Police Officers patrolled on horseback and on foot 100 years ago!! Upcoming events

The Ridley Township Police and commissioners about 1935 taken outside the Folsom Fire House at 4th and Sutton Aves. The second floor of the firehouse was the headquarters of the  police and township offices.

Note: Police work was so different 100 years ago. Police in the early 1920's patrolled on foot thru out Delco. From c.1925 thru 1931 officers patrolled on foot until their boro or township approved of cars and or horses. In the early 1920's Ridley Township had only one police officer and he patrolled on foot. He worked daywork and was on call the rest of the day. Ridley Township was the same size then as it is today but there was much more farm land. It was also very dangerous back then. A number of officers were killed trying to stop speeding cars by walking out into the street and put their arms up to try and stop the speeders. For example a Norwood and Prospect Park Officer were run over trying to stop speeders on Chester Pike.

CHESTER TIMES 

 January 14, 1924  

RIDLEY TOWNSHIP POLICE MOUNTED FIRST TIME TONIGHT  

Patrolmen on Horseback to Cover Every Section of Township 
 Bandit Chasing Car May be Added to Equipment

          Another step forward has been taken by the police department of Ridley Township as the result of which the patrolmen of the township will tonight be transformed from foot patrolmen to a mounted squad.  This innovation was decided upon by the township commissioners a week ago, and last week the horses, saddles and bridles were purchased.  Tonight for the first time, the men will cover their beats on horseback.  The horses are to be stabled at the barn of Charles E. Gallagher of Folsom.  It is understood that in the very near future a bandit chasing car will be added to the equipment of the police force.

          Several American families living on the Fairview Road, Leiperville, are understood to be offering their homes for sale, as the result of the advent of a Polish family into the neighborhood recently.  This particular part of Leiperville has heretofore been looked upon as more or less “exclusive” by the native born residents, who are said to strongly resent what they fear will be the beginning of an influx of the foreign element into this portion of the village.

          The recent raid on two alleged “hooch” establishments right in the heart of Leiperville is said to mark but the beginning of a big cleanup for the village.  At the hearing of the defendants before Magistrate Maitland, Friday, the latter openly declared that the persons who sold the stuff were paying somebody for the privilege of doing business.  The raid was headed by deputy sheriffs.

DCHPN Monthly E-Newsletter

Happy Women's History Month! Happy St. Patrick's Day and International Women's Day as well! Read the announcements below for important information Emergence of a Modern Dwelling: Richard Neutra’s Hassrick House- Building Philadelphia Spring Speaker Series Mar 28, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM Zoom- registration required   Emergence of a Modern Dwelling: Richard Neutra’s Hassrick House – presented by Dr. Suzanne Singletary, Director of the Center for the Preservation of Modernism at Jefferson, and Suzanna Barucco, principal of sbk + partners, LLC. $10/15 single event, $90/110 full series   Learn More Liberty Now & Then Conversation Series: Past Tense- Turning to History in Uncertain Times Mar 29, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106   NLM brings together a panel in a discussion examining the complex power that history holds over the future, and what’s at stake in the battles we wage over interpretations of the past in our museums, our classrooms, and on our screens. $10-40   Learn More South of South Street- Will Brown Mar 29, 6:00 PM Athenaeum of Philadelphia, 219 S 6th St, Philadelphia, PA 19106   The talk will be about living in Queen Village in the 1960s and 70s and his relationship with the residents that he came in contact with. And how he worked as a photographer at that time and place. $0/15   Learn More Louis I. Kahn and the Frank Furness Connection Mar 30, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM Online- registration required   Izzy Kornblatt will explore the link between Kahn and architect Frank Furness, both of whom were leading Philadelphia architects of their times. His research places Kahn squarely within a Philadelphia architectural tradition spanning from Furness through the twentieth century. $0/5   Learn More *The Care and Repair of Older Homes: A Workshop Series Mar 30, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Lower Merion Township Building, 75 Lancaster Ave, Ardmore, PA 19003   Part 2- Plaster- Cracked and sagging plaster walls and ceilings do not always require complete removal and replacement. This workshop will help homeowners to understand traditional plaster, why it fails, and demonstrate methods for securing sagging plaster, as well as repairing cracks.   Learn More Discover more events