Month: March 2023

Posted on by Muriel K, Veep Chapter News and Events

Oat Foundry, makers of Split Flap Displays

Society for Industrial Archeology

Oliver Evans Chapter

presents

a Tour of Oat Foundry

DATE: Thursday, April 20, 2023                                                                        
TIME: 11 AM

Oat Foundry began in 2013 with a team of six Drexel Engineers on a mission to build cool stuff. They spent their early days prototyping and building a range of products from furniture for coffee shops to soft pretzel vending machines. In 2015 they were presented with the task to build a Split Flap Display that used modern technology while maintaining old-school functionality – and kept on building them.

 Oat Foundry prides themselves in maintaining the high-quality materials and engineering of the Solari split-flap boards that once hung in many train stations and airports. They hand build all boards in-house to order and source materials as locally as possible. Oat Foundry boards are used in offices and headquarters, entertainment, retail, restaurants, transportation centers (though currently not as arrival/departure boards) and more.

For more information and examples of their products visit: www.oatfoundry.com

To register for the tour or get more information contact Reese Davis at 610-692-4456 or e-mail at reesepdavis@gmail.com

Posted on by Muriel K, Veep Other News and Events

Steamboats on the Upper Delaware River

Tuesday, March 21st at 7:00 pm

a Zoom presentation

A Virtual Illustrated Presentation By Paul W. Schopp

A Delaware River Heritage Lecture Sponsored by the Delaware River Greenway Partnership (DRGP)

Please click here to register at the DRGP’s website.

The Upper Delaware River, extending from Market Street, Philadelphia, to the head of navigation at Trenton, once hosted a lively steamboat trade beginning with John Fitch’s experimental boats. Paul Schopp’s presentation will briefly cover the history of steamboats on this section of the river and then take viewers on an imaginary excursion up the Delaware from Philadelphia using rare postcard images and artwork, advertising, and period photographs. Viewers will learn about some of the ferry services offered to the traveling public as well as examine steam traffic on tributaries like the Pennsauken and Rancocas creeks. Riverfront amusement parks will be included in the presentation as well as some of the freight wharves and piers. Viewers will meet some of the masters who skippered the steamers. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the end of steamboat service and what happened to the last few boats.

Posted on by Muriel K, Veep Members' News

Rich Wagner Beer History Tour

Fairmount Park Conservancy presents

Trails to Ales

DATE
Saturday, March 18, 2023

TIME
1:00pm – 4:00pm

LOCATION
Mount Pleasant Mansion
3800 Mt Pleasant Dr
Philadelphia, 19121

Join beer historian Rich Wagner for a history of brewing and beer gardens on a hiking tour of East Fairmount Park.

As the name of the Brewerytown neighborhood that borders East Park indicates, Philadelphia was a beer brewing town. In fact, in the late 19th century, with over 30 breweries, we were the brewing capital of America! Before the city created the park, the banks of the Schuylkill River were valuable to emerging breweries for the harvesting and storage of ice and the cold storage of lager beer in underground vaults. Also, after acquiring several historic houses with the establishment of Fairmount Park, the city sought ways to re-adapt them and the properties were leased as beer gardens enjoyed by a growing German population. The hike will discuss this and many other intoxicating aspects of beer history in Fairmount Park.

Check this link for a much fuller description of the day’s events and information on how to join the group. There is a pay what you can ticket for the tour.

https://myphillypark.org/event/brewinghistoryhike/?fbclid=IwAR06DPcKaiv_pHsbEzU1-MG5BEHj6CEYfuFkC7LmGeUmAw6BE3_nVbISN6c

Rich is sharing this article on the Engel and Wolf’s Brewery.

abj_151_0108_engelwolfDownload