Philadelphia Area Archives

Start Over Place Chestnut Hill (Philadelphia, Pa.) Year 1850 to 1899

Chestnut Hill Hospital School of Nursing records, 1906-1988 (bulk) 1769-1988 (inclusive)

Extent:: 20.45 linear feet
Abstract:: The Chestnut Hill Hospital School of Nursing Records consist of 20.45 linear feet of hospital records, school administration records, faculty and student files, yearbooks, photographs, and some artifacts. The records extend from the school's creation in 1908 until its closing in 1987. The collection comprehensively documents the growth of a suburban community hospital nurse training program.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing [Contact Us]

John and Lydia Morris estate papers, 1886-1932 (bulk) 1854-1932 (inclusive)

Extent:: 9.5 linear feet
Abstract:: The land that is now the Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, the official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was previously the private estate of Quaker siblings John Thompson Morris (1847-1915) and Lydia Thompson Morris (1849-1932). The John and Lydia Morris estate papers, 1854-1932, consist of the siblings' papers primarily relating to the adjacent lands they donated to form the Arboretum--Compton and Bloomfield estates. The collection includes financial ledgers, receipts, correspondence, and other primary-source documents, as well as secondary-source copies of Morris family documents held elsewhere and articles on the Morris family.

Held at: Morris Arboretum Archives [Contact Us]

Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania Historic Image Collection, 1885-1950 (bulk) 1885-2000 (inclusive)

Extent:: 12.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The land that is now the Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, the official Arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, was previously the private estate of Quaker siblings John Thompson Morris (1847-1915) and Lydia Thompson Morris (1849-1932). The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania Historic Image Collection, 1885-2000, includes photographs, lantern slides, glass plates, postcards, and film negatives, primarily depicting the botanical features and buildings of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.

Held at: Morris Arboretum Archives [Contact Us]

Kelsey family papers, circa 1843-1930

Extent:: 3.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Jeannette Washburn Kelsey (Mrs. Albert W. Kelsey) of "Rauhala", Chestnut Hill, Pa., was the daughter of Governor C.C. Washburn of Wisconsin (d. 1882). The Kelsey family papers, circa 1843-1930, include personal and social correspondence, business receipts, clippings, scrapbooks, greeting cards, memoirs, notes, photographs, printed ephemera and more.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

James J. Reis Deed Collection, 1717-1881 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.25 linear feet
Abstract:: James J. Reis, a commercial real estate broker in Ambler, Pennsylvania, began collecting old deeds around 1987. The James J. Reis Deed Collection, 1717-1881, consists of 125 deeds for properties in the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Roxborough, Germantown, Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, as well as Whitemarsh and Springfield townships in Montgomery County.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

Houston/Meigs Scrapbooks, circa 1860s-1940s

Extent:: 2.2 linear feet
Abstract:: Margaret Corlies Houston Meigs (1891-1970) was the granddaughter Henry Howard Houston (1820-1895), a prominent Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist influential in the development of Chestnut Hill. The Houston/Meigs Scrapbooks, circa 1870s-1940s, consist primarily of photography albums and scrapbooks compiled by Margaret H. Meigs. Topics include Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania, World War I and World War II service, travels in Europe and domestic camping trips, family photographs, event photographs, and the New York draft riots.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

Chestnut Hill Historical Society local history collection, 1900-2011 (bulk) 1755-2011 (inclusive)

Extent:: 18.8 linear feet
Abstract:: Chestnut Hill, in northwest Philadelphia, was a village of farmers and millers during the Colonial period. After the railroad reached the area in 1854, Chestnut Hill became a popular spot for Philadelphia's wealthy and it soon boasted magnificent estates designed by Frank Furness, T.P. Chandler, and Horace Trumbauer. The Chestnut Hill Historical Society local history collection, 1755-2011 (bulk 1900-2011) consists primarily of newspaper clippings and other printed materials, such as pamphlets, publications, and ephemera, relating to the Chestnut Hill neighborhood. There are some original records of local organizations, such as minute books and ledgers, as well as some family papers.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

Stevens School Collection, 1896-1995 (inclusive)

Extent:: 6.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The Stevens School was founded in 1868 by Miss Mary E. Stevens, and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1924. It offered eduction for girls from kindergarten through twelfth grade, and was well-regarded as a college preperatory school. The Stevens School Collection, 1896-1995, consists of yearbooks (1912-1980), photographs (circa 1896-1970s), and records (1905-circa 1995). The records include financial and fundraising records, alumni information and newsletters, student reports, teacher recommendations, commencement programs, admissions information, donation records, by-laws, newspaper clippings, legal records, Board of Directors correspondence, Board Meeting agendas, etc.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]

Henry Howard Houston Estate Papers, 1698-1989 (inclusive) 1830-1953 (bulk)

Extent:: 26 cubic feet
Abstract:: The Henry Howard Houston Estate Papers document the creation and development of a large real estate investment in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. The collection also provides extension information on land ownership in this area from the late eighteenth to mid nineteenth century through the original deeds, which form the title papers series of the collection.

Held at: University of Pennsylvania: University Archives and Records Center [Contact Us]

Glendinning collection, 1800-1990 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.2 linear feet
Abstract:: The Glendinning's are a local Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia family. The Glendinning collection, 1800-1980, is comprised of family histories and documentation of local events.

Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]