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Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm

Delaware County Historical Society

Name: Delaware County Historical Society
Address: 9 West Front Street, Media, PA, 19063, US
Telephone: +16103590832
Price range: Not applicable

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Delaware County Historical Society

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DCHS serves the community by providing accessible humanities and local history.

The mission of DCHS is to collect, protect, and preserve the history and culture of Delaware County, PA, making it accessible to all through strong educational outreach. The Delaware County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that was started in 1895 to serve the local community and educate children, adults, and seniors about the rich history of Delaware County.

10/20/2026

Thanks so much again to the The Philadelphia Orchestra for their fantastic performance yesterday at the newly renovated 1724 Chester Courthouse. Thanks also to America250PADelco Visit Delco, PA and City of Chester, PA Government for organizing the event. The renovation of the courthouse looks fantastic, and we are excited to see more programming and events there soon. Delco Historical Society will have an upcoming lecture program in November, with details to be announced soon!

10/19/2026

This afternoon, Delco Historical Society will be in attendance for a performance from The Philadelphia Orchestra inside the 1724 Chester Courthouse. Big thanks to America250PADelco for organizing this event, and we are thrilled to see the new and improved 1724 Chester Courthouse, now in its 302nd year of service! Delco Historical Society is also pleased to announce that we will be working with Delaware County Parks and Rec. to bring an exhibit and lecture this coming November, details to follow soon!

From the Archives:
A wonderful portrait of the 1724 Chester Courthouse, no known creator attributed to the piece. The Photo: Dated June 2nd, 1932, the picture was donated by a Mrs. Hustler who claimed the photo was about fifty years old (so circa 1880's!) Pictured according to donor: Wm. Mingin (the boy) Walter Mingin, Lou Meeth and Richard Hustler.

Built in 1724, the Chester Courthouse is the oldest continuously used public building in the United States. The building is designed in a German colonial style, with a Quaker influence through the two front doors (one for men, one for women). The building was renovated in the 1920’s and again in the 1970’s. The halls of this building have hosted historic figures such as John Morton, Thomas McKean, Marquis de Lafayette, John M. Broomall, Dr. Anna Broomall and more. The building served as the headquarters of the Delaware County Historical Society from 1923 to 1966.

On October 5th, 1824, the building hosted a tribute dinner to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette during his Grand Tour of the United States. The dinner was held on the second floor of the 1724 Chester Courthouse, where it was reported that nearly a hundred guests attended the dinner. The Marquis de Lafayette arrived in Chester late in the evening by boat on the Delaware River. The Marquis arrived so late that the celebratory dinner began at 1 AM and ran well into the early morning hours. It is reported that the Marquis de Lafayette was treated for his wounds inflicted at the Battle of Brandywine here in the aftermath of the Continental retreat on September 11, 1777.

Today the building serves as a public venue and is being renovated to be open to the public as a museum with displays.

Support Delco Historical Society today to help us continue to promote and protect Delco history and more: https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday

10/16/2026

This wonderful poster from our collection dates from 87 years ago, when Delaware County celebrated their 150th birthday in 1939. The celebration was organized by the Delco Historical Society under Mr. Chester Baker and a committee of volunteers, who helped organize a grand spectacle hosted at Media High School. The John B. Rodgers Production company presented a four-day event, that included over 600 individual actors, performing a dramatic retelling of Delaware County history from 1789 to 1939. The cost of admission was 50 cents for adults, and 25 cents for children. The event culminated in a large parade that wrapped around the borough and drew large crowds on all four nights. The John B. Rodgers Production company would travel the country organizing large pageant and celebrations for local communities. Note the plane and trains in contrast with the Conestoga Wagon, as industrialization in Delco was booming in the late 1930's before the Second World War.

As we close out this year of celebration for the 250th, consider supporting Delco Historical Society today, to continue promoting and protecting Delco history! Make a donation here:
https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday

10/15/2026

As it is the season for picking apples and pumpkins, we thought we would share this wonderful diploma from the Delaware County Society for the Promotion of Agriculture, Horticulture, Manufactures, and "the Mechanic and Household Arts" or simply known as DCSPAHMHA. This diploma dates from 1857 and was awarded to Daniel Thompson for signs painted on Glass. Thompson was born in Chester in 1818 and was awarded this at an exhibit of works in Chester. The diploma is still very vibrant with color, showing an abundance of bounty and industry, as was a common theme in 19th century promotional material for the agricultural workforce.

Support Delco Historical Society today to help us continue to promote and protect Delco history, and to make it available to all!
https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday

10/14/2026

Tonight we continue our award-winning lecture series, History Under the Stars with the return of Robyn Young, and her presentation on PHMC Historical Markers, her efforts in getting them placed, and how communities can work together to commemorate historic sites.

Join us tonight (Wed. Oct. 14) at 9 W. Front Street in Media, at 6:30 pm. Free and open to the public. Limited seating available, feel free to bring your own chair, BYOB.
Parking is available on either Front or Jackson Streets.

Delco is arguably one of the most historic areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the number of blue markers that dot the county are a good indicator. So many sites in Delco have a blue PHMC marker, from the 1724 Chester Courthouse to the Eddystone R***e Plant, from Ethel Waters to F***y Jackson Coppin, and the Leiper Railway to the Lazzaretto, the list goes on and on. Today, there are a total of 71 PHMC markers in Delco! The very first marker to be placed in Delco was for the John Chad’s House, built circa 1725, in Chadd's Ford. The marker was placed by the Pennsylvania Historic Commission (which today is known as PHMC) on Sept. 1, 1915. The marker was also co-sponsored by both the Chester and Delaware County Historical Societies.

