Call Number:

01

Repository:

Welsh Valley Preservation Society

Extent:

0.8 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1922-1980 (bulk) and 1922-1998 (inclusive)

Creator:

Arneth, Elizabeth

Abstract:

Fischer's Park is a recreational facility in Towamencin, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with a swimming pool, cabanas, and park land. It was first built in the 1920s by Hugo Fischer. Eric Arneth and his wife Elizabeth further developed the park from the 1930s to 1970s. The Elizabeth Arneth collection on Fischer's Park, 1922-1998, consists of photographs and newspaper clippings, promotional materials and ephemera, and some original records and correspondence relating to Fischer Park that were collected by Elizabeth Arneth.

''The lands that are now Fischer's Park were settled in the 1800s and contained a grist mill known as Kooker's Mill. Mr. Fischer purchased the mill, adjacent buildings, and 14 acres in the early 1900s. As early as the 1920s, the spot became popular with motorists who would picnic on the property. In the late 1920s, Mr. Fischer began adding facilities to accommodate visitors including a candy and ice cream pavilion, a boardwalk over the dam, cabanas, and a swimming pool.

''Mr. Fisher was swept away during a flashflood in 1930 and his widow [Helen] invited her nephew from Germany, [Eric] Arneth, to continue to run the park. From the 1930s through the 1970s Mr. Arneth made several improvements to the property including the demolition of the mill, construction of the "upper club pool," filling of the mill raceway, and some additions to the houses.''

Bibliography:

Simone Collins Landscape Architecture. "Fischer's Park Master Plan Update," page 9. May 2010. Accessed November 21, 2011. http://www.towamencin.org/ParksandRec/fischersparkmasterplan/Master%20Plan%20Update/1-Introduction.pdf.

This collection consists of photographs and newspaper clippings, promotional materials and ephemera, and some original records and correspondence relating to Fischer Park that were collected by Elizabeth Arneth. There are several scrapbooks with newspaper clippings and photographs. Most of the photographs depict the park, although there are some family photographs as well. The collection includes many promotional mailings and ephemera, including some drafts and proofs of advertisements. There are a few land surveys of the park. Of special interest is Hugo Fischer's account book, circa 1922.