Monday, May 13th at 7 PM, at the 1895 Schoolhouse: Bernadette Dougherty will present “The Deck Family, 100+ Years of History in Ambler”

Bernadette has been promoting the history of Ambler for decades. She was the Ambler Main Street manager for many years, and you know her as the WVHS member who has worked the hardest to “Save the Freight House,” the 1855 passenger station, now threatened by demolition.

She has had experience with saving precious sites because she is credited with saving the historic Ambler Theatre. For this, Legendary Locals of Ambler calls her “Miss Persistence.”

For our May meeting, Bernadette will present on Ambler’s Deck Family, owners of Deck Hardware, which closed recently after serving the community for over 100 years! She has conducted interviews and looked for new information, so their story can be preserved.

In addition, the meeting will begin with an introduction of Roman Pronczak, Whitpain Township’s manager, who will retire soon. WVHS will offer a short tribute to Roman and the township in recognition for their contributions to WVHS.

During Roman’s administration, the township completed renovations to the 1895 School. Also in attendance will be several township officials: Scott Badami, Chair; Jeff Campolongo, Secretary; Joyce Keller, Treasurer; Sara Selverian, Assistant Secretary

May 11th – 12:30 PM, at Wentz Run Park’s “Harley Field.” Rededication of the Dick Harley monument

May 4th – 3PM – Ambler Historic Walking Tours. Registration required

April 20th – 3PM – Ambler Historic Walking Tours. Registration required.

Sunday, April 20th, 1-3 PM, Spring Outing: WVHS tour of Historic Trappe with Executive Director Lisa Minardi.

Please enjoy a special “WVHS Spring Outing” to Historic Trappe on Saturday, April 20th, starting at 1 PM in Trappe. Please meet at the parking lot next to the Dewees Tavern: 

301 W. Main St. Trappe, PA 19426.

This trip is a follow-up to our speaker, Lisa Minardi, Executive Director of Historic Trappe, who spoke in October about the Muhlenbergs and the three historic sites she oversees. Tickets are $15, and the deadline for reservations is April 1. Take an escorted, small-group tour of three historic properties (including the Speaker’s House, usually closed to the public due to renovations!).  Trappe is a 30-minute drive from our area (301 W Main St., Trappe, PA). WVHS has guaranteed 20 guests, and we still need 9 more.

For tickets– Use cash or check, payable to WVHS, for $15 each; mail to: P.O. Box 96, Ambler, PA  19002. Or, to make payment with a credit card, go online to “Donate” at the WVHS website: https://www.wvalleyhs.org/get-involved/

Historic Trappe’s website describes what it offers: https://historictrappe.org/

Our Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, located in the Dewees Tavern, has five exhibition galleries featuring a wide variety of furniture, fraktur, textiles, and other objects…. The Henry Muhlenberg House is a fully-furnished museum, interpreting the families of Lutheran pastor Henry Muhlenberg and his son, General Peter Muhlenberg. The Speaker’s House, home of Frederick Muhlenberg, [the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives!] is an ongoing restoration project.

Monday, April 8th 

7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Boxwood Farm presented by Bob Harley

Bob Harley, a great story-teller, will speak about his family’s Boxwood Farm (now Wentz Run Park in Blue Bell) and his grandfather, Dick Harley, a professional baseball player. Dick Hartley graduated from Georgetown University in 1896 and went right to the pros. In later years, he was a coach. A plaque and field at Wentz Run Park honors him.

Bob, a retired court reporter, has traced his family roots to Philadelphia in the 1830s and Whitpain to 1868. He will also share his great-great grandfather’s 1853 Naturalization document and his great-grandfather’s 1865 Civil War Discharge, and much more.

April 6th – 3PM – Ambler Historic Walking Tours. Registration required.

Open House Sunday, March 17th

1:00 – 3:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

“History Meets Art” (with Irish snacks).

Featuring Watercolorist Ellie Moniz, famous for her “portraits” of historic sites and more. Ellie will be on hand to discuss her art and answer your questions

Monday, March 11th

7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Fred Conner, Historian at Ambler’s Daniel W. Dowling American Legion Post #769, and Flo (Florence) Wise, Historian/Chaplain of the Post’s Auxiliary will present: “The History of Ambler’s Daniel W. Dowling Legion Post: An Important Community Center.”

