Mailbox

For continuing research, as well as a forthcoming article in Pennsylvania Heritage, on Philadelphia’s historic Fairmount Water Works, information and ephemera relating to the Fairmount Park Aquarium are being collected. The attraction, one of the first aquariums in the United States, opened to the public in 1911 in the engine house, began deteriorating after World War II, and finally dosed in 1962. Especially sought are posters, tickets, souvenirs and, especially, photographs and home movies. Information regarding the Fairmount Park Aquarium is being compiled by: Ed Gruskeski, Director, Water Works Interpretive Center, Philadelphia Water Department, ARA Tower, 1101 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19107; telephone (215) 592-4908.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is currently restoring parlor car number 1522 of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. The car was built by the Pullman Company in 1927, and rebuilt by the Lehigh Valley Railroad’s Sayre Shops in 1954. To accurately restore the car, the staff of the museum is seeking information from individuals who worked on it in 1954, or those passengers who remember riding aboard it. Especially helpful would be photographs or home movies. Located in Strasburg, Lancaster County, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). Individuals and institutions able to share information are encouraged to write: Allan Martin, Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, P. O. Box 15, Strasburg, PA 17579; or telephone (717) 687-8628.

For his fifth and final volume tracing the history of Indiana County, an author is compiling a gazetteer of local place names. He is seeking historical background on several dozen distinc­tively named areas, including Abnerville, Angora, Ben Avon, Cameytown, Conpitt Junction, Hangtown, Maderia Hill Station, Meco, Oklahoma, Penn Mary, Perry’s Camp, Pompey Run, Rexis, Shanktown, Wallopsburg, and Yankeetown. Information may be shared with: Clarence Stephenson, P. O. Box 236, Marion Center, PA 15759-0236; telephone (412) 397-8809.

Fireman’s Hall, the National Fire House and Museum of Philadelphia, is seeking artifacts, including uniforms and equip­ment, and photographs, documents, and ephemera pertaining to the history of fire fighting in the city. Fireman’s Hall, which traces its history to the Union Fire Company, Philadelphia’s first organized volunteer fire company founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1736, houses extensive collections of fire fighting memorabilia, including fire marks, early hand pumpers, steam-powered rolling stock, and images. Administered for the City of Philadel­phia by the Philadelphia Fire Department, Firemen’s Hall is supported by the Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation. Individuals and Institutions should direct corre­spondence to: Harry J. Walsh, President, Philadelphia Fire Department Historical Corporation, Firemen’s Hall, Second and Quarry Sts., Philadelphia, PA 19106; or telephone (215) 923-1438.

The life and work of artist Arthur Rosskam Abrams are currently the subject of research. A painter and teacher, Abrams was born in Philadelphia on February 21, 1909. He studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and the Pennsyl­vania Museum School of Industrial Art, Philadelphia, and at the Academie Julian in Paris. His works were known to have been exhibited at the State Department in Harrisburg, the Allentown Art Museum, and the Reading Public Museum of Art. He was a member of the DaVinci Alliance, Philadelphia, and the Elmira (New York) Art Club. He is known to have last resided in Elmira. Information regarding the artist and his career is sought by: Michael J. O’Malley III, Editor, Pennsylvania Heritage, P. O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; telephone (717) 787-7522.