Philadelphia Area Archives

Edward Darreff estate records, 1904-1962 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.1 linear feet
Abstract:: When grocer Edward Darreff opened a store at 6823-6825 Torresdale Avenue in 1906, he became the first shopkeeper to follow the trolley line to Torresdale Avenue in Tacony, Philadelphia. The Edward Darreff estate records, 1904-1962, consists of wills, deeds, and other records from estate settlement proceedings following the death of Edward Darreff.

Held at: Historical Society of Tacony [Contact Us]

Historical Society of Tacony Frank Shuman collection, 1912-2011 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear feet ((1 document box, 1 folder of photographs, 1 small framed item, 1 oversize framed item))
Abstract:: Frank Shuman (1862-1918) was a resident of Tacony, Philadelphia, and an inventor. He built the world's first solar thermal power station in Maadi, Egypt from 1912-1913: it was used to irrigate the desert near the Nile River. The bulk of the Historical Society of Tacony Frank Shuman collection, 1912-2011, consists of secondary materials, but there is also an original plan for the Maadi solar plant, and about two dozen original photographs of Shuman and his team building it.

Held at: Historical Society of Tacony [Contact Us]

Historical Society of Tacony Henry Disston & Sons, Inc. collection, 1876-1920 (inclusive)

Extent:: 1.3 linear feet ((1 box))
Abstract:: Henry Disston, 1819-1878, started a successful saw works in 1849, and began to move his company to Tacony, a neighborhood in Northeastern Philadelphia, in 1871. He sought to develop an utopian, family-centered community in Tacony for his workers with affordable housing and abundant schools, churches, and a library. His company became one of the leading suppliers of saws and files in the United States and continues today to produce these same items as Disston Precision. Historical Society of Tacony Henry Disston & Sons, Inc. collection, 1876-1920, includes reprints and originals of Disston company catalogs and newsletters, and historical and modern photographs. The highlights of this collection are the first real estate sales book belonging to Henry Disston, 1873-1894, and an original "Plan of Building Lots Belonging to Henry Disston and Sons at Tacony, June 1882" by George Webster.

Held at: Historical Society of Tacony [Contact Us]

Rising Sun Inn property records, 1812-1993 (inclusive)

Extent:: 0.5 linear feet
Abstract:: In 1764, Abraham Wentz built a public house on Skippack Pike in Blue Bell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The Rising Sun Inn was a wayside tavern, but also served as a public space for political discussion and commerce. The building was converted to a residence, and then remodeled as office space from about 1985-1991. The Rising Sun Inn property records, 1812-1993, were collected by the first office tenant, Richard T. Claus of Delmarva Inc. Chemicals. The collection includes original deeds, historic survey data, and remodeling plans.

Held at: Wissahickon Valley Historical Society [Contact Us]

James A. Michener Art Museum records, circa 1979-2016

Extent:: 110.0 linear feet
Abstract:: The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum records, circa 1979-2016, consist of administrative and financial records, departmental files, photographic materials, property and building records, publications and printed matter, and other materials.

Held at: James A. Michener Art Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Robert Whitley papers, 1955-2002 (inclusive)

Extent:: 2.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Born in 1924, Robert Whitley is a third-generation craftsman known for his wood sculpture and furniture designs. His studio is in Solebury Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. His pieces can be found throughout prestigious art institutions in the United States and the Hermitage in Russia. Robert Whitley papers, 1955-2002, consist of a scrapbook, photographs, books and printed matter pertaining to Whitley, posters, newspaper clippings, and a couple of drawings.

Held at: James A. Michener Art Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Katharine Steele Renninger papers, 1941-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:: 14.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Katharine Steele Renninger (1925-2004) was a painter and printmaker in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. A self-described "abstract realist," Renninger was known for depicting architectural structures and everyday objects in her artwork, things that to her represented a disappearing way of life. Katharine Steele Renninger papers, 1941-2003, consist of ledgers, scrapbooks, day planners, correspondence, photographs, press clippings, exhibition materials, awards, objects, and other materials that document Renninger's artistic and professional development.

Held at: James A. Michener Art Museum Archives [Contact Us]

Bucks County Council for the Arts records, 1973-1995 (bulk 1974-1986)

Extent:: 19.0 linear feet
Abstract:: Bucks County Council on the Arts (BCCA) was established in 1973 to foster, promote and coordinate support for the arts in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In 1983, BCCA's bylaws were revised to reflect its new name: Bucks County Council for the Arts. In 1985, BCCA was charged with running a new museum that was to occupy the recently closed Bucks County Prison in Doylestown. The museum opened to the public in 1988 as the James A. Michener Arts Center (now known as the James A. Michener Art Museum). Bucks County Council for the Arts records, 1973-1995 (bulk 1974-1986), consist of administrative and financial records, photographs and slides, scrapbooks, performing arts files, and other materials.

Held at: James A. Michener Art Museum Archives [Contact Us]

George Nakashima papers, circa 1907-2006

Extent:: 15.0 linear feet
Abstract:: George Nakashima (1905-1990) was an American architect and furniture designer and maker, often referred to as one of the fathers of the American craft movement. After being interned during World War II, Nakashima moved to New Hope, Bucks County, Pennsylvania and set up a woodworking studio. Between the 1950s and 1980s, Nakashima's furniture was in high demand; he had exhibitions all over the world and pieces were purchased and displayed in museums. George Nakashima papers, circa 1907-2000s, consist of letters, business records, sketches, handwritten notes, architectural drawings, photographs, catalogs, awards, subject files, printed material relating mostly to Nakashima's work as a furniture designer, artwork from Nakashima's personal collection, tools, and other materials documenting Nakashima's professional and personal life. There are also materials from his daughter, Mira Nakashima-Yarnall, related to her work and her book about her father. There is a small amount of materials...(see more)

Held at: James A. Michener Art Museum Archives [Contact Us]

James A. Michener Art Museum Archives oral history project records, 1980s-2015

Extent:: 0.83 linear feet
Abstract:: The James A. Michener Art Museum, located in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, is an independent, non-profit cultural institution dedicated to preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting the art and cultural heritage of the Bucks County region. Opened in 1988, the museum is named for Doylestown's most famous son, the Pulitzer-Prize winning writer James A. Michener. James A. Michener Art Museum Archives oral history project records, 1980s-2015, consist of audio, audiovisual, and textual materials from an ongoing project whose purpose is to collect interviews with individuals with links to the old Bucks County prison (Doylestown, Pennsylvania), the surrounding area, and/or James A. Michener Art Museum.

Held at: James A. Michener Art Museum Archives [Contact Us]