Its website https://amblerlegion769.org/ explains that its mission is to mentor young people, sponsor programs, promote patriotism, and support veterans and active-duty members. Conner is also a former chair of the Whitpain Township Board of Supervisors. 

February 12th 2024 – 6:30 PM at the Ambler Library

Dr. Friederike. Baer, Penn State Professor and author of new award-winning book, Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War 

Monday, January 8th, 2024 at 7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Do you own something strange or unusual? Perhaps something odd or historic? Bring it and share what you know!

Please bring an item for SHOW and TELL: WVHS Meeting on Monday, January 8, at 7 PM. The meeting will be a “Show and Tell,” so bring one of your historic or special items to the meeting and be prepared to tell the group about it—just 3-5 minutes.

Prior Show-and-Tell programs were great fun with a chance for guests to learn new things and enjoy each other’s company. Light refreshments and social time will complete the evening

Monday, December 11th at 6:30 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Holiday Party!

For WVHS members and a significant other
• Monday, December 11th
• 6:30 PM (Note the start time)
• POTLUCK, so please bring finger foods or desserts
• BYOB—WVHS will supply beverages and paper goods
• Bring items ready to serve (for example, on a platter)
• Bring the serving utensils you will need
• Available to set-up or clean-up? Let us know: info@wvalleyhs.org
• If you have not paid your 2023-2024 WVHS dues, please pay at the
meeting ($25 per individual or $35 per couple/family).

Wednesday, December 6th – 7pm at the Historical Society of Montgomery County

Monday, November 13th at 7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Megan McNish of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office will present  Understanding the Programs of the Pennsylvania SHPO

PA SHPO is part of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), which is the commonwealth’s official history agency. PA SHPO administers the commonwealth’s historic preservation program as authorized by the Pennsylvania History Code and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. PA SHPO administers a variety of programs, including the National Register of Historic Places, Certified Local Government, and Keystone Grants, which can benefit communities across the commonwealth. Understanding the programs of the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office explains the PA SHPO’s responsibilities, initiatives, and how they can benefit Pennsylvania’s communities.

With an office near WVHS, at Historic Hope Lodge, Megan McNish is the Eastern Region Community Preservation Coordinator for the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). As the Eastern region’s community preservation coordinator, she provides technical assistance to Certified Local Governments and community preservation partners. Prior to joining the SHPO, Megan was a historic preservation planner for the City of Columbia, South Carolina, where she reviewed preservation projects at the local level. A graduate of Gettysburg College, where she received her bachelor’s degree in history, and West Virginia University, where she received her master’s degree in public history, Megan is passionate about helping communities find ways to preserve their historic places.

In November, PA SHPO will be touring Ambler Borough with the Ambler Storytellers, setting boundaries for a new historic district to help define Ambler as a “company town.” This is just one of several steps in the process of gaining recognition. In addition, Megan has also been helpful to WVHS as SEPTA threatens to demolish Ambler train station’s pre-Civil War Freight House.

Sunday, October 29th from 1:00 – 3:00 at the Frankliville School

1701 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422

For the first time since the decline of the pandemic, WVHS’s historic 1858 Franklinville One-room Schoolhouse on Morris Road (west of Route 202 inside Normandy Farms) will be open to the public this coming Sunday, October 29 from 1 to 3PM.

Please join us for an opportunity to go back in time and learn what it was like for 19th century school children to spend an entire day, six days a week attending school to learn—among other things, reading, writing, arithmetic, American history and geography.

You will also see first hand, some of the recent and ongoing renovations that many of you made possible at this historic structure that is on the National Register of Historic Places.

We look forward to seeing you this Sunday!

Monday, October 9th at 7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Lisa Minardi, Pennsylvania German specialist will present Historic Trappe and the Muhlenberg Family of Pennsylvania

Lisa Minardi is the executive director of Historic Trappe, home to several house museums associated with the Muhlenberg family and the new Center for Pennsylvania German Studies, and she is also the executive director of the Lutheran Archives Center at Philadelphia. She worked as a curator at Winterthur Museum for over a decade. Her PhD research involves the German-speaking community in early Philadelphia.

