Call Number:

2004.110

Repository:

Chestnut Hill Historical Society

Extent:

32.5 linear feet

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

2004.110

Date:

1960-2002 (bulk) and 1859-2002 (inclusive)

Creator:

Moak, Helen R.

Abstract:

Helen Ross Moak (1918-2004) was a journalist, community activist, and local historian in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Helen Moak Collection, 1859-2002 [bulk 1960-2002] consists of newspaper clippings, correspondence, records, photos, and miscellaneous materials about Chestnut Hill and surrounding communities. Subjects include institutions, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Helen Ross Moak (1918-2004) was a journalist, community activist, and local historian in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a founder of the Chestnut Hill Local newspaper in 1955 and co-editor of the serial Chestnut Hill Almanac with her son, Jefferson M. Moak, in the 1980s. Moak served as director of the Chestnut Hill Community Association (which owns the Local) from 1980 to 1998.

Bibliography:

"Helen Moak, Chestnut Hill Activist, 85." The Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News, April 19, 2004.

The Helen Moak Collection consists of newspaper clippings, correspondence, records, photos, and miscellaneous materials about Chestnut Hill and surrounding communities in the late 19th and the 20th centuries. Subjects include institutions, community organizations, businesses, and individuals.

Subject files (Boxes 1-17) are arranged alphabetically, and consist primarily of newspaper clippings with some pamphlets. Subjects include Chestnut Hill area institutions, community organizations, businesses and individuals.

Lloyd Wells papers (Box 18) contains correspondence, speeches, and articles from 1951-2002. Lloyd Wells was Director of the Center for Consensual Democracy, a non-profit organization focused on integrated, collaborative community-building. The correspondence is between Wells, Moak, and the local newspaper; there are also speeches and articles written by Wells and Moak's writings about Wells.

Chestnut Hill Community Association files (Boxes 19-21) include clippings about the group and about Chestnut Hill; by-laws and articles of incorporation; Board of Directors manual and meeting minutes; budgets; and Community Fund records.

Chestnut Hill Local files (Boxes 22-23) primarily consist of drafts and clippings of articles written for the paper by Moak and Lloyd Wells, as well as some internal records of the newspaper.

Wissahickon files (Box 24) contains subject files on mills, families, and businesses in the Wissahickon vicinity.

Aphasia Society files (Box 25), circa 1974-1995, mostly consist of correspondence in chronological order, with some pamphlets and clippings about other health centers. Moak was on the Board of the Cascade Aphasia Center for the care and treatment of brain damaged persons with serious communication difficulties in Chestnut Hill.

Miscellaneous files (Box 26) contains additional uncategorized subject files