In 2026, the United States will enjoy an explosion of events to honor its 250th anniversary. One of the year’s most popular books might just be “Philadelphia Celebrates Three Great Anniversaries: 1876, 1926, 1976,” by West Mt. Airy resident Edward W. Duffy.

Duffy, who authored “Philadelphia: A Railroad History” in 2013, is a former U.S. Army officer and graduate of La Salle and Temple Universities, with an M.B.A. in real estate development. His interest in railroads dates from his role as liaison between the city of Philadelphia and various rail reorganization agencies that resulted in the 1976 creation of Conrail.

He worked for the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and is a thorough researcher and history buff. Duffy has lived in the Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy community for 52 years.

“I wrote 'Three Great Anniversaries' anticipating that awareness and interest in celebrating 2026 would gradually develop, and now it is developing,” Duffy told the Local. “I worked on the book for two years. I'd like to add that Chestnut Hill's own G. Craig Schelter was an enormous help in writing the book. Craig was Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission while I worked there (1976-1983) and during the planning for the Bicentennial in 1976.”

This time around, he said, “I'd like to make a shoutout to my good friend Alexander Bartlett.” Bartlett, archivist and researcher for both the Chestnut Hill and Germantown Historical Societies, “was an immense help, unsparing in his time.”

Beware of the “crumb bums”

To me, the most interesting part of “Anniversaries” is the section about the Bicentennial, probably because I am old enough to remember it well. My contemporaries may recall that then-Mayor Frank Rizzo held a press conference in May 1976 declaring that “left-wing radicals” were planning to disrupt the city's Independence Day activities. Rizzo asked for 15,000 armed federal troops to patrol the downtown streets, and was rejected by both President Gerald Ford and Governor Milton Shapp. But the fear generated by Rizzo's dire prediction may have scared countless tourists away from Philadelphia.

“During the Bicentennial,” Duffy said, “liberal Philadelphians were demanding Mayor Rizzo's recall. Rizzo essentially told would-be visitors that for their own safety, they should stay away from Philadelphia during its most important celebration in half a century. Rizzo called for the National Guard ... to deflect attention away from the city's budget woes and the demands for his recall. As a result, one could still book a hotel room in the Ben Franklin Hotel just by walking in on July Fourth.”

Duffy's exploration of the 1926 Sesquicentennial is equally fascinating. He writes that editor and author Edward Bok, Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot, and Pennsylvania Senator George Wharton Pepper battled the corrupt political machine of Pennsylvania Representative William Vare and his hand-picked Philadelphia Mayor, Freeland Kendrick. 

Philadelphia’s Black community was actually quite enthusiastic about the upcoming Sesquicentennial, Duffy said, but “Mayor Kendrick casually ignored them, dashing their hopes. I could feel their rage and pain.”

All hands on deck

What is the most important thing Philadelphians should know about the three anniversaries? “Philadelphia truly is a city of neighborhoods,” Duffy replied. “Getting everyone behind a massive celebration requires necessary effort. This effort happened during the Centennial through the efforts of Elizabeth Duane Gillespie and her Women's [Centennial Exposition] Committee going door-to-door. 

“However, there was not so much preceding the Sesquicentennial and hardly any before the Bicentennial. Philadelphians really don't like someone from outside their neighborhood coming in and telling them what they are planning for it. The lesson to be learned from the Sesquicentennial and Bicentennial is to encourage local celebrations that neighborhood folks can identify with.”

Duffy has been in contact with the city's “Philadelphia250” group, which is planning next year's massive celebration, and sharing his thoughts and experiences. “I played a very minor role in the Bicentennial. At that time I was a new employee with the City Commerce Department as assistant to the city economist. City Representative Eve Asner [sister of actor Ed Asner] declared 'all hands on deck' and asked each of us to lend a hand.”

Duffy, who is also an Irish citizen, still enjoys bicycling on Forbidden Drive and elsewhere. Duffy and wife Sue have been married 53 years. They have two daughters, Leigh, 44, who lives in Alexandria, VA, and Fionna, 39, who lives in Manhattan. Both were involved in the writing of the railroad book but not “Three Great Anniversaries.”

For more information, visit caminobooks.com. Len Lear can be reached at LenLear@chestnuthilllocal.com.