New Year Goings on

I hope all of my few readers had a great Xmas and New Year. Needless to say nothing has been going on historicaal in the past month but that changes in January. The Middletown Lecture Series is back and this is whats coming

Middletown Township Historical Society

presents

 Middletown Mondays

Lectures begin at 7:30 p.m.

at Lima Estates, 411 North Middletown Road, Media, PA 19063

Free and open to the public, no registration required.

Monday, January 23, 2012

DARLINGTON'S CORNUCOPIA DAIRY

by Nancy Webster, Independent Scholar

Jesse Darlington settled in Middletown in 1795 and shipped fresh-churned butter to shops in Delaware, Chester and Philadelphia counties, first by horseback and then by wagon as roads were improved. For the next 200 years six generations of the Darlington family operated dairy farms along Darlington Road. Beginning in 1858 butter was shipped by rail to Philadelphia, New York and Washington DC, where it was served at the White House.

Monday, February 20

THE MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE: A "FOUNDING SON" OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

by Gene Pisasale, author of

Lafayette’s Gold: The Lost Brandywine Treasure

The lecture highlights the little known role that the Marquis de Lafayette played in America’s war for independence including his participation at the Battle of the Brandywine on September 11, 1777. His ongoing support, both monetary and political, helped win the war against Great Britain and earns him recognition as a "Founding Son" of the Revolutionary War.

 If you have not visited my website alot has been added delawarecountyhistory.com

I have added numerous pictures they need to be identified so please take a look. The picture above is unknown it is the Worrell Postoffice near Media

Sun Oil 104 years ago

  The sudden closing of the Sun Oil Refinery after 109 years is truly a shock! There are no words. The first picture above from 1907 gives a look at the refinery in horse and buggy days literally! The second picture is from the 1920's. There are all sorts of things happening in the county historically this weekend and next, Activities of all kinds and all ages so take a break, relax and enjoy some county history. Visit my website delawarecountyhistory.com and click on events for all the event info.
I added some early Sun Oil pictures from my collection. Below is an early picture of one of the first stills at the Sun Oil Plant from about 1910.

The above picture show early oil tankers at the Sun Oil Wharf. Notice that some are sailing ships in the early days oil was shipped in barrels.