East Falls Historical Society

04/20/2026

REMINDER: The second installment of our three-part series, "East Falls and Our River," takes place this Wednesday, April 22, at 7 p.m. over Zoom. The talks cover a variety of topics and photos—long-gone inns and hotels; steamboats; Gustine Lake; The Falls Bridge from 1895 and still there.
The Zoom link is drexel.zoom.us/my/peitzman.

04/13/2026

The 50th Year Anniversary Edition of "East Falls: 300 Years of History" -- known around here as The Blue Book -- is now available to order through our website at https://www.eastfallshistoricalsociety.org/blue-book/. This is your chance to revisit this collector's item. We've even added an introduction and a detailed index to make this even more valuable. Supplies are limited!

Please allow up to three weeks for delivery -- ordering is quick, but getting the books into the mail isn't!

04/08/2026

REMINDER: The first of our Philadelphia History Month events takes place tonight (Wednesday) at 7 p.m., at the Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd on The Oak Road. Clare McCabe, an EFHS board member and a graduate student in history at Temple, will talk about the early days of development in and along the Schuylkill River, include canal builders such as Josiah White.

And tonight we'll be unveiling the newly reprinted, 50th anniversary edition of the "Bue Book." Copies will be available for sale for $20 each (cash, check, or Venmo) before and after Clare's talk.

04/01/2026

April is History Month in Philadelphia, and to celebrate, East Falls Historical Society will host three events under the umbrella title "East Falls and Our River." (Well, one is in May, but why not extend the celebration?)

The first, called "Our Early History" takes place on Wednesday, April 8, at the Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd. The second, "A Potpourri of River Scenes," takes place on Wednesday, April 22, via Zoom. And the third, "The Schuylkill Navy and the Rowing Champions of East Falls," will take place on Wednesday, May 13, at Castle Ringstetten, the upstream home of Undine Barge Club.

Further details about these events can be found on our website: https://www.eastfallshistoricalsociety.org/events/

02/25/2026

In case your brain shorted out after you saw yet more snow this morning, here's a reminder: Tonight at 7 p.m., East Falls Historical Society will present our winter Zoom talk. Greg Prichard, historical preservation planner for Lower Merion Township, will talk about the planning firm Wendell & Smith, who had a hand in the layout of "Queen Lane Manor," the part of East Falls above Henry Avenue. Their other masterpieces include the Overbook Farms and Pelham neighborhoods in the city, as well as much of suburban Wayne.
We've posted the Zoom link on our homepage -- www.eastfallshistoricalsociety.org. Just open the page and click on the link.

02/18/2026

COMING UP NEXT WEEK: On Wednesday, February 25, at 7 p.m., our annual Winter Zoom lecture will welcome architectural historian Gerg Prichard, who will speak on "Wendell & Smith: Pioneering Planners of Suburban Philadelphia." This firm had a hand in planning Queen Lane Manor -- the part of East Falls above Henry Avenue -- as well as the Overbook Park and Pelham neighborhoods of Philadelphia. If you're a member of EFHS, you'll receive the Zoom link via email a day before the session. If you're not a member (and you know who you are!), you'll find the link on our website starting the day before the event.

We hope you'll join us!

11/19/2025

Very regrettable, both for the architectural quality of the structure and for the historic stature of the architect. East Falls Historical Society submitted a last-minute request to place this house on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, but our application was denied.

Kimberly Haas has this report from the November 2025 meeting of the Philadelphia Historical Commission

11/13/2025

It's a day after the 96th birth anniversary of Grace Kelly, whose life went from child in East Falls to Academy Award-winning actress in Hollywood to Princess of Monaco until her tragic death in 1982. But it's never too late to remember her.

East Falls Historical Society commemorated her birth date last Saturday, with tours of the Kelly family house on Henry Avenue conducted by Grace's niece, John B. (JB) Kelly III. JB talked not just about the house but also about its inhabitants, the illustrious Kelly family. In the photo to the left, JB holds one of the two first-place cups won by his father, John B. Kelly, Jr. at the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta.

10/18/2025

Perfect weather and great vibes at East Falls Fest on Saturday. We met a lot of nice folks who really want to know more about this community. Thanks to everyone who stopped to say hi.

10/02/2025

ANNOUNCING A WALKING TOUR OF THE JEFFERSON RAVENHILL CAMPUS, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18
in this tour, Dr. David Breiner will describe the most interesting structures in the west section, or Ravenhill Campus, of the Jefferson-East Falls campus. The name refers to Ravenhill Mansion. It was created in 1887 as the home (or one home) of William Weightman of the Powers and Weightman chemical works, then one of the richest men in Pennsylvania. We will also view several lesser-known surviving structures from the Weightman estate, a repurposed stone barn, a Queen Anne house designed by the Horace Trumbauer firm, and several newer buildings. Our hope is to visit inside at least one building.

David Breiner, PhD, is acting dean and associate professor in the College of Architecture and the Built Environment at Jefferson University. Dr. Breiner has degrees in architecture and the history of architecture.

Attendance will be limited and registration is necessary!

Please email [email protected] for inquiries or registration. The fees will be $15, but $10 for current EFHS members, collected at the beginning of the tour. Cash Please. Further details will be emailed to those registered.

09/11/2025

We've just posted our fascinating oral history interview with Ed Rendell. In it, Ed talks about his almost 50 years living in East Falls – how he happened to come here, his impressions of the neighborhood and of the three streets he lived on (Warden Drive, Midvale, Netherfield), walking his dog, local restaurants, and his reflections on his career. The cast of characters includes Ray Didinger, Bill Clinton, Walter Mondale, and even a cameo from the young Carly Simon. We think it's worth reading! Just click on https://www.eastfallshistoricalsociety.org/oh-rendell/

06/12/2025

If you're not keeping up with East Falls Historical Society, here's what you missed a couple of weeks ago -- a visit to the Ironworks at Pencoyd, the sensational adaptive reuse of the former Pencoyd Steel plant just across the river. Our participants heard a great illustrated talk on the remarkable history of Pencoyd Steel and learned about some of the ingenious ways the project architects repurposed what they found in the industrial ruins. (Guess which picture is which!) And then we had a chance for a guided tour of the complex and its beautiful river views. Why not join today at https://www.eastfallshistoricalsociety.org/join/?