The Historical Society of Tacony

09/16/2026

On Saturday, October 10th at 1:00 PM, the Twelfth Dedication Ceremony will take place at the Christa Lewis Memorial Arboretum. The event will feature guest speakers, unveilings of new memorials and vocal accompaniment from Saint Hubert HIgh School Chorus. The event will be held near the entrance Disston Park at Keystone and Disston Streets, and will proceed north in the park for the final two unveilings. This will be the twelfth such ceremony in nearly 30 years of existence. Rain date is October 17th.

Back on May 3, 1996, a tragic event took place which had a profound impact on the Tacony neighborhood. Christa Leah Lewis, a gifted 16-year old Saint Hubert HIgh School student, was fatally stabbed in a senseless incident at a community carnival in Russo Park at Torresdale and Cottman Avenues.

The Historical Society of Tacony had started a project in 1994 to have been known as the "Memorial Arboretum at Disston Park" as a way to enhance the greenspace and allow the public to adopt trees and install memorial stones as a tribute to loved ones past or present. Located in Disston Park, across the street from where Christa's family lived, the first phase of the project was nearly mapped out by May of 1996. Understanding what effect this loss of life had on Tacony. and knowing the source of pride Christa was to her family, friends and school, inspired the Society to change the name of this new place to the Christa Lewis Memorial Arboretum.

An Adopt-a-Park Agreement was executed with the City and on October 3rd, 1997, the first series of memoral stones were dedicated. At this event, District Attorney Lynne Abraham summed up the solemn day with the statement, "We honor our children best when we honor them in their lifetime." All are invited to attend. Memorialized at the ceremony will be, among others, long-time Society board members Anna M. Keck, Chalie McCloskey and Bill and Anna Marie Pulaski.

Seen here is an old postcard depicting where the Arboretum is today, featuring the original building at Tacony Train Station.

08/11/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY...On August 14th, 1929, a torrential rainstorm did not stop the official opening of the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge. This single-arched steel and stone structure spanned some 4,800 feet across the Delaware River and replaced the outmoded ferry service. Along with the Roosevelt Boulevard extension and the construction of the Market-Frankford elevated line, this development made Northeast Philadelphia ripe for new rowhomes with access from all points. The gala ceremony featured a parade which was attended by the Mayor and various dignitaries including engineer Ralph Modjeski. In its first year of operation, some 1.251,818 vehicles crossed the bridge. Here is a glimpse of the opening ceremony for the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge.

07/15/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY...Monday, July 22nd, 1918 was a day of jubilation for thousands of workers at the Disston Saw Works. There was a spontaneous outburst of positive energy led by company President William D. Disston on account of the "great showing the American boys have made in the fight" of World War I. Employees gathered in the factory yard and formed a long parade which eventually came into the residential part of the neighborhood. The factory band played while many flags were displayed including those of the Allies and a 20' x 30' flag of the Saw Works. The parade weaved through the company grounds, then to the town Service Flag with the band playing "The Star Spangled Banner." This was one of many demonstrations of support throughout the country at the time showing American pride. A reporter for the Disston Bits magazine wrote, "Hard of heart, indeed, must be he who was not stirred and thrilled by the occasion." Seen above is the memorable parade as it makes its way to Keystone Street from the factory.

06/11/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY...On June 16, 1941, an incredible display of pride and patriotism was witnessed at the Disston Saw Works for the dedication of Disston's new Armor Plate building at Milnor Street and Princeton Avenue. The company was to lease the building from the federal government as part of the massive World War II campaign. On display was machinery made from Disston's armor plating including an M3 medium 30-ton tank from Baldwin Locomotive, an M-2 half-track car from the Autocar company in Ardmore and a 37 mm A.A. gun from the York Safe and Lock Company. Pictures of Disston workers waving American flags at this event appeared in the July 7th issue of Life magazine as well as newsapers around the world. One of these images is depicted above. This became a classic wartime image, as a picture of the flag-waving employees was placed inside the outline of a map of the United States when published. These images were proof that Americans supported a new war and was preparing to help England and France.

05/25/2026

You are invited to attend the semi-annual meeting of the Historical Society of Tacony and consider supporting the efforts of preserving the neighborhood's rich history by becoming a member for $10.00 per year. The meeting will be held on Monday, June 1st at Holy Innocents - Saint Paul's Episcopal church at 7001 Torresdale Avenue at 6;30 P,M. Updates will be provided for ongoing projects including the historic house plaque program and the Christa Lewis Memorial Arboretum. The special guest speaker will be Alice Dupuy of The Ladies of History, who will draw you back to the 18th century in character as Betsy Ross. Flagmaker, seamstress, upholsterer, wife, mother and Quaker, she helped the new nation define itself through flags and colors. Seen above is the municipal Honor Guard proudly displaying the flag at the 2012 Tacony History Day Parade. Come to the meeting and learn all about the flag, Betsy, her husbands (plural), her contributions to American independence and her connections to America's Founding Fathers. Light refreshments after the meeting.

