Recently, I came across the will of one of my great-grandfathers who lived in La Mott. Written in 1931, there are references to his having stock in both La Mott Realty and Fairview Cemetery Companies. I wondered if there was a link between the two organizations. Turns out there is.
The Realty Company was located on School Lane at Cheltenham Avenue (then City Line Avenue). After a relative mentioned the company and a Mr. Ritchie, I hopped over to the Old York Road Historical Society archives to see what information they had on hand. The 1937 Atlas of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania has a reference to the Realty Company complete with address on School Lane. This confirmed the physical location of the company.
Fairview Cemetery is the final resting place of people from La Mott and outer-lying areas like Germantown. Right smack dab in the middle of the cemetery is a large simple monument in the shape of a head stone with the name Ritchie on it. For decades I wondered who or what was Ritchie.
It turns out that Mr. William A. Ritchie was a prominent citizen in La Mott and a founder of the Fairview Cemetery in Upper Dublin. He was also the owner and major share holder of the La Mott Building and Loan Association according to Elaine W. Rothschild's Old York Road Historical Society Bulletin. I read that Mr. Ritchie was also employed as a butler by George Elkins as in the Elkins Estate and Elkins Park. Ritchie was the person who loaned money to La Mott residents to buy homes and set up businesses. The Realty Company and the Building and Loan Association were both owned by Ritchie.
In a 1927 publication of building assessments in La Mott and other areas in Cheltenham Township, I noted that the Real Estate Holding Company building was assessed at $1,100, the La Mott Realty Company building was assessed at $2,000 and the Real Estate Holding Company building (listed a second time) was assessed in the amount of $29,000.
Mr. Ritchie went on to organize the Fairview Cemetery in Upper Dublin, PA in 1907 with others and served as first president. (The cemetery is about 20 or so minutes from La Mott.) James Burley, Ritchie's partner, and my great-great uncle, "aided prospective black homeowners or businessmen in the purchase of property" according to the website http://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Montgomery_County/Cheltenham_Township/LaMott.html.
Mr. Ritchie was an important person in La Mott largely because of his ability and foresight to help the other citizens. A tribute to him, if you will, was the monument that sits on the Ritchie Section at Fairview cemetery.
As for my great-grandfather, Walker Jones, having stock in the company must have been especially rewarding for him. The 1880 U.S. Census records him as being a farm laborer in Upper Dublin with a wife and small children. He came quite a long way from laborer to home and stock owner.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Hooper? Say What?
That's right--Hooper. Basically, Hooper is a sophisticated game of tag played in usually in the warmer months. Like most games, there are some rules and when I ran into Darryl, a childhood friend, he gave me the lowdown on how the game was played. This is his narrative.
"The game usually involved 10 or more participants; I've seen 20 at times. The more, the merrier! Two of those participants were needed to get the game started - one being the "spinner", the other the "chucker." There were sometimes loud and contentious (but brief) debates about who would get to be spinner or chucker. I cannot remember why these positions were held in such esteem. The participants would stand in a circle, legs slightly spread, with the shoes of each participant touching those next to him/her so there was an unbroken circle. Prior to gathering in a circle, a stick, usually a small tree branch was found and the bark picked off of one end to the be "point". Here's where the spinner's job started and the game got fun!
"Standing as one of the participants in the circle, the spinner would spin/toss the stick into the middle of the circle and the "point" would end up pointing either to someone's foot (a "shoe") or directly between their legs (a "through"). If a participant receive 2 "throughs" or 3 "shoes", they were considered "it". More about that in a sec...
"Depending on the number of players, the spinning part could take a bit of time, but this was fun too. Because of the randomness of the spin and the group's judgment as to whose shoe the stick might actually be pointing to, there was often cause for the spinner to get down on hands and knees and draw and invisible line in the grass from the stick to the shoe to accurately determine who had gotten a "shoe". And then there was keeping track of how many "shoes" and "throughs" everyone had. More spirited debates, more fun!