She is the author of many books and articles on Pennsylvania German art and culture, including Pastors & Patriots: The Muhlenberg Family of Pennsylvania and A Colorful Folk: Pennsylvania Germans & the Art of Everyday Life. Her latest book, just published in late September, is Native Son: The Life and Art of David Ellinger, and it serves as the catalog for Historic Trappe’s latest exhibition.

Lisa will present on the Muhlenbergs, described online as “a political, religious, and military dynasty.”

Sunday, September 17th from 1:00 – 3:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Featuring a Private Collection about Woolworth’s Lunch Counter. Past President Frank Russo (with Joan Duxbury’s help) is showing off hundreds of items, including an Ambler Woolworth’s waitress uniform and Woolworth’s dishes and serving ware. He is including some prized dishes used at a South Carolina lunch counter during a 1960 Civil Rights Sit-In! As a fund-raiser, lunch-counter dessert and coffee will be served.
Please enjoy the treat and make a donation.

Monday, September 11th at 7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Russ Bellavance will pesent: Lafayette’s Farewell Tour as The Nation’s Guest

In 1784, the Marquis de Lafayette returned to America as a representative of France. He spent a week at Mount Vernon and then departed from his beloved George Washington, expecting to return again soon. Events intervened, including the French Revolution, and Lafayette did not return again until 1824, when Congress and President Monroe begged the Hero of Two Worlds to make a final farewell tour.

• Bring your favorite picnic dish, and WVHS will supply the plates,
utensils, and beverages.
• The entertainment will include the traditional “Corn Auction.”
• Guests will purchase raffle tickets (10 for $10) and use them to bid on
wrapped items. Be prepared; please bring cash.
• Bring a wrapped “gift” for someone to purchase—It can be a valuable
thing or something to make us all laugh. It’s up to you, but the buyer
will not know.
• If you plan to attend, please send us an email, so we can be ready:
info@wvalleyhs.org

Monday, May 8th at the 1895 Schoolhouse at 7:00

May 6th – Ambler Historic Walking Tours

Monday, April 10th

Mark Ashton will present: Thomas Ustick Walter, from West Chester to Washington

In early 19th century America, the occupation of ‘architect’ was just becoming recognized, and as North America’s wealthiest city, Philadelphia was the place to be when it came to building ‘big’ or with a cutting edge.

Early Philadelphia was home to Benjamin Latrobe, William Strickland, and John Notman, each of whom has left us with a remarkable architectural legacy. But perhaps the pre-eminent architect of antebellum America did almost as much work in suburban West Chester, Pennsylvania, as he did in the city. Then, Thomas Ustick Walter departed for Washington D.C., where he built iconic buildings, including the House and Senate Chambers of the U.S. Capitol, as well as its majestic dome.

Retired attorney and “reformed” pirate-lecturer Mark Ashton recently presented an exhibit of Walter’s work in the U.S. and abroad at the Altman Gallery of Historic Yellow Springs in Chester Springs, PA. He will give us an armchair tour of Walter’s work in our region and abroad, as well as explain the architect’s financially chaotic life in a day when banking and investment were fairly described as “unregulated.”

Tuesday, March 14th – Historical Society of Montgomery County Presents: Introduction to Genealogy

6:00 – 8:00 at HSMC: 1654 DeKalb St.
Norristown, PA 19401

Monday, March 13th at the 1895 Schoolhouse at 7:00

Archeology in Center City Philadelphia

Stephen W. Tull is Vice President of AECOM’s Cultural Resource Management Department.  He will explain the National Historic Preservation Act, which spells out why Archaeologists excavate ahead of United States infrastructure projects. Then he will help us explore over 8000 years of local history that has been discovered as part of the PennDOT I-95 GIR Highway Improvement Project in Philadelphia.

