Headquartered in the Whitpain 1895 Public School, the Wissahickon Valley Historical Society serves to educate the public about the heritage and history of the people, institutions and events that have influenced and shaped the communities of the Wissahickon School District which encompasses Whitpain Township, Lower Gwynedd Township and the Borough of Ambler.
Founded in 1975 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the Wissahickon Valley Historical Society’s purpose is to preserve the local historical buildings, artifacts and folklore of the historic Wissahickon Valley.
The Franklinville School c.1858 is a white stucco one-room schoolhouse on an acre of ground, located at 1701 Morris Road, Blue Bell, between Normandy Farms Estates and the Windermere Community. It is the only one-room schoolhouse open to the public in Whitpain Township.
The two-story schoolhouse has a Library containing deeds, wills, photos, books, maps and genealogies, a 19th Century School Room and a Museum of local artifacts, focusing on items, pictures and records from the early farms and our industrial past.
Featured
Monday, May 12 at 7:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse
The Philadelphia Lazaretto Quarantine Station presented by Anthony (Tony) Selletti
The Lazaretto Quarantine Station, located in Tinicum Township, appears on the National Register of Historic Places. It was Philadelphia’s Ellis Island, where ships and passengers were “checked” before they were permitted to enter the city. Built in 1793 during a Yellow Fever epidemic, it served Philadelphia for 94 years. Ships believed to be “contaminated” were cleaned and held, sometimes for weeks, but thousands of lives were saved. Refreshments will be available for the meeting.
Anthony Selletti and his wife, Barbara, have been involved with historic preservation and living history in the tri-state area for over 50 years. As a member of the board of directors of Saving Hallowed Ground, he created the award-winning Follow the Flag program. Selletti is a digital creator, film maker, and has worked in front of the camera in multiple productions. He authored Fort Mifflin: A Paranormal History, and he and Barbara are anticipating the publication of a history of the Lazaretto.
Campaign to Preserve the Franklinville School!
Donations are needed for the Franklinville School. In the past two years, WVHS has replaced the electrical panel, added drainage from the crawl space, replaced the front porch floor, repaired the porch roof, and replaced the roof. WVHS has done its best to find and use grant funding. However, water is still causing damage to the Franklinville School’s walls. We need to repair broken windowsills and paint and seal the outside walls.
Please consider a generous gift to WVHS, marked for the Franklinville School. You can make your check payable to “WVHS” and mail to: WVHS, P.O. Box 96, Ambler, PA 19002.
You can also donate using Venmo or PayPal at: https://www.wvalleyhs.org/donate/
Thank you!
Ambler Storytellers Walking Tours are Back!
WVHS and its Ambler Storytellers have announced the dates for the spring tours of the Ambler Business District: April 5, April 19, May 3, May 17, June 7, and June 21. All tours (Saturdays) begin at the train station at 3 PM.
To avoid no-shows, a $15 registration is required, and all proceeds will be used for the preservation of the Ambler Freight House. (Work there has halted temporarily so SEPTA can remediate for asbestos.) Tours in groups of twelve take about an hour and learn more about the history and architecture of a “must-see” small town. Guests are sure to have fun and learn much! Click here to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ambler-downtown-walking-tour-spring-2025-tickets-1230870559979?aff=oddtdtcreator
The Storytellers meet on most Wednesdays at the Ambler Library at 6 PM. In addition to planning the tours, they are working on ways to preserve the history of Ambler, including a National Register of Historic Places nomination. WVHS members and history lovers are welcome! For details, please send an email to amblerstorytellers@gmail.com.
At the WVHS meeting on May 12, members will vote on several small changes to the Bylaws- clarification of wording. The Bylaws state that any proposed changes have to be sent to members 30 days in advance. Click on our Committees page to read the proposed changes.
In the May issue of The Valley Crier you will find news about WVHS – and about history in the news:
Read about Whitpain’s oldest tree in the April issue of Stroll Blue Bell