Riverton Walking Tour brochures at Riverton Library
Fall is a brilliant time to walk the village and discover the local history displayed in eight historical markers.
There’s more to come, thanks to a generous donation in 2016 from Carlos Rogers’ Historical Riverton Criterium that established the program which shares expenses between the HSR and the property owners.
Pick up your Walking Tour brochures for a $1 donation at Riverton Free Library or Tillie’s Trinkets & Treasures. Also, free printable copies of each are available by clicking on the links below. -JMc
In keeping with our “Fancy a swim” theme, this screen capture from an eBay auction (that we didn’t win) shows a medal that the Riverton Yacht Club awarded for a 3-mile women’s swim in 1919.
According to the report in the August 8, 1919 issue of The New Era, “The women’s 3-mile race held by the Yacht Club last Saturday proved to be the greatest race of its kind ever held in the world.”
Despite the writer’s hyperbole, it must have been a pretty awesome event that will probably new be duplicated.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 6, 1919, p22
A firing of a cannon from the deck of Commodore R.M. Hollingshead‘s cruiser, a former coast patrol boat, signaled the start of the novel race. (Richard Milton Hollingshead, Sr. founded RM Hollingshead Corporation, and by 1920 it produced 98 Whiz brand automotive products. His son, Richard Hollingshead, Jr., later invented the drive-in movie in 1933. See more details in GN #164, Dec 2016.)
Thirty of the finest women swimmers from New York, Philadelphia, Edgewater Park, and of course, Riverton dove from the deck of the Keystone Yacht Club’s “Surprise” into the “rough and choppy” waters off of the Bridesburg pier and into the record books.
The Journal and Tribune, Knoxville, TN, Sep 4, 1921, p25
Ethelda Bliebtrey, a rising 17-year-old swimming star, won the race with a time of 44 minutes, 15 seconds.
Second place winner Eleanor Uhl that year went on to break Bleibtrey’s record with a time of 43:13 to win the 3-mile swim competition in 1920.
65 degrees, green grass and emerging bulbs on a brilliant day. Must be Jan. 10. Whaaaat??
Widely regarded as the most banal topic for conversation in the world, nevertheless, many people find themselves mentioning the weather every day.
Oscar Wilde declared that conversation about it was the last refuge of the unimaginative.
It is the default small talk topic. Even strangers discuss the weather. Looking back at past posts, I bring it up a lot.
On the phone to my friend across country or with my daughter on a business trip, I inquire, “How’s the weather?” And I picture it.
So, since I brought it up…again… The weather is a bit weird here in River City.
Picture this.
Brilliant sun and shirtsleeve temps in December and January have kept lawn mowers going here and coaxed spring bulbs from their dormancy.
high water at the RYC
The Delaware was just over the top of the river wall just after noon today (Jan.10). Those dark skies on the horizon brought more rain in the evening.
Winter lovers, take heart. The Polar Vortex is waiting in the wings. That should freeze the little heads off those daffodils. Since they only flower once a year they may not revive in the spring.
These remarkable photos from Nancy and Bill Steel’s family album offer a rare glimpse into early 20th century Riverton.
Do you recognize this Riverton landmark in its earlier days?
Built in 1909 as the clubhouse for an organization celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2015, it has a much different look here than in a later postcard view.
In an August 3rd post called Hot enough for ya? candid shots of the Fitler family of 109 Bank Avenue cavorting in a homemade swimming drew possibly the most traffic ever to this website and rekindled memories of those who later learned to swim in Bay Ruff’s pool. These scans came from that same album.
RYC biplane – no caption
This photo had no caption or date, but you can see the Yacht Club in the background. Somewhere I have the name of a pilot who flew passengers around Riverton for a fee. But who is the woman?
We are often asked here what we have on file about the history of a house. Except for a few founders’ homes, we have precious little, I am afraid.