"Eventu
ally after numerous spins, throughs, shoes, etc., someone would be deemed "it". At this point, the boundaries of the game were briefly re-iterated; the Community Center and the entire block around it were the boundaries. The was bounded by Sycamore Avenue, Willow Avenue, B-D Street and Graham Lane. Participants were not supposed to leave this block during the game. You could run, you could find a hiding place (Mrs. Manley's tree for me, when she did not see you), as long as you remained on the block.
"This is where the "chucker's" job came in. With all participants still in the area where the circle was formed (including the "it" person), the stick was handed to the "chucker" whose job it was to "chuck" the stick as far away as possible, giving all participants a head start to get away from the person who was "it". No one could run until that stick was tossed. Once tossed, all were free to run. When the "it" person retrieved the stick and broke it in half, the game was officially "on" and they were free to try and tag/capture other players. Fun facts" depending on who was "it", some chuckers through it amusing to feign throwing the stick and simply drop it in the midst of the group where the person who was "it" could grab it quickly and tag someone before the slower runners in the group dispersed. If you were a fast-running chucker, this was not an issue but to slower participants, this usually meant they were caught early.
"OK, so the game has started, kids are running and hiding all over the place. Once the person who was "it" tags someone, they are considered "it" also and their job is to assist in catching everyone else. The more people who were caught, the more difficult it became to remain untagged since that group outnumbered those uncaught. With the game spread out over the Center grounds and sometimes throughout the block, participants could not always tell who was "caught" and who was not. So your friend walking up to you with a smile might deceive you with "c'mon lets hide over here" then tag you when you got close. Once it got down to 2-3 people left uncaught, the "caught" folks would usually devise a way to the remaining players. Eventually, the group would determine who was left and there would be the winner!
"Other facts:
1. You did not want a Christopher to be "it", particularly Calvin. Extremely fast runner with endurance who would run you down because you would tire long before he did.
2. Some hiding places were good only once or twice. Mrs. Manley's tree was a good one until someone saw me climbing down after I'd won. In subsequent Hooper games, it became one of the 1st places people looked.
3. Mr. Berry's garage (when open) was a good spot!"
"The game usually involved 10 or more participants; I've seen 20 at times. The more, the merrier! Two of those participants were needed to get the game started - one being the "spinner", the other the "chucker." There were sometimes loud and contentious (but brief) debates about who would get to be spinner or chucker. I cannot remember why these positions were held in such esteem. The participants would stand in a circle, legs slightly spread, with the shoes of each participant touching those next to him/her so there was an unbroken circle. Prior to gathering in a circle, a stick, usually a small tree branch was found and the bark picked off of one end to the be "point". Here's where the spinner's job started and the game got fun!
"Standing as one of the participants in the circle, the spinner would spin/toss the stick into the middle of the circle and the "point" would end up pointing either to someone's foot (a "shoe") or directly between their legs (a "through"). If a participant receive 2 "throughs" or 3 "shoes", they were considered "it". More about that in a sec...
"Depending on the number of players, the spinning part could take a bit of time, but this was fun too. Because of the randomness of the spin and the group's judgment as to whose shoe the stick might actually be pointing to, there was often cause for the spinner to get down on hands and knees and draw and invisible line in the grass from the stick to the shoe to accurately determine who had gotten a "shoe". And then there was keeping track of how many "shoes" and "throughs" everyone had. More spirited debates, more fun!
"Eventu
ally after numerous spins, throughs, shoes, etc., someone would be deemed "it". At this point, the boundaries of the game were briefly re-iterated; the Community Center and the entire block around it were the boundaries. The was bounded by Sycamore Avenue, Willow Avenue, B-D Street and Graham Lane. Participants were not supposed to leave this block during the game. You could run, you could find a hiding place (Mrs. Manley's tree for me, when she did not see you), as long as you remained on the block.
"This is where the "chucker's" job came in. With all participants still in the area where the circle was formed (including the "it" person), the stick was handed to the "chucker" whose job it was to "chuck" the stick as far away as possible, giving all participants a head start to get away from the person who was "it". No one could run until that stick was tossed. Once tossed, all were free to run. When the "it" person retrieved the stick and broke it in half, the game was officially "on" and they were free to try and tag/capture other players. Fun facts" depending on who was "it", some chuckers through it amusing to feign throwing the stick and simply drop it in the midst of the group where the person who was "it" could grab it quickly and tag someone before the slower runners in the group dispersed. If you were a fast-running chucker, this was not an issue but to slower participants, this usually meant they were caught early.
