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Chestnut Hill Historical Society photograph collection
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Held at: Chestnut Hill Historical Society [Contact Us]8708 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19118
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Chestnut Hill Historical Society. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
"Chestnut Hill, in northwest Philadelphia, is one of America's most beautiful urban villages thanks to the fusion of a magnificent physical setting, notable architecture, historic preservation, and careful planning. During the Colonial period, Chestnut Hill was a...village of farmers and millers. After the railroad reached the area in 1854, Chestnut Hill's natural splendor and healthful atmosphere made it a popular spot for Philadelphia's wealthy. Soon, it was ringed by magnificent estates designed by Frank Furness, T.P. Chandler, and Horace Trumbauer. Living side-by-side with the wealthy were hardworking communities of Italian, Irish, and German immigrants."
Bibliography:
Keels, Thomas H. and Elizabeth Farmer Jarvis. Images of America: Chestnut Hill. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia, 2002.
The Chestnut Hill Historical Society photograph collection, circa 1850-2011, is arranged into two series.
The first series consists of photographs, mostly reproductions with some originals, depicting local individuals, buildings, and institutions. There are also a few newspaper clippings. The series is arranged by subject: schools, transportation/vehicles, institutions, hotels/inns, and more (arranged alphabetically).
The second series is composed of small collections of photographs. Most are family photographs, but there are some photographs from businesses. These photographs are all original and include a range of forms: daguerreotypes, lantern slides, photo albums, and more.
Most photographs have been digitized.
Materials collected by the Chestnut Hill Historical Society from various sources.
Some of the photographs in this collection have been removed from manuscript collections at the Chestnut Hill Historical Society.
- Publisher
- Chestnut Hill Historical Society
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Michael Gubicza through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Access Restrictions
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Contact Chestnut Hill Historical Society for information about accessing this collection.