The Vaux Box, made from the Elm tree that witnessed the signing of the Penn Treaty in 1682
- Plan Philly reports that the now online-only Penn Treaty Museum is set to expand into a bone fide museum in three to four years time, chronicling the native, colonial, and industrial histories of the Riverward communities.“We need to try and get people moving into (these areas today) to understand they really have a densely layered history,” says board member and archaeologist Steve Tull. “They are just the latest point on a 4,500 year old continuum of people who lived right here to do some kind of work.” A public meeting will be held at the museum’s potential first home at 900 East Columbia Avenue, from 6PM-8PM.
- Tomorrow evening, the Philadelphia History Museum at Atwater Kent will host Lawrence O’Toole, a design manager in New York City, who will discuss his recent photographic book, Fading Ads of Philadelphia, a passionate look at the apparitions of the city’s past lives.“The signs have been buried behind a brick wall, or a building, or stucco for however many decades, and all of a sudden it’s there again,” he says. “Sometimes it gets covered right back up and it’s only there for a couple weeks, or less.”
- Matthew Perks, the chairman of the public safety committee of the Parks and Recreation Commission, writes in the Inquirer of his committee’s report, “Safety in Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Centers,” detailing the insights gleaned from over a year of discussions with the public and Parks & Rec officials from other major cities that will “significantly improve and maintain public safety and put those ideas into practice as soon as possible.”
- Naked Philly says that the uproar from Bella Vista residents has apparently killed an “absurd” idea for a 70-foot, 6-story, 10-unit apartment complex at 712-14 South 8th Street.
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