"OK, so the game has started, kids are running and hiding all over the place. Once the person who was "it" tags someone, they are considered "it" also and their job is to assist in catching everyone else. The more people who were caught, the more difficult it became to remain untagged since that group outnumbered those uncaught. With the game spread out over the Center grounds and sometimes throughout the block, participants could not always tell who was "caught" and who was not. So your friend walking up to you with a smile might deceive you with "c'mon lets hide over here" then tag you when you got close. Once it got down to 2-3 people left uncaught, the "caught" folks would usually devise a way to the remaining players. Eventually, the group would determine who was left and there would be the winner!
"Other facts:
1. You did not want a Christopher to be "it", particularly Calvin. Extremely fast runner with endurance who would run you down because you would tire long before he did.
2. Some hiding places were good only once or twice. Mrs. Manley's tree was a good one until someone saw me climbing down after I'd won. In subsequent Hooper games, it became one of the 1st places people looked.
3. Mr. Berry's garage (when open) was a good spot!"
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Wildlife in La Mott
A few days ago, I looked at the back door in the evening to see an opossum looking for food. The floodlight was on so I got a good look at this invader. I don't think it was an adult as it seemed a bit smaller than those I've been before. Actually, most of the opossums I've seen in the past were paws up on the side of the road and I don't think they were faking it.
Anyhoo, I thought this creature was pretty cute although many 'possums lean towards the not so cute side. The creature navigated the yard a bit before disappearing from my sight. Later, I look out again to see if the 'possum might have reappeared and here I am looking at a skunk's hindquarters! I watched it only for a moment before closing the door.
A day later, I was chatting with a neighbor and we talked about the creatures that we've seen in and around La Mott including chipmunks, pheasants, foxes, a small herd of deer including a buck, raccoons and groundhogs. As we've seen the various forms of wildlife, they each seemed to move as if they owned the neighborhood and who's to say that they don't. Then again, whose going to argue with a family of skunks walking across the community center's grounds or along Graham Lane as if they are on their way to some important destination?
There are times when the animals aren't moving freely in the 'hood. One early Sunday morning I was walking around Latham Park, the former location of Lucretia Mott's home Roadside. A small deer was stuck between two iron pickets. It had rubbed its hind part sides raw to the point where you could see flesh and blood. Two police officers responded to a neighbors call as the animal control officer wasn't on duty. One officer climbed the fence, went over to where the deer was stuck and separated the pickets. Don't know how much strength he had to exert since we're talking about a wrought iron fence here, but the deer was released, ran across Willow Avenue and scampered away.
Anyhoo, I thought this creature was pretty cute although many 'possums lean towards the not so cute side. The creature navigated the yard a bit before disappearing from my sight. Later, I look out again to see if the 'possum might have reappeared and here I am looking at a skunk's hindquarters! I watched it only for a moment before closing the door.
A day later, I was chatting with a neighbor and we talked about the creatures that we've seen in and around La Mott including chipmunks, pheasants, foxes, a small herd of deer including a buck, raccoons and groundhogs. As we've seen the various forms of wildlife, they each seemed to move as if they owned the neighborhood and who's to say that they don't. Then again, whose going to argue with a family of skunks walking across the community center's grounds or along Graham Lane as if they are on their way to some important destination?
There are times when the animals aren't moving freely in the 'hood. One early Sunday morning I was walking around Latham Park, the former location of Lucretia Mott's home Roadside. A small deer was stuck between two iron pickets. It had rubbed its hind part sides raw to the point where you could see flesh and blood. Two police officers responded to a neighbors call as the animal control officer wasn't on duty. One officer climbed the fence, went over to where the deer was stuck and separated the pickets. Don't know how much strength he had to exert since we're talking about a wrought iron fence here, but the deer was released, ran across Willow Avenue and scampered away.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Ruth's Grille and LaMott Ice and Coal
Making the decision to study local history seems to be full of more questions than answers. In the case of La Mott or LaMott (spacing apparently is everything), without those who have gone before me I am clueless. There is so much that was going on in the village at one time or another and I rely on the memories of others to assist me in my search for information. The challenge is finding someone who was alive "back in the day" and whether or not any photos or documentation exist. 
