Bridgeport Borough
This collection reflects Bridgeport Borough from 1851-1995. It gives a broad overview of events from the borough’s past.
Bridgeport
Summerill Tubing Company, Part 2
After our last post about the Summerill Tubing Company, one of our volunteers gave us some extra insight into this company’s history. As most of you likely know, Charles Lindbergh was the first person to fly a non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. An article about his accomplishment was on the front page of the Times Herald on… Read More »Summerill Tubing Company, Part 2
Summerill Tubing Company
Every now and then someone asks us “Did you know this happened in Montgomery County?” You really never know what you will come across in your research. In this case, we learned that a Bridgeport company was once evaluated for a potential clean up project after fears of potential uranium exposure, according to the Wall Street… Read More »Summerill Tubing Company
The DeKalb Street Bridge Fire
At 3:40 pm on April 14, 1924, flames appeared near the middle of the DeKalb Street Bridge. In ten minutes the entire length of the bridge was alight. Although fire companies from both Norristown and Bridgeport responded quickly to the alarm, there was nothing they could do to save the bridge. At 4:05, the first… Read More »The DeKalb Street Bridge Fire
The Philadelphia and Western
Recently, the Historical Society of Montgomery County received a great postcard showing a P&W train crossing the Bridgeport Viaduct over the Schuylkill.
Bridgeport funeral records
Recently, the Historical Society of Montgomery County received a very interesting donation: 6 ledgers from O’Brien Funeral Home in Bridgeport. The ledgers show a little of the evolution of funeral rites.
The World’s Largest Borough
Lately, I’ve been working on the oversize items in our collection. The lonely oversize shelves at the back of the closed stacks contain a variety of unwieldy items – framed deeds, panoramic photographs, diplomas, and posters. There are also some oversize publications, like the one I found a couple of weeks ago.
The Diamond State Fibre Company
I found this interesting little booklet in an old box labeled “Business and Industry.” It’s an employee magazine for the Diamond State Fibre Co., a paper fiber manufacturer in Bridgeport. But hang on, both of you reading this are thinking, Delaware is the Diamond State! Yes, it is. The company was based in Elsemere, Delaware.
Theodore Heysham and Annual Day of Thanksgiving for the World
Cleaning my desk, I found an interesting pamphlet promoting an idea for a world celebration of Thanksgiving. The concept was thought up by Theodore Heysham, who was a prominent Baptist minister in the Norristown area.
A century ago in Bridgeport
This afternoon as I was continuing on my long term project of scanning the Historical Society’s photograph collection, I came across some of photographs of Brigdeport from around the turn of the 20th Century. Although it wasn’t incorporated until 1851, the earliest settlers arrived around 1723. Most of the photographs I found were from the… Read More »A century ago in Bridgeport