Camp A. Merritt Taylor August 1917 and lots of great history events coming soon! Check them out!!



The two postcards pictured here are quite rare and show the Third Penna Regiment on parade in honor of Brigadier General Sylvester Bonnaffon on August 19, 1917. This camp was in Upper Darby on the A. J. Drexel Estate at Garrett Rd. and Lansdowne Ave. The southwest corner of that intersection. The pictures are mislabeled as Camp A. Merritt Taylor which was in Springfield Twp.

 



Camp A Merritt Taylor

Springfield or Upper Darby?

 

 

    On Wednesday, August 16, 1917 companies for the Third Regiment of the Penna. National Guard began to gather in Upper Darby to begin basic maneuvers before being shipped to Camp Hancock in Georgia and then overseas to France. There was a staging camp in Upper Darby and that is what the pictures are above. This camp was on the Anthony J. Drexel Estate at the intersection of todays Garrett Rd. and Lansdowne Ave. The camp would have been on the southwest corner there. The houses you see in the background would be on todays Drexel Ave. in Lansdowne Boro. The troops spent about a week in camp here before being sent in small groups to Camp Hancock in Georgia. The troops were allowed to have their families visit after 5pm till 9 and were often entertained by night concerts.

   Where was Camp A. Merritt Taylor in Springfield? I do not know. The Philadelphia Inquirer states it was a short march so it was somewhere in eastern Springfield Twp. I was told by several Upper Darby historians that the camp at Lansdowne and Garrett Rd. was Camp A. Merritt Taylor but it is not. The postcard maker who made the above postcards on the spot called the Camp A. Merritt Taylor probably because he simply did not want to take the ride to Springfield. Post card makers in the early days often made mistakes about locations occasionally on purpose. I have one postcard that says it is in Bryn Mawr when it is clearly Marple Twp. for example. The Philadelphia Inquirer on several different occasions clearly state that Camp A. Merritt Taylor was in Springfield.

 

 

 



 

 



Annual Chadds Ford Days Festival, September 9 & 10

 

Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

The Chadds Ford Historical Society is hosting this year’s 52nd annual Chadds Ford Days festival. Don't miss out on joining the community for this family- and dog-friendly event that commemorates the Battle of the Brandywine which took place on September 11^th, 1777. Come relive history with your family and friends right here in Chadds Ford on Saturday and Sunday, September 9 and 10. The event runs from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Chadds Ford Days includes over 50 of the area’s finest artisans and demonstrators. Chadds Ford Days offers something for everyone including a “Maker’s Marketplace” for purchasing unique, handmade items, and colonial demonstrator stations where you can learn about a traditional craft like blacksmithing, lacemaking or woodturning. You can try colonial dancing and learn how our ancestors socialized and flirted in the 1700s! You’ll also meet General George Washington and Revolutionary War soldier Ned Hector, and you can tour a 18^th century military camp where you’ll see cannons firing, muskets shooting and soldiers on maneuvers.