 This
web site is intended for the serious and casual researcher. Click on
the Municipalities bar above and select the township or boro you want
to look at. There you will find 18th and 19th century tax records,
early censuses, cemeteries lists, town directories, maps etc. Then
visit the Genealogical Resources link above where there are numerous
books on Delaware County history from the 19th and early 20th century.
Records are added regularly so please check back often. Most of what
you see here and what will be added comes from the forty-five year
accumulation of Delaware County Historical memorabilia amassed by Keith
Lockhart.This web site has been made possible through the combined
efforts of former Delaware County State Representative Ron
Raymond, who obtained funding for the web site, and historian Keith
Lockhart. Keith is a lifelong Ridley
Township resident and a graduate of Penn State University. He has
written numerous booklets on the history of the area and for many years
penned a history column for Town talk. He has also shared his vast
knowledge of local history through articles for both the Philadelphia
Inquirer and the Daily Times Newspapers. Through the
dedication and hard work of numerous typists the transcription of the
tax and census records took over two years of work to complete. My
sincere gratitude goes out to these people. A special thanks to my
wife, Mary Lockhart, Donna Greenbarg of Hatboro, Janice Daleandro of
Morton, Ethel Dougherty of Norwood, Dawn Beck of Springfield. Keith
Lockhart's collection contains many rare books and booklets on Delaware
County Pa. History that are not available anywhere else. These booklets
run the gamut from the Delaware County Society to Detect Horse
Thieves in 1850to Prospectus's
for Delaware County Businesses . Contact Keith Lockhart today.
What is new on the site:
December 25, 2019-
finally got some work done today. Added several new maps from 1941 to the Rutledge, Ridley Twp. pages. etc. Have a great Holiday Week!! January 1, 2020- I have added a history of Morton and Rutledge Boros from 1901 to their pages. The newspaper article is by Frederick Calvert, a great local historian. Calvert's History of Ridley on the Delaware has been added to that page. Newspaper articles have been added to Folcroft and Chester Heights. Also a history of Chester City Schools has been added to that page under booklets done by Chester Baker. A brief History of the Tyler Arboretum by Charles Whitaker is now on the Middletown Twp. page. January 18, 2020-More marriages from the 1880's from the Delaware County American Newspaper have been added to the Genealogical page. January 19, 2020- a history of the Upper Darby Schools has been added to that page, plus a history of some mills in Springfield Twp. February 2, 2020- Two articles have been added to the Chester page, Chester as George Washington knew it and a history of Chester's Industries in 1890.
February 9, 2020- More marriages from the 1880's from the Delaware County American Newspaper have been added to the Genealogical page.
This link is to let everyone know what new books and booklets that are
out, dealing with Delaware County history. If you would like to make
people aware of any new books please let me know.
Haverford Township police officer, Matt Hufnal has written a new book, about the making of the first police chief in Haverford and the problems that were involved. It was not easy creating and running a police department 100 years ago!! The book which just came out in late August 2018 is available on Amazon. Click on Amazon to go to the link to purchase the book.
This month, July, 2018, a book on growing up in Chester during WW2 is just out. by
David Komarnicki is out and available from Amazon. People who have read it, love it!! Check face book !
April, 2017 is another Arcadia Book, ,
all about the great history of that Delco institution. The book is by
Andrew Miller who teaches history at Neumann College.
Just in time for Christmas 2016, Ed Stewart has published, the story of Grover Bergdoll whose well to do
family lived in Delaware County. Bergdoll fled to Germany during the
First World War rather than be drafted. The story caused national head
lines in the day. Read this well done book about a family crisis and
what happend to them.
Another new
book is out this Spring, 2016 the story of James 'Ted" Meredith by Jack
Lemon. Meredith a Delco native set two world and Olympic records in
Stockholm, Sweden. The book is by Jack Lemon from Media class of 1964.
Click on the link above to order the book and for more information.
The
page as it states is to announce upcoming meetings, lectures and
historical events throughout Delaware County. If your group is planning
something special, or just a meeting, please pass the information on to
me and it will be posted on this new page. E-mail keith106@rcn.com
Stan Bowman
of Chester County was born and raised in Delaware County and began
taking pictures of trolleys in his teens. In the past 50 odd years he
has amassed the largest collection of trolley pictures and information
around. Stan has been kind enough to share some of his pictures and
information with my site and over the next month or so, maps, pictures
and information will be added about all the trolley routes and
companies that once operated in Delaware County.
A
new mill page has been created, to go to it, click the link above. It
features the 1826 mill survey, the report of the 1843 flood and a rare
mill map for the entire county also from 1843. More will be added to
this site in the next few months.
One of my pet projects for a number of years is Delaware County covered bridges. I have been researching when they were built, where etc. I made a google map with locations, pictures of before and the site today. In a number of cases ruins could still be seen. I still have a few more bridges to add, but click on the above link to see what I have done.
I'm indebted to Celia Caust-Ellenbogen of Friends Library in Swarthmore for guiding me thru google maps.
This page
has been opened for Delaware County Newspapers. The link for the
Chester Times to search it, is now here. The good news after numerous
scanning and experimenting the first year of the Morton Chronicle from
1880-1881 is now on the site and can be searched. More years will be
added next week most from my personal collection. It has taken allot
longer than I thought to do this but it will be well worth it. Take a
look and let me know what you think.
The Delaware
County
Realty News was a column first published in the Chester Times in April
of 1912. It was a weekly column that talked of new buildings,
developers, architects etc. Even building permits etc. Take a look!
In 1936 the W.P.A. did a historic Site Survey of Delaware County by township. They put basic info down only and NEVER used addresses only approximate locations. I have begun to update it by adding addresses, taking pictures and correcting some wrong information. Please have a look.
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