The Pre-1900s

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Thanks be to God

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church has been faithful to its Queen Village site since 1677.

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church, 916 S. Swanson St., has welcomed worshipers since 1677, honoring its Nordic ancestry and stressing humanity’s need for accord. Pennsylvania’s oldest church switched from Swedish Lutheran to Episcopalian in 1845, but no matter the denomination, fellowship has always reigned.

“This place is my life,” congregant Jeanette Woehr, whose family’s involvement dates back to the 18th century, said.

She and nearly 200 other devotees voice their prayers within the Queen Village location, which joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Bronze crosses and Swedish Bibles stand out among its artifacts, and numerous activities, such as festivals and Sunday School lessons, build the contemporary crowd’s reliance on faith and felicity.

“People often think it is a museum,” Woehr said. “It delights me to let them know its identity and to spend so much time with my extended family.”

-Joseph Myers

Many became one

Lighthouse Independent Baptist Church has grown tremendously since its start as Third Baptist Church, Second and Catharine streets.

Multiple mergers tell the history of Lighthouse Independent Baptist Church, 2400 S. Broad St.

Third Baptist Church members held services at a worshiper’s home in 1809 before securing a Second-and-Catharine-streets location two years later.

Fifteen years after purchasing its Marconi property in 1896, the unification with Calvary Baptist increased the number of congregants significantly, but a 1964 fire destroyed the structure, known for a solid marble baptismal and organ, and prompted a five-year reconstruction.

“The pipe organ was only second to the Wanamaker organ in quality and size,” Rev. William Kerr said.

In ’93, Third Baptist merged with Open Door Baptist. Five years later, the small congregation that is comprised of 17 nationalities and supports missionaries in numerous countries took its current name.

“This church has a long history in South Philadelphia,” Kerr said. “Being pastor here has been a bonus in my life.”

-Alexis Abate

Recreation station

Built in the 1820s, Jefferson Square Park, 300 Washington Ave., was deeded to the Union Army for use as a Civil War encampment. After the war, the City reconstructed the Pennsport space, with granite pillars and walls that remain today.

Crime, drug use and dumping caused the City to propose transforming it into an indoor recreation facility in the 1980s, but the Friends of Jefferson Square Park developed to halt the construction.

“The lesson that we learned was positive displaces negative action,” Friends President Michael Toklish, who moved to Front and Federal streets in 2000, said. “Years ago people were told ‘do not go into that park. It’s a negative place.”

Now the area holds an array of summertime activities, such as movie nights and flea markets.

“It’s now used constantly by dog walkers, kids, people who just want to sit on the bench and read, people who just want to have a picnic or throw a Frisbee,” he said.

-Amanda L. Snyder

Community credit

“We are truly a community bank,” Regina Wilson, Prudential Savings Bank’s vice president and corporate secretary, said.

Last year, the seven-branch neighborhood-oriented bank celebrated its 125th anniversary. Established in 1886 as South Philadelphia Building and Loan Association No. 2, 2101 S. 19th St., the business focused mainly on mortgages.

In the early 1970s, it built a small Oregon Avenue branch. Then, it acquired 1722 S. Broad St. in ’79 upon merging with Alvin Progressive Savings. With the purchase and demolition of clothing retailer Robert Hall two years later, Prudential built the 1834 W. Oregon Ave. location, knocking down the smaller spot for its parking lot. Pennsport Mall construction brought along the 238A Moore St. branch in the early-’80s.

Prudential now offers various loans and other supplemental products to its traditional banking services.

“We are well known in the South Philly community,” Wilson said.

-Alexis Abate

Key to success

Photo Courtesy of PhillyHistory.org

Francis Scott Key School has provided quality education to generations of pupils.

A public school in any city acts as a pillar in the community, providing educational services to its children.

Francis Scott Key School, 2230 S. Eighth St., has fulfilled this mission with achievements, such as regional honors in a national science competition where one of its four teams placed in the top-24.

“I know we will continue to be successful,” Principal Norris Eldridge said. “We are a high-quality, educational institution.”