However, the 1999 Riverton National Register Historic District Inventory has short summary descriptions for over 500 structures. Mrs. Patricia Solin, a frequent contributor to the Gaslight News, reports that she will have some helps to publish here later this fall for those wishing to research the history of their home.
212 Thomas 1905212 Thomas 1905
A new homeowner once told me how much they appreciated receiving from their seller a box of documents and old photos about the history of their just purchased house.
These photos taken in 1905 would be invaluable to a person trying to recreate original architectural details.
Note the oil lamp on the post that predates the Welsbach gaslamps. Do you have any photos of your home back in the day you could send in?
In a year in which we have a woman candidate running for president, an intriguing sequence of photos about suffragists marching to gain the right to vote prompted me google some of the names I read in the captions.
Col. Ida Kraft speaking at Bridgeboro
I learned Col. Ida Kraft (also spelled Craft) and her army of Pilgrims were actually a real thing and a very big deal. But are the pictures in this album because a family member was involved in the march?
The captions do not say and the Steels do not know.
I couldn’t wait for cold weather to share this next one. I have heard of people walking on the river ice way back when, but a wind powered iceboat must be something to see.
Delving into the Steel family album reminds us that there are still some surprises to be found in Riverton history, but sometimes they present more questions than answers.
H. McIlvain Biddle’s iceboat
If you have any more surprises to throw into the mix, or can help connect the dots to some of these random bits, please join the conversation here at rivertonhistory.com.
Won’t you support the Historical Society of Riverton’s efforts to preserve and promote the history of this “unique” town in the only way that matters with your membership?
The Society gets an earlier than usual start on the season this time with its first event on September 10. Read more about it and other calendar events in our SUMMER EXTRA Gaslight News, a two-page late August summary of upcoming events and recap of summer web posts. – JMc
Fourth of July at Riverton, July 3, 1865 Philadelphia Inquirer p.2
The July 3rd, 1865 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer announced “The Democratic citizens of the beautiful and flourishing town of Riverton… intend celebrating the Fourth of July in grand style.”
Children’s Parade, vintage postcard scan courtesy of Nick Mortgu
As the Great Day approaches, some may wonder how some of our July Fourth traditions started. Here is a sequel to the origin story of the mayor’s parade staff.
The subject of the parade baton that the mayor wields as the July Fourth Parade traverses Main Street has been touched on in these pages before.
Mayor Martin with 2nd banded staff and President of Borough Council, Bob Smyth, July 2011
We reprinted here the findings of former Town Historian Betty Hahle and learned there were not one, but two staffs.
And it seems she reached a different conclusion from what been reached earlier in the 1965 Riverton Yacht Club Centennial Booklet – that the staffs had come from India. Admitting that history is not static, and the discovery of new materials can change our interpretation of events, she reasoned that they instead originated from Switzerland.
Whatever the ancestry of those first two staffs, we can be certain of the provenance of the most recent addition to the Borough’s collection of parade batons.
This past November, I was talking about the parade baton with Mayor William C. Brown and he mentioned in passing that he had to fashion a new staff himself for the 2014 July 4th promenade.
Wait…what?
That is the very definition of Riverton history so I pressed the former marine for details of the news that was already several months old.
Mayor Brown explains:
Riverton Mayor Edward Stoughton, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 2, 1898, p.35
The Mayor of Riverton’s tradition of carrying a staff during the Annual Fourth of July Parade, was started by Mayor E.C. Stoughton in 1897.
So that every year since then, a metal plate was added with the current mayor’s name, the year, and the number of children that marched in the parade.
There are three staffs in the Borough office, and legend has it that they came from trees located in Riverton. I’ve not found anything written about the first two, however I can state that the current staff did come from a Riverton tree.
I searched the wooded area along the park till I found a tree floating in the Pompeston Creek. I cut it loose, trimmed it out, and took it home, where I stripped, sanded, stained and applied two coats of varnish to preserve it.
Mayor Bill Brown, July 4, 2014
One has to admire Mayor Brown’s unpretentious and no-nonsense account of how he humbly came to add another page to Riverton lore. And to think that we would have missed it if I had not brought it up.
