid.)

Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society obituary collection, 1980-2013, consists of photocopied obituaries from local newspapers, primarily the The Delaware County Daily Times, and index cards with copied information from obituaries. (View full finding aid.)

Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society photograph collection, circa 1870-1990, consists largely of original photographs, with some photocopies and copies of lithographs and prints, of local people, organizations, and events. There are also glass and film negatives, postcards, slides and photograph albums. (View full finding aid.)

Founded in 1895, Delaware County Historical Society is the oldest historical society in Delaware County. Its mission is to acquire, preserve and make available documentation of Delaware County history; to provide and support educational programs on the history of Delaware County; and to publish materials relevant to this history. The Delaware County Historical Society records, 1895-2013 (bulk, 1980-2000), consist of the Society's inactive records, including administrative and financial records, correspondence and newsletters, and materials relating to members, events, and programs. Also included are the minutes and financial papers of the Eastern Chapter of the Delaware County Historical Society. (View full finding aid.)

Delaware County was the first section of Pennsylvania to be settled by Europeans, specifically Swedes in 1643. It was in the city of Chester, the original county seat of Delaware County, that William Penn and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania adopted Penn's "Great Law of Pennsylvania," which granted the right to vote, citizenship, freedom of religion and trial by jury to all settlers. Located adjacent to Philadelphia, Delaware County's suburban population grew rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Delaware County Historical Society vertical files, circa 1850-2013, cover various local topics. Materials are mostly newspaper clippings, photocopies of newspaper articles, pamphlets and ephemera, research notes, narrative histories, transcripts, indexes, printed materials, copies of church and civil records, death and funeral records, and census and tax records, as well as some original documents and oral histories on audiocassette tapes and CDs. (View full finding aid.)

The Delaware County Resource Recovery Facility, an incinerator located in Chester, Pennsylvania, began commercial operation in 1992. The plant is currently owned and operated by Covanta Energy, and processes up to 3,348 tons of municipal and commercial solid waste each day. The Delaware County Resource Recovery Facility permit applications, 1987, consist of permit applications for the construction of the facility by Chester Solid Waste Associates. (View full finding aid.)

An act of general public education for Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was passed in 1834. The Delaware County Superintendent of Schools records, 1863-1972, document teachers employed in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The collection consists largely of examinations of teachers and teachers' reports; there is also some financial information, several published volumes, a few photographs, and an audio recording. (View full finding aid.)

The Delaware County Trust Company was formed in 1933 as a merger of the Pennsylvania Title and Trust Company and the trust department of the former Delaware County Trust Company. Joshua C. Taylor was its first chairman of the Board of Directors. The Delaware County Trust Company merger reports, 1932-1939 (bulk 1932-1934), consists of reports on the assets and liabilities of the two banks that merged to form the new Delaware County Trust Company. (View full finding aid.)

Anna Elizabeth Broomall (1847-1931), from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, was a prominent physician who established one of the first clinics for out-practice maternity care in the United States. She was chief resident physician and instructor of obstetrics at the Woman's Hospital of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. Having an active interest in history, Broomall served as librarian and curator of the Delaware County Historical Society after she retired from medicine. The Dr. Anna E. Broomall scrapbooks, 1841-1922 (bulk 1900-1922) primarily consist of volumes of clippings that focus on historically-significant people, organizations, buildings, and events in Delaware County and Philadelphia. The collection also includes some glass-plate and film negatives as well as items, such as letters and ephemera, of historical and personal interest to Dr. Broomall. (View full finding aid.)

The Eddystone School District was established shortly after the Borough of Eddystone, Delaware County, Pennsylvania was incorporated in 1888. In 1966, the state mandated that the district merge with the Ridley Park and Ridley Township School Districts. The Eddystone School Board records, 1919-1966, include by-laws, board minutes, treasurer's reports, and legal documents, 1919-1965 (incomplete). (View full finding aid.)

The Fellowship Club of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, a largely social and charitable organization, began as an ushers' association founded in 1907 by Rev. Croswell McBee of St. John's Episcopal Church. The Fellowship Club of Lansdowne minutes, 1911-1994, primarily consist of minutes with some gaps, as well as membership and attendance lists, a small amount of correspondence, clippings, ephemera, and a few other documents. There is one volume of history of the club with a few photographs, clippings, and a membership list, 1914-1920. (View full finding aid.)

Alfred L. Muscella, Sr. was a professional photographer who lived and worked in Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The Fred Muscella film negatives, 1946-1991, consist primarily of 4"x5" film negatives, with some film strip negatives and 4"x5" prints from later years. The collection is organized into series by year, and then in alphabetical order by client. (View full finding aid.)