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.
Featured
Monday, October 14 at &:00 at the 1895 Schoolhouse
The Highlands Mansion and Gardens
WVHS welcomes Dana Dorsey, Executive Director of the Highlands Garden and Mansion, who will present on the mansion’s history and its current role. Its website describes The Highlands Mansion and Gardens, dating from 1796, as “44-acres with a late 18th-century Georgian mansion and two-acre formal garden. Surrounded by massive stone walls, the gardens offer a beautiful example of early 20th-century estate-gardening with an unusual blend of horticulture and architecture. The site features nine outbuildings, including a bank barn, springhouse, greenhouse, smokehouse and Gothic Revival gardener’s cottage.”
Light refreshments will be served, and volunteers are still needed to bring snacks. (Please email: info@wvalleyhs.org )
Open House at the 1895 School, Sunday, October 20, 1-3 PM
Special exhibits on “The 1960s,” including NASA, POWs, Kennedy newspapers, and more.
Open House at the Franklinville School, Sunday, November 3, 1-3 PM
Special exhibit on the connection between the Grand Tour, Greek Revival Architecture, and the One-Room Schools
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.
Happy October! In this issue of The Valley Crier you will find news about WVHS – and about history in the news:
Read about the 200 year old Gwynedd Hall in the October issue of Stroll Blue Bell
Update on the Ambler Train Station Freight House:
You can find us on the Venmo app at @WissahickonValleyHistorical
“Freight House Chocolate Bars” are available now at the Ambler Movie Theater!
For $10 or more donation, we are offering a chocolate bar made by Lore’s chocolates of Philadelphia as a thank you! Proceeds will benefit the future of the Ambler Train Station’s Freight House.
For questions, please email info@wvalleyhs.org
You can find more news on the Freight House at Ambler Train Station in Committees
Wissahickon Valley Historical Society’s Ambler History Walking Tours
Ambler Storytellers’ –The rich history of Ambler and especially its Butler Avenue properties.
On Saturdays at 3 PM (until approximately 4:30) on the following dates:
- September 21
- October 12
- October 19
- November 2
- November 16
- December 7
Reservations required/Groups of up to 12 guests.
No fees, however a $10 donation to the non-profit Wissahickon Valley Historical Society is suggested.
Your contribution to WVHS can be made at the tour or in advance: https://www.wvalleyhs.org/donate/
Register here for tours: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ambler-downtown-walking-tour-tickets-974142174467
Please click here to see our new video about the history of the Franklinville School, prepared by the Historical Society of Montgomery County to encourage donations to the renovations there. WVHS appreciates the assistance of the HSMC