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Wissahickon Valley Historian's Online Exhibit
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The Wissahickon Valley Region's African American History
The area's earliest African Americans appeared during the late 18th and early 19th centuries either as runaway slaves or free blacks. But soon after a growth of blacks from Westmoreland County, Virginia migrated to Penllyn where the black settlement in the Wissahickon Valley Region began.
The Women Who Made Their Marks
Not many people know about the contributions women made to the Wissahickon Valley Region. Not like the women we know from history, these women gained recognition from their own neighbors and community through kindness and respect.
If the Past Meets the Present...
My blog got started with the photoshops I shared on social media with professional historic preservationists in 2019. I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop during my second year in the architecture program at Temple University. Historic preservationists were so impressed with my work that I was motivated to create my own platform to share my work to the public.
The Hub of the Community
Colonial America contained many inns and taverns that played pivotal roles during major events in history. Many of the settlers in the 18th century came from Europe where they adopted the idea of including inns and taverns into the New World. As major roads and railroads were being built, innkeepers found opportunities to create business with incoming visitors coming from the city.
An Asbestos Company that Impacted the Ambler Community
The Keasbey & Mattison Company brought in opportunities for families to work and live in the town that became known as Ambler. So we have to wonder: who were the people involved in the company? Why did they choose Ambler as their ideal location for their company? And how did their company impact the working-class families of Ambler?
Innovation in the Wissahickon Valley: Local Inventors and Their Patents
This exhibit highlights inventors from the Wissahickon Valley region who earned U.S. patents in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It shows how local innovators contributed practical inventions that shaped industry and everyday life.
Old Philadelphians: The Celebrities of the Philly Suburbs
The 1890s was the decade where wealthy families move out of the city of Philadelphia to settle down in a quiet suburb. Once they settled down, they built huge mansions for their families where they would live there for the summer.
Baseball Hall of Fame of the Wissahickon Valley Region
Baseball became a popular sport in America during the 19th and 20th centuries where anyone can enjoy the game: women, children, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and so on. Young men in their hometowns played on local teams before deciding to join the big leagues.
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Every Family Has a Story
After William Penn laid out the colony of Pennsylvania, many families sailed out to the colony to start their new lives in a new place. Some of the earliest families settled in the Wissahickon Valley Region and their descendants began to spread around the US and even around the world!
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How Rice Helped Introduce America to Vietnam
Combining my interest in colonial history in the 18th century, and exploring my cultural heritage as an American-born Vietnamese, I decided to explore Vietnam's history BEFORE the beginning of the 19th century. In this special exhibit, I will explore the history of Vietnam during the 17th and 18th century and connect it to America's history before, during, and after the American Revolution.