Discovering Chestnut Hill

by Alex Bartlett The year 2019 has been a particular busy one for the Chestnut Hill Conservancy archives. To date, the archives have received almost 500 items this year. These include but are not limited to board meeting minutes associated with local organizations, photographs of local businesses, and historical images of stations and rights of […]

by Kevin Hughes Chestnut Hill is a unique and beautiful place. Known for its open spaces, mature trees, exceptional architecture, and access to the Wissahickon Park, it’s no wonder why the community was recognized by Forbes in 2007 as one of America’s Top 7 Urban Enclaves. To many people who call Chestnut Hill their home, […]

by Alex Bartlett Last spring, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy held its first of two programs on the history of railroads in Chestnut Hill. The focus of the spring program was the history of SEPTA’s Chestnut Hill East line and consisted of a walking tour, highlighting the history and architecture of buildings and landscapes along the […]

by Kevin Hughes and Alex Bartlett For nearly a century, Friends of the Wissahickon has worked tirelessly to protect, care for and restore the urban oasis we know as the Wissahickon Valley Park. Founded in 1924, FOW is a 2,500-member nonprofit organization that works in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation to restore historic park […]

by Kevin Hughes Look around Chestnut Hill and you will undoubtedly notice a common theme: beautiful, architecturally-significant buildings framed by stately, manicured lawns. In fact, it’s kind of Chestnut Hill’s “thing.” But, walk around one of these lawns in the spring and summer and you may notice that aside from an aesthetically-pleasing view, lawns do […]

by Leah Silverstein On Friday, Oct. 4, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy is presenting the third annual Night of Lights. Designed to immerse visitors in the ongoing story of Chestnut Hill, this innovative public art exhibit will transform Germantown Avenue into an interactive exhibit of local history and architecture. Using the commercial corridor as a canvas […]

by Lori Salganicoff This week, we are diving into the Conservancy’s Archives to bring you some of the proud history of the nation’s oldest country club. Chestnut Hill first became a destination for leisure activities because of its elevation, cool breezes, countryside, and the natural beauty of the Wissahickon gorge. English hosiery weavers living in […]

by Alex Bartlett In 2007, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy (then the Chestnut Hill Historical Society) received an invaluable donation by the Chestnut Hill Local of a collection of thousands of photographs taken by Local staff members for publication in the community newspaper. Since then, volunteers and staff of the conservancy have been cataloging the collection, […]