In a program for Salem Baptist Church's fashion show hold Wednesday Evening, November 5, 1952, I see advertisements for Ruth's Grille and for LaMott Ice and Coal. The photos show the building where the Grille and Coal shop were once located. Looking at the picture above you have what is simply a home to a family in 2010. Looking at the side of the building is the outline of a staircase that has since been removed. My objective is to find someone who purchased a sandwich, ice cream or coal for their furnace from this address to fill in some of the details.
One thing that does occur to me is who takes photos of places like this? When I visit my old stomping grounds of Washington, DC or Horsham, England, I am aware of the historical significance of the buildings that my friend is standing in front of as I take the picture. But how historical is the local coal shop or grocery store?
Think about it, sometimes what is in the background of a photo can be later found to have as much historical significance as what is in the foreground of that same photo. For example, I read a biography about Teddy Roosevelt a few years ago. In the book's center is a section with personal and professional photographs. You can see one photo of President Lincoln's funeral procession as it passed through New York City in 1865. In the background is a picture of Teddy Roosevelt and his brother hanging out of a window, looking towards the procession. The photo centered on the casket, the dignitaries and the military and yet a future president was also represented.
I'm sure there are photos out there with the old post office or Mr. McConnell's grocery or my great-uncle's print shop in the background of a family snapshot or something similar. The question remains will I find the oral history of a place as well as a photo from the past?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A Stone in the Pavement
I'm sure each neighborhood has a few elements surrounded in mystery.
In order to make my blog a bit more interesting, I thought I'd walk around the neighborhood taking photos of this and that to illustrate my thoughts and others' stories. I wanted to take a few photos of the historical marker that indicates the entrance to what was once Camp William Penn, so I walked down Sycamore Avenue between Cheltenham Avenue and Willow Avenue looking for photo opportunities.
After taking a few photos, I noticed this marble stone in the
pavement. I'm not sure that I ever noticed it before and even what made me pay attention to it at all. The stone looks like a little memorial placed in the cement perhaps even a century ago. I hope someone in the neighbohood has some background information about it. We shall see.
Have you recently noticed things in your neighborhood that you may have missed before?
In order to make my blog a bit more interesting, I thought I'd walk around the neighborhood taking photos of this and that to illustrate my thoughts and others' stories. I wanted to take a few photos of the historical marker that indicates the entrance to what was once Camp William Penn, so I walked down Sycamore Avenue between Cheltenham Avenue and Willow Avenue looking for photo opportunities.
After taking a few photos, I noticed this marble stone in the
pavement. I'm not sure that I ever noticed it before and even what made me pay attention to it at all. The stone looks like a little memorial placed in the cement perhaps even a century ago. I hope someone in the neighbohood has some background information about it. We shall see.Have you recently noticed things in your neighborhood that you may have missed before?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Still newsworthy
In the Sunday edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer on August 29, 2010, a journalist wrote an article on the anniversary of women's suffrage. Lucretia Coffin Mott (1793-1880) is mentioned in the article as her work pertained to the women's suffrage movement. I notice that she must still be considered revelant as I'll see her mentioned in today's magazines and textbooks. Wikipedia.com is a good starting place if you want to learn more about this amazing woman.
I see Lucretia Mott as a person who was way ahead of her time. I've read articles about her and one biography and I wonder how many other women during her lifetime gave speeches and traveled as much as she did? She also had the support of her husband which would have been critical at the time.
I think Mrs. Mott must have been something of an enigma in the 1800's. Several years ago, I looked up her details in the 1860 U.S. Census and noted that the space next to her name listing occupation was blank. Many women at the time of that census were "keeping house" and men were farm laborers, merchants, or bricklayers. I've wondered if the census taker had no idea what to write and so he didn't write anything. On the other hand, it's not like there was enough space to write abolitionist, social reformer and women's suffragist.
