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Harold E. Cox transportation collection, 1858-1960 (bulk) 1803-1967 (inclusive)

Extent:
199.5 linear feet (160 boxes, 624 volumes, 38 rolled items)
Abstract:
Prior to the 1870s, Philadelphia's public transportation system consisted of dozens of independently owned and operated horse drawn streetcar lines. In the 1880s and 1890s steps were taken toward electrification and unification, a goal finally achieved in 1902 with the founding of Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT). PRT constructed subway and elevated train lines, and managed public transportation until 1940, when the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was established, absorbing PRT and all of its functions. The Dr. Harold E. Cox transportation collection is composed primarily of records from PTC and PRT, as well as PRT's subsidiary and predecessor rail lines. This collection dates from 1803 to 1967, with the bulk of materials ranging from 1858 to 1960. It consists of financial records, legal records, correspondence, administrative records, ephemera, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, atlases, and route maps and diagrams. The collection documents the growth and...(see more)

Held at: Historical Society of Pennsylvania [Contact Us]

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Philadelphia City Planning Commission surveys conducted with New Deal Federal Work-Relief funds records, 1933-1939 (inclusive)

Extent:
156.0 cubic feet
Abstract:
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission had barely come into existence (April 1929) when the stock market crashed, marking the onset of the Great Depression. The PCPC requested federal funding, made possible through President Roosevelt’s New Deal work relief programs, to subsidize general administrative costs of PCPC and support the continuation of work on a master plan for the city of Philadelphia which had already begun. The agency also proposed to conduct a survey of central Philadelphia which would help address the problems of decaying older neighborhoods. From 1933 to 1939, the Commission employed hundreds of architects, engineers, social workers, and other professional and clerical staff in efforts to analyze the physical, economic, and social conditions of the city and to address these problems through a combined program of research, planning, and public advocacy. The Philadelphia City Planning Commission Survey files (Record Group (RG) 145-50) consist of 156 cubic feet of...(see more)

Held at: City of Philadelphia, Department of Records, City Archives [Contact Us]

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Colonel Richard Thomas papers, 1741-1919 (inclusive)

Extent:
1.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Richard Thomas (1744-1832) was a Revolutionary War colonel and a politician. He served in the Revolutionary War in the 5th Battalion Association despite his Quaker faith and served as an Assembly man from 1796 to 1790, as Pennsylvania Senator from 1790 to 1794, and as Congressman from 1794 to 1798. The collection dates from 1741 to 1919 with the bulk of materials dating from 1741 to 1857. The materials in the collection document the history of Chester County and the United States as well as the personal side of the Thomas family.

Held at: Chester County Historical Society [Contact Us]

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Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company records, 1916-1998 (inclusive)

Extent:
26.0 linear feet and 9 boxes 8 volumes 5 oversize drawers 1 drawer
Abstract:
Established in 1916, the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company produced hundreds of ships (primarily tankers and cargo ships) for other companies as well as its own. These included private parties, other oil companies, and, particularly during World War II, the United States Maritime Commission. During World War II, the National Defense Program helped make the Sun shipyard one of the world's biggest producers of oil tankers, with more than 35,000 people working in the shipyard. The yard built more than 250 tankers for the war effort and repaired more than 1,500 ships that were damaged during the conflicts. The company also developed many new building technologies and became known for its use of "All-Welded Construction." The Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company records date from 1916 to 1998 and document the design, construction, and launching of ships built by the organization; the history and promotion of the company; and also the administration of the organization through the...(see more)

Held at: Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library [Contact Us]

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Historical Society of Montgomery County transportation records collection, 1792-1946 (inclusive)

Extent:
11.5 linear feet
Abstract:
The Historical Society of Montgomery County transportation records collection, 1792-1946, consists of miscellaneous records relating to transportation in the vicinity of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The bulk of this collection is records of turnpike companies; there are also records from several bridge companies, the West Philadelphia Railroad Company, and other transportation-related materials. Most of the records are financial--stock transfers, dividend books, ledgers, etc.--but there is also some correspondence and other types of records.

Held at: Historical Society of Montgomery County [Contact Us]

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Bristol History photograph collection, circa 1860-2013

Extent:
7.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Bristol Borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, became an important area due to its location along the Delaware River, a major land route, and subsequent rail line linking Philadelphia and New York City. Incorporated in 1720, it served as the county seat from 1705 to 1726. The Bristol History photograph collection, circa 1860-2013, consists of various photographs, mostly originals with some copies, relating to Bristol (Bucks County, Pennsylvania) and surrounding areas.

Held at: Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library [Contact Us]

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Richard N. Mansley manuscript, drawings, and research materials on Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad, circa 1960-2013

Extent:
3.5 linear feet
Abstract:
The Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad Company, originally incorporated as the Philadelphia and Montgomery County Railroad in 1860, was to provide service between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Jersey City, New Jersey with easy access to New York. After the company failed, the railway was operated by the Reading Company and Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) until SEPTA terminated service in 1983. Richard N. Mansley manuscript, drawings, and research materials on Philadelphia, Newtown and New York Railroad, circa 1960-2013, covers the history of the railway line from its founding until 1984. The collection includes a typewritten manuscript, The Newtown Railroad Reel, as well as the materials Mansley created and compiled during his research. There are also over 200 scale drawings of the stations, shelters, structures, signs and signals of the railroad that Mansley created.

Held at: Newtown Historic Association [Contact Us]

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Harold E. Cox transportation photograph collection, 1915-1950 (bulk) 1901-1950 (inclusive)

Extent:
3.25 linear feet
Abstract:
The Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT), founded in 1902, constructed subway and elevated train lines and managed public transportation in Philadelphia for nearly half of a century. In 1940, the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) was established, absorbing PRT and taking over all of its functions. PTC was purchased by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in 1968. The Harold E. Cox transportation photograph collection, 1901-1950 (bulk 1915-1950), consists of approximately 800 gelatin silver print photographs, about 50 film negatives, and a few PRT and PTC company newsletters, ephemera, and programs from employee events. Depicted in the photographs are Philadelphia street scenes, maintenance and repair work, vehicle interiors and exteriors, and employees from PRT and PTC.

Held at: Philadelphia History Museum [Contact Us]

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The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute manuscript collection, 1762-2003 (inclusive)

Extent:
40.0 linear feet
Abstract:
Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1824, in honor of America's first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin Institute is one of the oldest and most significant science institutes in the nation. Its mission is to inspire a passion for learning about science and technology. The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute manuscript collection, 1762-2003, includes small groups (less than 1 linear foot each) of papers of scientists, inventors, science-oriented groups and organizations, industrial businesses, and others in the scientific community, as well as other science and engineering related materials.

Held at: The Historical and Interpretive Collections of The Franklin Institute [Contact Us]

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