The Lower Moyamensing facility opened in 1889, and since then, has been serving the diverse families within the surrounding communities. Currently, Key has 503 students enrolled, with those of Asian, Latino and African-American descents making up 51.4, 18.4 and 15.2 percent, respectively.

“We have generations of families that continue to come to Key because we provide quality services. And we welcome everyone in the community,” he said.

-Samantha Byles

Centenarian of caring

Methodist Hospital has expanded in size since its early years.

Unfortunately, hospitals are a critical part of life.

Luckily for South Philly patients — ranging from newborns to those battling life-threatening illnesses — a Lower Moyamensing institution has been checking the pulses of local residents since 1892. Methodist Hospital , 2301 S. Broad St., was founded as Methodist Episcopal Hospital to improve the quality of life.

It has provided medical care at home and abroad during World Wars I and II, survived the Great Depression and employed and educated generations of South Philadelphians.

“Methodist Hospital is a proud member of the South Philadelphia community,” James E. Robinson, Methodist’s senior vice president and chief administrative officer, said. “The hospital remains committed to its home, and providing its neighbors and patients throughout the region with the highest quality care.”

-Bill Gelman

Intestinal fortitude

Inset Photo by Greg Bezanis

Fiorella Brothers Sausage Co. has profeered pig products for parts of three centuries.

The business of making and selling sausages at Fiorella Brothers Sausage Co., 817 Christian St., continues on today just as it did when the Bella Vista business began in 1892.

Current proprietors Daniel and wife Trish Fiorella are the proud fourth-generation owners. Luigi Fiorella opened the shop, which makes and sells all-natural pork sausage, at age 19, after emigrating from Italy. The specialty sausages include seven varieties of hot, mild, with fennel, without fennel, liver, cheese and breakfast.

“The liver sausage is my great-grandmother’s recipe,” Daniel said. “It’s the only one of its kind in the area.”

Fiorella Brothers, which moved in 1904 to its current operation — just steps away from its original location, proudly serves its fresh homemade product in area restaurants and to residents.

“We are USDA-inspected every day, and I think that shows how much we care about our customers,” Daniel said.

-Katie Armstrong

No kidding around

Photo Courtesy of PhillyHistory.org

Students gathered outside of the original George W. Childs School location in 1908.

Named for a philanthropist and Philadelphia Public Ledger owner, George W. Childs School made its Point Breeze debut in 1894 at 1501 S. 17th St., where it remained for 116 years before taking over the former Norris S. Barratt School, 1599 Wharton St.

“We have a very strong education focus where teachers take ownership of the children as if they are their own children,” Principal Daniel Peou said.

Under his guidance, with African-Americans, Asians and Latinos making up 59, 24 and 13 percent, respectively, of its 601 pupils — 90 percent of whom are economically disadvantaged — Childs reached 66.3 and 80.4 percent proficiency on reading and math standardized tests, respectively, last year. The students also have plastered the hallways with art through a University of the Arts mentorship program, and revitalized their outdoor space into a garden.

“I want them to think the sky is the limit,” Peou said. “Let’s focus on college.”

-Amanda L. Snyder

Artistic merit

A recent winner of a national award, the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial remains a draw for artistically-inclined adults and children. Their work, in turn, attracts advocates for artistic achievement to inspect numerous galleries.

Since 1898, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St., has striven to topple notions that very few individuals can conjure creative ideas. The Bella Vista destination began as the Graphic Sketch Club, receiving its current name with the 1944 death of its founder.

“Samuel Fleisher’s vision … has remained our mission to the present day: To make art accessible to everyone, regardless of economic means, background or artistic experience,” its Executive Director Matt Braun said.

The site offers tuition-free and low-cost classes and workshops that team with galleries and community-center and school programs to attract more than 16,000 annual admirers. It also claimed a 2011 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.

“We are all very proud to be South Philadelphia’s art center,” Braun said, “and will always strive to maintain strong connections with the communities right beyond our front door.”

-Joseph Myers

Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.

South Philly Milestones
The 1900s
The 1910s
The 1920s
The 1930s
The 1940s
The 1950s and ’60s

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