Due to her life's work she is recognized in having a village named after her (La Mott) and marker honoring her memory here in Pennsylvania.
I see Lucretia Mott as a person who was way ahead of her time. I've read articles about her and one biography and I wonder how many other women during her lifetime gave speeches and traveled as much as she did? She also had the support of her husband which would have been critical at the time.
I think Mrs. Mott must have been something of an enigma in the 1800's. Several years ago, I looked up her details in the 1860 U.S. Census and noted that the space next to her name listing occupation was blank. Many women at the time of that census were "keeping house" and men were farm laborers, merchants, or bricklayers. I've wondered if the census taker had no idea what to write and so he didn't write anything. On the other hand, it's not like there was enough space to write abolitionist, social reformer and women's suffragist.
Due to her life's work she is recognized in having a village named after her (La Mott) and marker honoring her memory here in Pennsylvania.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Ellwood Ivins Tube Works Company
In the 1920 U.S. Census, I noted that several people in La Mott, including members of the Fields family, worked at a place called the "Tube Works." A couple of years before his death, I spoke with Mr. Fields about this business as I thought he would be able to give me some insight as to what this company was all about. The complete name of the company was the Ellwood Ivins Tube Works. It was built in 1993 and first put in operation in 1894 according to the Directory of Iron Steel Works of the United States (1939).
Mr. Fields recalled how the company was located at the corner of Valley Road and Coventry Avenue in Melrose Park. After doing a bit of research at the Old York Road Historical Society, the local libraries and some archival work for the Cheltenham Twinning Committee, I found additional information about the company to support what I learned in that informal interview with Mr. Fields.
According to an ad by the Ivins Company, appearing in an anniversary book about Cheltenham Township, three inch tubes were made and stretched and then were used to make helicopters, instruments, aeroplanes, refrigeration equipment, fishing rods and more. Mr. Fields' father worked at the furnaces (there were three) and Mr. Fields, himself, worked the soap tubs. All employess had to find new jobs when the Ivins Company filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1962.
Mr. Fields recalled how the company was located at the corner of Valley Road and Coventry Avenue in Melrose Park. After doing a bit of research at the Old York Road Historical Society, the local libraries and some archival work for the Cheltenham Twinning Committee, I found additional information about the company to support what I learned in that informal interview with Mr. Fields.
According to an ad by the Ivins Company, appearing in an anniversary book about Cheltenham Township, three inch tubes were made and stretched and then were used to make helicopters, instruments, aeroplanes, refrigeration equipment, fishing rods and more. Mr. Fields' father worked at the furnaces (there were three) and Mr. Fields, himself, worked the soap tubs. All employess had to find new jobs when the Ivins Company filed for bankruptcy and closed in 1962.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Discovering Soda Recipes
My maternal grandmother and a great-aunt made root beer soda decades ago. After posting that story, I saw some soda recipes that seemed worth trying, although I think that recipes from from the 1930's and 1940's may have been more involved.
Reading this article and the accompanying recipes made me wonder what other beverages or other special recipes were made 'back in the day.' Maybe I'll find something worthy of a 'post.'
Reading this article and the accompanying recipes made me wonder what other beverages or other special recipes were made 'back in the day.' Maybe I'll find something worthy of a 'post.'
Monday, July 12, 2010
One of the last Fathers
On Saturday, July 10, a funeral was held for Mr. Patrick Henry Christopher at Salem Baptist Church in Jenkintown. Mr. Christopher died in his 80s. He was buried at Fairview Cemetery in nearby Upper Dublin. Generations of people from La Mott, Germantown and many other neighborhoods were buried there as well.
Mr. Christopher was the father of fives sons, but one son predeceased him. He had three daughters-in-law, several grandchildren and a boatload of relatives. He was married for 57 years which seems amazing in this day and age. While I knew who he was, I really didn't know much about him. I learned that day that he worked in construction for decades, was always willing to lend a helping hand and didn't like talking on the telephone.
