Call Number:

2000.53

Repository:

Chestnut Hill Historical Society

Extent:

0.25 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

2000.53

Date:

1936-1996 (inclusive)

Creator:

Hodges, William H., abt. 1924-

Abstract:

William H. Hodges (born about 1924) was a member of the Tioga Junior Woodsmen Club, a club for Catholic boys ages 10-13 years that was headed by George W. Sommer for the purpose of camping, learning about nature and camaraderie. This collection consists of a minute Book of the Tioga Junior Woodsmen Club, photographs, and newspaper clippings.

William H. Hodges (born about 1924) was a member of the Tioga Junior Woodsmen Club when he was a young teenager, growing up in the Tioga section of Philadelphia at 2129 W. Ontario St. He was trained at Drexel University and Brooklyn Polytechnic in Civil Engineering and served in World War II.

The Tioga Junior Woodsmen Club, headed by George W. Sommer, was a club for Catholic boys, ages 10-13 years for the purpose of camping, learning about nature and camaraderie. All the boys lived in the Tioga section of Northwest Philadelphia. Major Sommers lived at 2106 W. Ontario and the donor, Bill Hodges lived at 2129 W. Ontario. The group went out almost every weekend to such parks as Neshaminy, Crum Creek, Washington Crossing, Pennypack, the Wissahickon and Scout's Triangle near Woodside Park, West Philadelphia.

Sommer worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was a professional map maker, never married and lived at 2106 W. Ontario St. in the Tioga section of Philadelphia.

This collection consists of a minute Book of the Tioga Junior Woodsmen Club with photo in back, photographs and photocopies of club members and donor's family members, some in the Wissahickon Creek area, copy of an article in the "Bulletin" newspaper on the Wissahickon Valley with a map by George W. Sommer, leader of the Club, and copy of "Philadelphia Inquirer" article entitled, "Grace land" by Ron Tarver on the Wissahickon, Oct. 27, 1996.

The book contains the minutes of meetings, the constitution of the club, attendance chart and dues chart, list of fines, a map of the Tioga neighborhood in which they lived, etc. The photograph pasted in the back of the minute book shows the model the club worked on of Valley Forge, which the group entered in a Hobby Exhibition sponsored by the "Evening Ledger" newspaper. A loose photocopy of a clipping in the minute book describes the show as well as clippings pasted in the book.

The article from the "Bulletin" newspaper gives a history of the Wissahickon Creek area including Robeson Mill, James Logan, the "Green Boys," Jacob Levering, Wissahickon Hall, Valley Green Inn and more. The article describes an illustrated guidebook, published by the Friends of the Wissahickon, founded in 1925, which describes the history and topography of the valley by Frances Ballard, Marion Rivinus, and illustrated by George Sommer.