Ridley's Migdetville

I still keep getting asked about Ridley's "Midgetville" across from Taylor Hospital on Princeton Ave. The rumour has always been that the houses, the few that are left were built for midgets because the doorways are so low. The story is far from the truth. The area  along  Stoney Creek and Princeton Ave were built about 1910 by Norman P. Sloan. Sloan, a wealthy cotton broker from England developed the area to look like medieval England in Tudor style thats why the low doorways.If you look at the few house that are still standing they have that English "Tudor" look. Sloan lived on  Chester Pike  and rented the houses till about 1930 when he sold them. There was a swan pond on Chester Pike at the entrance in the early days. Many of the houses were torn down in 1970 when Parkewood Towers were built. Parkewood Towers was the original entrance to the development. I just added a map of the area to the Ridley Township page on my website if you want to see what it originally looked like.

This week in Delco History

As a Board member of the Colonial Plantation, the entire Board would like to thnak everyone that came out Friday night in the bad weather tomake our Beef & Beer a sucess. Everything went well and the food from the "Pig Out" in Glen Mills was great. Thanks for all of your support.
 I recently received this email below from France and I'm hoping a reader may be able to help this historian from France. He is looking for members of the Facciolo Family from Clifton Heights. Hopefully a reader can help him

My name is Geert Van den Bogaert and I am a Normandy (France) based WWII historian.

 

For the past 3 years I have been researching a battle fought during WWII by C Company, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division on 13 June 1944 near a place called Moulin des Rondelles. It was a costly battle for company C as 23 men were wounded in action and 10 made the supreme sacrifice for their country and freedom.

 

My research culminated in the inauguration of a monument to the brave men of C Company at the very spot where they fought that day in the presence of the daughter of one of the men who was killed during the battle and earned himself the nation's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

 

His exploits have been researched and documented and are now preserved for future generations to remember. It is my goal to do the same for the nine other men whose names are listed on the monument.

 

One of them is Pfc. James Facciolo from Clifton Heights, PA. According to his obituary in the Chester Times dated 30 December 1947 (attached) James Facciolo was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Facciolo, 155 South Springfield Avenue. Besides his parents he was survived by two sisters Carmela Urbano and Jennie DePaoloantonio and two brothers, Frank and Phillip Facciolo, all of Clifton Heights. Today he rests in the Holy Cross cemetery.

 

I would be very interested in finding out more about James Facciolo's life and service during WWII. Can you provide me with any additional information or do you know of anyone who might be able to help? I am hoping to find a picture of Pfc. Facciolo. I would also like to find any of his living relatives to inform them about the way he is honored over here in France.

 

My e-mail is geert.van-den-bogaert@wanadoo.fr