East Falls Historical Society

07/15/2026

Our collection of oral histories is ever-expanding. We just posted an interview with Terri Tarpey. During her decades in East Falls, she experienced virtually every important institution in post-World War II East Falls as a student at St. Bridget School, and as a staff member at Philadelphia Textile, Ravenhill Academy, and the Medical College of Pennsylvania (MCP). As a girl, she had tea with Mrs. John B. Kelly, and she enjoyed walking across the Falls Bridge to Woodside Park.

Visit our website https://www.eastfallshistoricalsociety.org/ to browse our other oral histories, including those with notable Fallsers. The interview with Earl Ball, Head of School at Penn Charter from 1976 to 2007, includes his recollections of Penn Charter's transition to co-educaiton. And Ed Rendell discusses not just his political career but also his dog Woofie and the people he met while dog-walking.

06/16/2026

Our friends at the Falls of Schuylkill Branch Library (Free Library of Philadelphia) asked us to spread the word about this program taking place tomorrow night. Sounds like a good one!

Join local author David Young as he talks about The Battles of Germantown. Known as Americas most historic neighborhood, the Germantown section of Philadelphia (established in 1683) has distinguished itself by using public history initiatives to forge community. Progressive programs about ethnic his...

06/11/2026

Coming to the Flea Market this Saturday? Come say hello -- our table will be along Midvale Avenue, about ten tables up from Henry Avenue. We'll have copies of the 50th anniversary reprint of the Blue Book for sale, along with other information about our organization and our activities.

05/06/2026

Our three-part series, East Falls and Our River, concludes on Wednesday, May 13, with a presentation called "East Falls and Rowing." The event starts at 7 p.m.

Featuring John B. Kelly III, Fallser Hilary Langer, and representatives of the Schuylkill Navy, it covers rowing champions from East Falls as well as the East Falls-based upstream rowing clubs. The event takes place at one of the upstream clubs, Castle Ringstetten, 4347 Kelly Drive (with a safer entrance off Ridge Avenue.)

The event is free to the public, but capacity is limited. To reserve your spot (as well as parking advice), send an email to [email protected].

This is also an opportunity to purchase a copy of the 50th anniversary reprint edition of "East Falls: 300 Years of History" -- the Blue Book. It costs $20.00; cash and Venmo accepted.

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!