I think of him as being one of the last Fathers in La Mott. Like many of the men of his generation he was the kind of man you looked up and admired. You knew he had a strength about him and raised his sons to be strong men as well. Each of his sons is admired just as he was.
He will be missed, but at the same I think he led a long and fruitful life.
Mr. Christopher was the father of fives sons, but one son predeceased him. He had three daughters-in-law, several grandchildren and a boatload of relatives. He was married for 57 years which seems amazing in this day and age. While I knew who he was, I really didn't know much about him. I learned that day that he worked in construction for decades, was always willing to lend a helping hand and didn't like talking on the telephone.
I think of him as being one of the last Fathers in La Mott. Like many of the men of his generation he was the kind of man you looked up and admired. You knew he had a strength about him and raised his sons to be strong men as well. Each of his sons is admired just as he was.
He will be missed, but at the same I think he led a long and fruitful life.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Fourth of July
La Mott had a parade that marched around all the streets in the neighborhood. My mother recalls that it was held by the American Legion. Mom's family stood on the corner at Cedar Lane and Willow Avenue and watched all the pomp and circumstance of several bands going by. Many of the residents marched in the parade themselves.
Cousi
n Stelle echoes my mother’s memories about the parade on the Fourth of July. She added that people came from South Philly to see the bands march from street to street. One of the residents even sat in the back of a convertible waving to all her family, friends and neighbors.
After the parade, the families might have their own gathering or participate in one of the block parties with a full spread complete with ribs. At my mother's house several members of the family gathered together for a fare that included fried chicken, potato salad, string beans, sliced ham, spinach and a pie, possibly apple. Grandmom Adelaide Jones would 'put up' root beer as the beverage for the day; the drink was prepared in really big pot. She got root beer extract and bottles about the size of a ‘Pepsi Cola’ bottle from the store as well as other ingredients. My mother recalls it as a several day process from cleaning the bottles, making the drink, pouring it into the bottles and waiting until it was time to drink it. About 3 dozen bottles were filled. Grandmom Adelaide had some sort of 'contraption' which put a lid on the bottles. They would sit for about a week or two and then be ready to drink. She had a place in the kitchen or the shed where she kept the bottles until they were ready.
My concept of root beer is a drink purchased at the grocery store and enjoyed over ice or with vanilla ice cream. It's so cool to think that both my Grandmother and my Great-Aunt prepared root beer in their own home I hope your 4th was filled with plenty of family, friends and good eats!
Cousi
n Stelle echoes my mother’s memories about the parade on the Fourth of July. She added that people came from South Philly to see the bands march from street to street. One of the residents even sat in the back of a convertible waving to all her family, friends and neighbors.After the parade, the families might have their own gathering or participate in one of the block parties with a full spread complete with ribs. At my mother's house several members of the family gathered together for a fare that included fried chicken, potato salad, string beans, sliced ham, spinach and a pie, possibly apple. Grandmom Adelaide Jones would 'put up' root beer as the beverage for the day; the drink was prepared in really big pot. She got root beer extract and bottles about the size of a ‘Pepsi Cola’ bottle from the store as well as other ingredients. My mother recalls it as a several day process from cleaning the bottles, making the drink, pouring it into the bottles and waiting until it was time to drink it. About 3 dozen bottles were filled. Grandmom Adelaide had some sort of 'contraption' which put a lid on the bottles. They would sit for about a week or two and then be ready to drink. She had a place in the kitchen or the shed where she kept the bottles until they were ready.
My concept of root beer is a drink purchased at the grocery store and enjoyed over ice or with vanilla ice cream. It's so cool to think that both my Grandmother and my Great-Aunt prepared root beer in their own home I hope your 4th was filled with plenty of family, friends and good eats!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
La Mott AME Church
According to www.cheltenhamtownship.org/lamott/lamott3.htm, the La Mott A.M.E. church began as a Sunday School meeting in the old wooden schoolhouse with prayer meetings in various residences.
The church building has been in existence since 1888 after Edward M. Davis, son-in-law of Lucretia Mott, donated the property. The first building was erected in 1888 at the intersection of School Lane and City Avenue (now Cheltenham Avenue). It was made of second-hand materials acquired from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. When the congregation outgrew the facility, the current building was constructed in 1911 at the same site.