The inscription states:
Proctor’s American Artillery occupied several redoubts near this house at the Battle of Brandywine, September 11, 1777.

Join us tonight to learn more about PHMC blue markers and the surprising everyday history of Delaware County!

Programming like this is made possible with the help and support of our friends and neighbors. Consider making a donation to Delco Historical Society today!
https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday

10/13/2026

The mission of Delaware County Historical Society is to collect, protect, and preserve the history and culture of Delaware County, and to make it accessible to all through strong public programming. The support you provide helps Delco Historical Society to continue our mission and to provide the community with resources on local history. This past year, Delco Historical Society has accomplished the following with community support:

-Digitized nearly 1,000 photos, new indexes such as our deeds and photo collections, and processed over 50 boxes of materials all to be preserved and accessible to the public!

-Successfully assisted with over 250 research requests for academics, businesses, professionals, and everyday Delco folks!

-Accessioned new artifacts of Delco history such as the Media Chapter NAACP Collection, a portrait of John Price Crozer by Thomas Sully, and pieces relating to the Dutton Family of Leiperville.

-Hosted over 20 events, and participated in a dozen more, all with local non-profit partners and Delco businesses, such as the Delco Historical Conference, the Delco Summer Social, our lecture series History Under the Stars, our 131st birthday celebration, and of course our attempt to host the Delco Downhill Derby!

All of this wonderful work is thanks to our friends and volunteers who support our mission to provide accessible humanities right here in Delco, and to make the collection accessible and reflective to all in the community. Our work is only possible with the help of friends and neighbors like you, so please donate to Delco Historical Society today, to help us continue our mission for the next generation of Delco stewards!

Click here today to help support Delco Historical Society and our mission:
https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday-

10/12/2026

In honor of Indigenous People's Day, Delco Historical Society wanted to share some additional resources we accessioned this past year about Native American history in Pennsylvania. The stone tools are from two different archeological digs that took place in Broomall and Aston, respectively. Stop by our library and archive in Media to learn more about the Lenni Lenape who were the Indigenous People of present-day Delaware County, PA.

Specifically local to present-day Delaware County was the Okehocking Tribe (also known as Ockanickon) who were a small band of Unami language-speaking Lenape people, who lived along the Ridley and Crum Creeks, or what is today known as Ridley Creek State Park. The Okehocking were known as Unami or "people down the river" by other local Lenape communities.

The Lenape were known as the "original people" among the Algonquian speaking community, believing that the Algonquian speaking people descended from the Lenape. The Lenape nation, Lenapehoking, extended as far north as the Hudson River Valley in present-day New York, and as far south as present-day Cape Henlopen in southern Delaware. By the late 17th century, increased European colonization drove the native Lenape people further west, creating tensions between the Lenape and European colonizers. In 1718, William Penn’s sons, John and Thomas Penn, dispossessed an area of present-day Rhode Island from the Lenape during the Walking Purchase of 1737.

Today in the Philadelphia area, many places still retain the names from the Lenni Lenape such as "Pahsayunk" (meaning "In the Valley"), once the site of the largest Lenape village in the area and a trail, still used by millions. "Arronemink" (meaning "place where the fish cease") was the name of the area between Woodlands Cemetery and "Kingsessing" (meaning "a place where the is a meadow") which extended to Cobbs Creek.

The present-day area of Tinicum got its name from the Lenape term, "mahtanikunk", meaning "Where they catch up with each other". Swedish colonist used the term Tinicum as shorthand to refer to the Lenape area. The Muckinipattis Creek derives its name from the Lenape meaning "deep running water".

To learn more about the Lenni Lenape, check out the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania at their website: https://www.lenape-nation.org/

10/07/2026

Please join us tonight (Wednesday, October 7) for the return of History Under the Stars, featuring Dr. Theresa Napson-Williams Professor of History at Montgomery County Community College with her presentation, "African Americans and the fight for a 'more perfect Union': A Brief Historical Overview"

History Under the Stars, Wednesday October 7
Begins at 6:30 pm at 9 W. Front Street, Media.
Will be held outdoors, dress warmly! BYOB
There will be limited seating, please feel free to bring your own chair.
Parking is available on Front or Jackson Streets.

Thanks to our program sponsors:
Visit Delco, PA
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Burman Family Charitable Fund-In Honor of Harvey Burman

Support Delco Historical Society today with a donation to help us provide free and accessible programming to the public. Your support will help Delco Historical Society continue to protect and collect the history of Delaware County and make it accessible to all!
https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday

10/05/2026

The weather may have gotten us down for the Delco Downhill Derby, but we still had a wonderful 131st birthday weekend! Delco Historical Society celebrated 131 years of historical stewardship and educational outreach. Thanks to our friends and supporters, we were able to have a weekend full of programming that still brought the community of Delco together. Here’s some highlights from the 131st birthday and the Delco Downhill Derby. We are bringing it back again next year!

Special thanks to our program partners and sponsors:
Visit Delco, PA
Visit Media PA
National Endowment for the Humanities
America250PADelco
Delaware County Institute of Science
Wawa
Sun East Foundation
Mr. Andy Saul
The Burman Family Charitable Fund-In Memory of Harvey Burman
The Moore Family

Consider making a donation to Delco Historical Society today! Support from our friends, neighbors and community, helps us provide free programming for the public, and free resources for local historical research. Make a donation today and become supporter for the stewardship of Delco history! Click here to support: https://www.padelcohistory.org/donatetoday

Address

9 West Front Street
Media, PA
19063

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+16103590832

Website

http://www.Padelcohistory.org/

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