History of flag parade staff, New Era, June 28, 1934, p.1
This column from a June 28, 1934 New Era outlines the history of the Flag Parade Staff and lists the number of children participation from 1897 through 1933.
The loss of those old hometown newspapers left such a gap in our historical record. If you have not yet explored them, browse though some pages. You might find someone mentioned you know.
If you have any issues we do not have, please donate them or allow us to scan the pages.
July 4th Parade batons
While Riverton history of old is worth preserving, so too, it is worth recording events of today. The approach of our Glorious Fourth is sure to cause much reminiscing and retelling of family tales.
Leave one below in the comments box, or let us know what draws so many to return to this “unique” place each July Fourth.
Governor’s Cup Regatta here, New Era, June 30, 1949, p.1.Governor Driscoll presents cup, New Era, July 7, 1949, p.1.
Congratulations to the members of Riverton Yacht Club on 66th running of the Governor’s Cup Regatta at Riverton Yacht Club as they celebrate their sesquicentennial – that’s their 150th anniversary, in case you don’t have a dictionary.
The clipping at left is from the pages of Riverton’s now defunct hometown newspaper, The New Era, which announced in late June 1949, the events planned around the first Governor’s Cup Regatta planned for the following July 2 and 3.
A week later The New Era provided coverage of the regatta in the clipping at right. In his remarks that day Governor Driscoll congratulated the Yacht Club for its part in teaching the youth of America the meaning of sportsmanship.
Our much expanded Second Annual Daniel Campbell Riverton Awards Night took place April 16 at the Porch Club.
Homeowners brought photos and each explained their unique process involved in executing their restoration projects.
Dan Campbell, left, Adrienne Rogers, right, with the Society’s crystal keepsake
Society President Phyllis Rodgers presented each recipient with an award to symbolize their home’s transformation from a diamond in the rough to a vision realized.
Heartfelt thanks to Paul Daly for his years of service in many capacities
As originally conceived, it was again a night to congratulate and say ‘thank-you’ to a number of people who have served the Historical Society of Riverton.
The big addition to the agenda was the observance of milestone anniversaries of four of Riverton’s finest organizations – Riverton School’s 150th anniversary, the Porch Club’s 125th , Riverton Yacht Club’s 150th, and Riverton Fire Company’s 125th.
A cake for four anniversaries
It was all the excuse we needed for a big cake!
Many details of the big night are shown in the four attached slideshows. Text below indicates the content of each part.
(The slideshows contain several links to external content, so check OK or you will not see it.)
SLIDESHOW 1 covers the part shown in black text of the AGENDA below. (21 slides, 13.5MB)
SLIDESHOW 2 covers the part shown in green. (30 slides, 18.5MB)
SLIDESHOW 3 has only one topic, Riverton Yacht Club, but is the longest. (35 slides, 17.3MB)
SLIDESHOW 4, shown in the AGENDA in red, contains the Riverton Fire Company and some photos of the evening (10 slides, 10.5MB)
AGENDA April 16, 2015 Welcome – Acknowledgement of Board members and past presidents Business – Nomination and election of Peg Crook and Morgan Leone for Board seats HSR Service Awards to retiring Board members – Paul Daly, Charlotte Lippincott, Riverton School History Project Student Achievement Awards Daniel Campbell Awards – Bolton,Downes, Rogers, Schweich, Borough Council Special Service Awards – Michael Solin, Linda McCormick Historical House Markers – Bill McDermott explains new process, 100 Park Ave. Anniversaries – Mayor’s Proclamation Riverton School Porch Club Riverton Yacht Club Riverton Fire Company and candid photos of the whole event
certificates, trophies, mugs, and crystal keepsakes – tokens of achievement, recognition, and gratitude await their recipients
With sub-zero wind-chill temps of late and threats of historic snowstorms I actually received emails and phone calls from friends in California, Virginia, and Ohio asking if we were OK.