The building is more than stone and mortar, it is the place where my great grandparents worshipped and where my parents married. It is also the place where my mother's aunt Bertha Jones sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. My mother sang with the 'Cheery Travellers,' a choir led by her sister-in-law Alice W. Jones.
The above photo was taken in May 2010.
The church building has been in existence since 1888 after Edward M. Davis, son-in-law of Lucretia Mott, donated the property. The first building was erected in 1888 at the intersection of School Lane and City Avenue (now Cheltenham Avenue). It was made of second-hand materials acquired from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. When the congregation outgrew the facility, the current building was constructed in 1911 at the same site.
The building is more than stone and mortar, it is the place where my great grandparents worshipped and where my parents married. It is also the place where my mother's aunt Bertha Jones sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. My mother sang with the 'Cheery Travellers,' a choir led by her sister-in-law Alice W. Jones.
The above photo was taken in May 2010.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
La Mott Fire Company Turns 100!
"Stop, drop and roll" is one of my first memories of the La Mott Fire Company. When I was a Girl Scout Brownie, we were given a demonstration by some of the volunteers which included safety tips like the one mentioned.
Many people have devoted their time to fighting fires in the past. Volunteers have included my younger brother who served at La Mott until he moved out of the area as well as several other people from the neighborhood and nearby Lynnewood Gardens. Many a night he was awakened by his pager going off announcing that the fire company was called into service.
Founded in August 1910, La Mott's Fire Company is one of Cheltenham Township's five volunteer fire companies. It was formed by the sons of the early white settlers and now boasts a multicultural membership. Although many of us grew up with the knowledge of the fire company, the book 'Cheltenham Township' explains a bit more about its history including the equipment that was purchased through the years. The first location was on Willow Avenue and stored a two-wheeled hosecart. It was about the size of a small one-car garage. The first actual firehouse was a stone and mortar building that built in the same block on Willow Avenue in 1914 and used until 1957 when the current building opened on Penrose Avenue.
Congratulations La Mott! Keep up the fine work! And to you the reader...have you checked your smoke detector batteries lately?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Greetings!
Welcome to La Mott Through the Years.
The concept for this blog came about as a result of my genealogical research. Using the U.S. Census information, I've learned more about family members living in La Mott. For example, one of my great-grandfathers lived right around the corner from two of his sons and down the street from two other sons.
As I read the information about my mother's family, I noticed that in addition to race, age, and place of birth, one's occupation was included in the details. So where did my great-grandfather work as a chef? Where did one of his sons work as a printer? I also noticed that several people worked at a place called the "Tube Works." My interest in the community deepened and I wanted to learn more.
La Mott is a village that was named after the abolitionist, Lucretia Mott. She was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts and settled in Cheltenham Township right next to the land that was used as a training camp for colored soldiers and known as Camp William Penn. The township was named after its 'sister' city Cheltenham, England.
My goal for this blog is to write about the history of this neighborhood and the people who live here with occasional snippets of what's happening today. For other perspectives on La Mott, check out http://lamott.blogspot.com/ or the website http://www.historic-lamott-pa.com/.
The concept for this blog came about as a result of my genealogical research. Using the U.S. Census information, I've learned more about family members living in La Mott. For example, one of my great-grandfathers lived right around the corner from two of his sons and down the street from two other sons.
As I read the information about my mother's family, I noticed that in addition to race, age, and place of birth, one's occupation was included in the details. So where did my great-grandfather work as a chef? Where did one of his sons work as a printer? I also noticed that several people worked at a place called the "Tube Works." My interest in the community deepened and I wanted to learn more.
La Mott is a village that was named after the abolitionist, Lucretia Mott. She was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts and settled in Cheltenham Township right next to the land that was used as a training camp for colored soldiers and known as Camp William Penn. The township was named after its 'sister' city Cheltenham, England.
My goal for this blog is to write about the history of this neighborhood and the people who live here with occasional snippets of what's happening today. For other perspectives on La Mott, check out http://lamott.blogspot.com/ or the website http://www.historic-lamott-pa.com/.
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