Search

Start Over Place Philadelphia (Pa.) Language English Year 1955 to 1959

Main content

John Wanamaker collection, 1827-1987 (inclusive)

Extent:
193.2 linear feet (; 316 volumes, 438 boxes)
Abstract:
John Wanamaker (1838-1922) was a well-known merchant, entrepreneur, and lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was active in the city's religious, political, and philanthropic areas, founded several Presbyterian churches and Sunday schools, and served as postmaster general under President Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1893. He opened his first Philadelphia clothing store, Oak Hall, with partner Nathan Brown in 1861, and founded John Wanamaker and Co. in 1869. In 1876, he opened "A New Kind of Store" known as the Grand Depot at Thirteenth and Market Streets. This store later became the flagship store, with satellite stores eventually established in central and southeastern Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, Delaware, and New York City. Wanamaker was at the forefront in many areas of retailing including merchandising, employee relations and advertising. His sons Thomas B. Wanamaker and L. Rodman Wanamaker were also active in the business. Thomas ran John Wanamaker and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Mutual Assurance Company (Green Tree) records, 1784-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:
455.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The Mutual Assurance Company for Insuring Houses from Loss by Fire was organized in Philadelphia in 1784, in order to make fire insurance available to those citizens who wished to have trees in front of their houses. A group of sixty-one men met on July 8, 1784 at the City (or London) Coffee House and agreed to create a new mutual fire insurance company. A deed of settlement was adopted and a green tree was selected as a symbol to appear on the company's policies and fire marks. The company archives of The Mutual Assurance Company, familiarly known as the Green Tree, consist of financial accounts and receipts, correspondence, histories, cancelled insurance surveys and policies, and miscellaneous material. The records date from the formation of the company in 1784 to 1995.

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

Joseph F. Lockard papers, 1928-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:
13.3 linear feet (; 30 boxes)
Abstract:
Joseph F. Lockard worked in Philadelphia for the Democratic City Committee during the 1950s and 1960s. By signing up non-registered voters as Democrats, Lockard was instrumental in building the Democratic "machine" that assisted party leaders get elected during the 1960s. Lockard worked as administrative assistant to U.S. Representative William J. Green Jr. and maintained ties to many political players, such as Joseph S. Clark, Richardson Dilworth, Natalie Saxe Randall, Judge Charles Weiner, and Congressman Joshua Eilberg. Lockard later obtained a political science degree from Temple University and formed his own political consulting firm, Lockard Associates. The Joseph F. Lockard papers are primarily composed of papers describing his involvement in Pennsylvania politics, with particular attention to Philadelphia. Materials include correspondence, memos, reports, and clippings. There are numerous subject files that contain a wealth of information on city issues, politicians, and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

Main content

John E. Hand & Sons Co. records, 1865-2002, undated [bulk dates: 1900-1980]

Extent:
26.0 linear feet
Abstract:
The John E. Hand & Sons Company was founded in Philadelphia in 1873. The Hand Company built navigational equipment for all varieties of floating vessels, and operated a chain of retail outlets with “service stations” in numerous port cities, including Baltimore and New Orleans, until 1956. Service stations sold Hand instruments as well as other nautical paraphernalia and provided compass adjusting services. The collection documents the business activities of the John E. Hand & Sons Company from its institution in 1873 to 1997, when the company was sold. The collection boasts a wide breadth of material that includes legal documents, financial records, patents, correspondence, contracts, reports, catalogs and other ephemera, photographs, and engineering plans. Together, the records provide a thorough account of the firm’s operations.

Held at: Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library [Contact Us]

Main content

Frank J. Hartman papers, 1904-1977 (inclusive)

Extent:
7.5 linear feet and 16 containers, 2 volumes, 5 framed items
Abstract:
Frank Janczak Hartman (1893-1986) was a radium specialist and consultant who also worked as a “radium hound,” searching for pieces lost by area hospitals and industry until his retirement in 1956. The Frank J. Hartman papers provide an insightful view into the changes atomic energy brought to society. Hartman, who owned two companies dealing with radium, clearly saw the product’s value, but he also recognized the potential dangers and the damage that could result from the improper usage, storage and disposal of these materials. This collection will be extremely valuable to a researcher interested in Frank J. Hartman; the radium industry, sales and recovery; atomic energy in Canada; the history of the discovery of radium and the Curie family; and how atomic energy affected the United States. This collection is arranged into eight series: “Correspondence,” “Scrapbooks," Diaries and Notes,” “Research files,” “Promotional materials and equipment lists,” “Curie family information,”...(see more)

Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Main content

Committee on the Mütter Museum, records of the Chairman, 1926-1970 (inclusive)

Extent:
10.0 containers
Abstract:
The Committee on the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia was charged with the general supervision of the anatomical and pathological museum established by the articles of agreement made between the College and Thomas D. Mütter in 1858-1859. The chairman of the committee was to report annually on the condition of the museum and semi-annually on its financial situation. The collection contains the correspondence and financial files of chairmen of the Committee of the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 1926-1970, documenting the acquisitions and oversight of the Museum and College Collections.

Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Main content

Mütter Museum records, 1887-2006 (inclusive)

Extent:
37.0 containers
Abstract:
The Mütter Museum was founded in 1856 when Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter bequeathed his personal medical museum to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. From Thomas Mütter’s collection, the museum grew as a noted repository for unique collections of medical specimens across the world. The Mütter Museum records document the history of this noted institution from 1887 until 2006. Included in the collection are catalogs of item acquisitions, visitor records, event records, and the papers of several museum curators. Researchers interested in the acquisition policies of the museum, as well as records of events and exhibits held at the Mutter should consult this collection. Additionally, the papers of Gretchen Worden are housed in this collection. The "Gretchen Worden" series contains many of her lectures, administrative material, and date books while serving as Curator and Director from 1982 until 2004. Also of note in the collection is the “Index of Collection,” that lists many of the...(see more)

Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]

Main content

Lippincott Family Papers, 1752-2010 (inclusive)

Extent:
6 linear ft. (9 boxes, 2 oversize folders, and photographs)
Abstract:
Horace Mather Lippincott (1877-1967) was a Quaker editor and historian. The collection contains his speeches and writings on topics primarily concerning the Society of Friends and the history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of particular interest is the scrapbook he compiled in 1946 of papers and photographs of the 1913-1914 Joint Group which met weekly to study the Separation in the Society of Friends, along with other papers on the topic and on the first joint meeting of the two Philadelphia Yearly Meetings in 1946. The collection includes genealogical research by Horace Mather Lippincott and his brother George E. Lippincott, deeds, and some family papers.

Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]

Limit your search

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

more »

Current results range from 1638 to 2022

View larger »