AECOM has managed numerous multi-million-dollar projects throughout the US. Today, Stephen is the project manager for the I-95 dig, uncovering the lost history of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. He and his staff have collected almost 2 million artifacts!  Besides just “the dig”, AECOM oversees a small Center City museum, which displays what his group has found.

https://aecom-burlington.com/

Monday, February 13th at the 1895 Schoolhouse at 7:00

Join us for a “Show and Tell,” at WVHS. Visitors are encouraged to bring a historic or
special item to the meeting and give a 3-5 minute talk on it. Prior Show and Tell programs were great fun with a chance for guests to learn new things and enjoy each other’s company. Light refreshments and social time will complete the evening.

3:00 – Ambler Historic Walking Tours

Ambler Storytellers are hosting walking tours of Ambler on the following Saturdays: December 17th, January 7th and January 21st. The tours will emphasize the importance of preservation and will begin at 3:00. Click here to learn more.

Monday, December 12th

6:30 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Get into the spirit of the holidays at our Holiday Potluck party! Please bring a dish to share (appetizers or desserts) ready to serve. RSVP to info@wvalleyhs.org to let us know you will be attending.

Wednesday, December 7th

6:00 to 8:00 at the Historical Society of Montgomery County, 1654 DeKalb Street
Norristown, PA 19401

Our friends at the Historical Society of Montgomery County are presenting: Reading Your House, Researching Your Home.

Many people entering the doors of our Research Library & Archives are searching for information about their home. When was it built? What did it look like originally? Why does it look the way it does now? What can I do to preserve it? Who built it and who lived in it? This class will offer an introduction to some resources and tools that will help anyone discover a little more about their home. Click on this link to learn more!

https://hsmcpa.org/index.php/events

From our October 2021 Newsletter – Tips on How to Research Your Home

WVHS, Searching a PLOT’s Genealogy, 2021

Monday, November 14th

7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

This month’s speaker is Jeff Marshall, President Emeritus of the Heritage Conservancy in Doylestown. Jeff has worked for over 40 years in historic preservation and land conservation. Earlier this year, he was awarded the F. Otto Haas Award by Preservation Pennsylvania, a statewide historic preservation organization. This award honors outstanding individual or group achievements in the field of historic preservation over an extended period, and is presented to recognize contributions and consistent achievement above the standards of the profession. Jeff serves on the Board of the National Barn Alliance and was a founder and president of the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of PA. An author of six books on land protection and historic preservation, he will present his recent publication, Barnstorming in Eastern Pennsylvania & Beyond, which will cover many examples of historic barns throughout our area.

Saturday, October 15, 22, and 29

3:00 at the Ambler Train Station on Short Race St. (the former Bussinger’s model train store)

WVHS offered Historic Walking Tours of Ambler, sponsored by the Ambler Storytellers. Tours covered the historic buildings in downtown Ambler. You will be surprised what you have overlooked and what you will learn! Tour guides will define what Ambler’s buildings looked like before they were modernized, and the tour will take about 1 ½ hours to complete. (Perhaps plan a dinner afterwards at your favorite Ambler restaurant?) Tours will begin at the Ambler Train Station, near the
former Bussinger model train store. Tours are free, but a donation is requested. 

Monday, October 17th, 2022

7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse

Tom Wiekowski, PhD, Chair of the Cheltenham Historical Commission and Vice-President of the Old York Road Historical Society, will speak on his new book about three generations of the Barkers, influential 19th-Century bankers from Chelten Hills. (Please note the location of this meeting!)

Tom states, “Family luminaries include Jacob, largest ship owner in the United States at the beginning of the 19th century and the financier of the War of 1812; Abraham, president of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, cofounder of the Union League, and an ardent Abolitionist; Anna, a central figure in the Transcendentalist movement and wife of the co-founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Wharton, US presidential candidate and international banker honored with knighthood by Czar Alexander in 1879 for constructing four warships at the Cramp shipyard in Philadelphia for the
Russian navy. Abraham was a founder of Camp William Penn and Wharton
served as an officer at the camp during his summer vacation from the
University of Pennsylvania in 1863.”

On October 15th The Wissahickon Valley Historical Society hosted a luncheon at the William Penn Inn to honor Russ Bellavance for his decades long contribution as WVHS president and as a Leader to preserve local history. 

All proceeds went to fund air conditioning at the 1895 Whitpain Public School, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.