05/10/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY...On May 3, 1996. a tragic event took place which had a profound impact on the Tacony neighborhood. Christa Leah Lewis, a gifted 16-year old Saint Hubert's student, was stabbed to death in a senseless incident at a community carnival in Russo Park at Torresdale and Cottman Avenues. This was a sure sign that it wasn't the same Tacony which previous generations enjoyed. A couple park improvement projects created in Christa's honor helped turn a horrible event into lasting tributes. Not long after the incident, a mural of Christa and new tot lot were dedicated in Christa's memory in Russo Park across from Saint Hubert High School.
The Historical Society of Tacony started a project in 1994 to be known as the "Memorial Arboretum at Disston Park" as a way to enhance the greenspace and allow the public to adopt trees and install memorial stones as a tribute to loved ones past or present. Located in Disston Park between Disston Street and Princeton Avenue, across the street from where Christa's family lived, the first phase of the project was nearly mapped out by May of 1996. Understanding what effect this loss of life had on Tacony. and knowing the source of pride Christa was to her family, friends and school, inspired the Society to change the name of this new place to the Christa Lewis Memorial Arboretum. An Adopt-a-Park Agreement was executed with the City and on October 3rd, 1997, the first series of memoral stones were dedicated. Seen above is the first stone dedicated in Christa's memory at the inaugural ceremony. At this event, District Attorney Lynne Abrahem summed up the solemn day with the statement, "We honor our children best when we honor them in their lifetime." Nearly thirty years later, 32 memorial stones are in the Arboretum, with another dedication ceremony being planned for the fall

04/14/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY...the Home and School Association of Hamilton Disston Elementary School, once the largest such group in the United States, had a very active "Plays and Players" acting troupe. This image from the auditorium shows a glimpse of the curtain call for a production of "Time In," a comedy in two acts about a fictional television station known as WTNT. The performances were held on April 28th and 29th, 1955 and starred, among others, Helen Soehle, Al Nicol and Al Gorman.

04/08/2026

Looking forward to another great day full of local history! Don't miss the Northeast Philadelphia HIstory Fair this Saturday!

The Northeast Philadelphia History Fair is this Saturday, April 11th from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Canstatter's, 9130 Academy Rd, Phila, PA, 19114.

Dozens of historical organizations and historic sites will have displays and there will be a film presentation by Sam Katz and a presentation on Northeast Philadelphia and the Declaration of Independence by Jack McCarthy.

The event is free and open to all, with plenty of free parking available.

Hope to see you there!

03/12/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY....it was March 27th, 1911, when a fierce and devastating hurricane tore through Tacony and surrounding areas, inflicting severe damage to many buildings and trees, even taking the life of a Tacony man. Longtime residents of the area talked about the storm for years after the event, and photographs of the destruction were used in print advertisements for insurance companies. Seen here in the southeast corner of Tacony, is a strip of homes called "Gillinder's Row,"named for its proximity to the Gillinder Glass Works. This postcard view shows the easterly side of State Road, south of Levick Street, looking in a southerly direction. At the time, the Glass Works employed about 225 people at the Tacony plant, and was known worldwide for the quality and craftsmanship of its glass products.

02/18/2026

THIS MONTH IN TACONY HISTORY...On February 14th, 1919, a mass meeting of the citizens of Tacony was held by the Tacony Community Service Association at Henry Disston Memorial Public School, seen here, which was located directly across from Mary Disston Public School along Longshore Avenue between Ditman and Glenloch Streets. The purpose of the meeting was to ascertain whether or not the citizens desired a community center. The Association's Committee on Invitation and Publicity did such a thorough job that nearly 1,000 residents, including children, were in attendance. Serving on that committee were civic leaders H***n Rubin and Albert Uhl. At the meeting, F.B. Barnes, of the Federal Commission on Living Conditions, presented a slide show on the work of community centers in other cities. There was not a dissenting vote in the audience, and William D. Disston was swiftly elected chairman. In just over a decade, the community would see the Disston Recreation Center built on the school's opposite corner at Glenloch Street and Longshore Avenue. The Henry Disston School was demolished after the construction of Hamilton Disston School in 1923. The site remained vacant for a time until the rowhomes were built which exist today. The only remnant of the school that remains to this day is its rear section of wrought iron fencing that extends from Glenloch Street to Ditman Street along the rear of the rowhome lots