April Frantz, Author at Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine

Germantown Jewish Centre

Posted by April Frantz on Dec 15, 2022 in | Comments Off Rising dramatically above curving Lincoln Drive in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia is the Germantown Jewish Centre. Part synagogue, part school, the stone building is entirely striking. The synagogue section facing Lincoln Drive suggests a mountainside breaking open to reveal a limestone tablet bearing the Ten Commandments. The opposite end features a smooth black granite wall within...
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Lincoln University

Posted by April Frantz on Nov 29, 2021 in | Comments Off Pennsylvania has the distinction of hosting the nation’s first two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Cheyney and Lincoln universities. Both schools were established to provide people of African descent with higher education opportunities that were profoundly lacking in the 19th century. Cheyney, founded in 1837, initially provided training in trades and agriculture and the...
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Fort Dewart on the Forbes Road

Posted by April Frantz on Feb 5, 2021 in | Comments Off Fort Dewart, which straddles the border of Bedford and Somerset counties in southern Pennsylvania, was a British military redoubt built in August 1758 during the French and Indian War, the North American conflict in the global Seven Years’ War (1756–63) between Great Britain and France. The small fortification was part of a chain of defensive forts and supply stops built by the troops of Gen....
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Mothers’ Memorial, Ashland

Posted by April Frantz on Oct 9, 2020 in | Comments Off In the late 1800s Ashland and the surrounding area began experiencing a long and steady decline in employment, resulting in the departure of many men in search of jobs elsewhere. In 1901 a small group of remaining and former residents hit upon the idea of hosting an annual reunion where they could reconnect with old friends, the boys of their childhood. This group evolved into the Ashland Boys...
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The Frankford Avenue Bridge over Pennypack Creek

Posted by April Frantz on Mar 13, 2020 in | Comments Off In 1830 a Philadelphia journal dedicated to literature and the arts included a lithograph by William Breton (c.1773–1855) featuring the Pennypack Creek Bridge, also known today as the Frankford Avenue Bridge. Breton was based in Philadelphia and focused his work on local landmarks and bucolic settings. The bridge satisfied both inclinations. As described in the journal, it was already recognized...
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The Delaware Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company

Posted by April Frantz on Nov 12, 2019 in | Comments Off The monumental Delaware Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company is situated on the edge of the Delaware River in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood. Completed in 1923, it was for decades a major provider of electricity to the city’s industries and homes, but today plans are underway to rehabilitate it for new uses. The Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) was founded in 1899 and...
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Washington Memorial Chapel

Posted by April Frantz on Aug 22, 2017 in | 0 comments In December 1777, in the midst of the American Revolution, Gen. George Washington directed the Continental Army to set up a winter encampment in an area known as Valley Forge, less than 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, the U.S. capital that had been captured by British troops in the Philadelphia Campaign. Approximately 12,000 troops endured the winter at Valley Forge, training and drilling...
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Coatesville Veterans Hospital

Posted by April Frantz on Dec 13, 2016 in | Comments Off More than 4.5 million men and women served in the various branches of the United States military during World War I. It was the first fully mechanized war, with soldiers exposed to mustard gas and other chemicals. The large number of veterans and the hazards of service resulted in a need for the U.S. government to provide specialized medical care on a scale not seen since the Civil War. Within...
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Gosztonyi Savings and Trust

Posted by April Frantz on Apr 19, 2016 in | Comments Off The Gosztonyi Savings and Trust represents the Eastern European immigrant community’s financial investment in America and the singular vision of a woman determined to continue and expand her husband’s legacy. The bank building at 530 East 3rd Street, Bethlehem, Northampton County, was constructed around 1922, well into the evolution of the Gosztonyi family’s successful...
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Henry F. Ortlieb Company Bottling House

Posted by April Frantz on Jun 19, 2015 in | Comments Off The Henry F. Ortlieb Company was once one of the largest beer brewers in Philadelphia. Founded by the Ortlieb family in 1869, the brewery grew considerably in the early 20th century as their market expanded. In 1948 the company’s final major building – the Bottling House – was completed to incorporate state-of-the-art bottling technology into the facility. Although most of the...
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