Dick Paladino – RYC Feb 24 2015 02
Yes, thank you for checking on the elderly – we are fine.
For any of you Riverton snowbirds temporarily billeted in a sunbelt state or expatriates currently living elsewhere, here are some recent photos of your old hometown.
Our HSR stringer Dick Paladino shot these with his point-and-shoot camera on Feb. 24 and 27.
He writes:
Dick Paladino – RYC Feb 27 2015 02Dick Paladino – RYC Feb 27 2015 01
I took them a few days ago when the ice was piled up along the river bank, then while driving by last night shortly after sunset, I picked up a few more in the dusky rose sky-glow.
FYI to any photogs hoping to replicate one of these moonlit views on the old postcards – you can never position yourself so the sunset or moon is behind the Yacht Club as it is in this scan of a vintage lithograph postcard sent in by Nick Mortgu.
vintage postcard of Riverton Yacht Club scan contributed by Nick Mortgu
Maybe some sailor can give us our bearings.
Light at the end of the tunnel – Accuweather is forecasting mid-fifties and rain for Weds. and spring arrives March 20.
Stop snickering, Murrietta, CA, I know it’s 75 degrees there. – JMc
As Labor day approached in late August 1920, Riverton’s hometown weekly gazette, The New Era, reported, “It is astonishing the great number of children from 12 to 14 years of age who have swam across the river and back. At least 30 have made the one-way journey, and over a dozen both ways.”
Just as it was once a Riverton rite of passage to walk across the frozen Delaware and touch the Pennsy shore (see GN 2013), so too, was it the custom for youngsters to swim across and back in summer months.
Mrs. Elsie S. Waters, Oct. 2013
You can take Elsie Waters’ word for it.
She recalled learning to swim at five years of age and making the crossing at twelve in 1930, in this 2013 interview.
With safety in mind, Riverton Yacht Club’s Secretary and Treasurer and famous distance swimmer, Charles Durborow (see Mar 7, 2014 post), accompanied the juvenile tadpoles as they paddled into adulthood.
The New Era article noted that swimming had “…risen rapidly in popular favor in Riverton of late and the Yacht Club has been kept busy handing out bronze and silver medals to its members.”
Riverton Yacht Club – View opposite Lawn House, from Nick Mortgu’s collection
A week later, The New Era described how Riverton’s Miss Harriet Holder swam from Riverton Yacht Club to Race Street, Philadelphia in three hours and twelve minutes.
And I get winded backstroking across to the other side of my swimming pool!
Do you have more to add to this chapter of Riverton history? If anyone has a photo of one of those swimming awards or additional information, we would like to publish it. – John McCormick
Who invited this guy Arthur to Riverton’s Fourth? Everyone else is welcome to come, but send him on his way.
Arthur, of course, is the tropical storm that threatens to be a party spoiler, depending on the track it takes as it travels up the East coast Thursday into Friday.
There is no “rain date” for the parade, but the very thought that Riverton’s patriotic festivities might be in jeopardy gets people wondering.
When has the day ever been washed out? I don’t know.
Riverton’s Fourth as described in The Phila. Inquirer, July 4, 1914
One hundred years ago no one was worried about a tropical storm. All thoughts were on the great Independence Day Celebration that lie ahead as described in the July 4, 1914 Philadelphia Inquirer .
A 1914 July Fourth Program just donated to the HSR gives more details of the big day including sailing instructions, prizes, and a history of the Yacht Club.
1914 Riverton Yacht Club Program
For a closer look at the rare hundred-year-old document, click on this link for a higher resolution PDF file.
Even I have heard of Facebook, but the appeal of Pinterest has eluded me. Then I read that it has an estimated 70 million users.
So I signed us up with the help of my friend Mike Solin who hooked us up with new buttons on our webpage for Facebook, Pinterest, Email, and Print.
Speaking of pictures, here are some Riverton homes decorated for the Fourth.
We will post some more pix of the great day and invite readers to send us some July 4th photos, new or old.
