OLIVER EVANS CHAPTER

Author: Muriel K, Veep

  • The first Slinky was made in Philly

    Rebekah James Morris (far left) and Christopher James (right) are the children of “Slinky” toy creators Richard and Betty James. Jen Procacci (second from left) created this week’s Firstival design (Violet Comber-Wilen/Billy Penn) The first Slinky was made in Philly, and its legacy lives on through the inventor’s children Richard James didn’t set out to…

  • History of SEPTA’s subway and regional rail lines

    Join on Tuesday, September 1st at 6 pm with cartographer, writer, artist, and lawyer Jake Berman to delve into the history of SEPTA’s subway and regional rail lines. Jake Berman is the author of The Lost Subways of North America. His work has been featured in The New Yorker, Vice, Atlas Obscura, and the Guardian.…

  • Virtual link for Chapter presentation

    Bucks County Trolley Lines In person presentation by Mike Szilagyi, AICP, author and historianWednesday, September 9, 2025, 6:00 – 7:30 pm Here is the link for people unable to attend in person: https://freelibrary-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jzRAHDU2To2gpnczTJNUDg Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was once served by 120 miles of trolley lines. During the decades spanning the 1890s to 1950s, a variety of…

  • More Celebration of the Ben Franklin Bridge

    Celebrate the Centennial of the Ben Franklin Bridge Exhibit by photographer James B. AbbottJuly 3–September 27, 2026 Spanning more than four decades of Abbott’s work (1982–2023), the exhibition features photographs from four distinct bodies of work documenting the Ben Franklin Bridge and its evolving urban landscape. Beginning with images captured in the 1980s, visitors will…

  • Bucks County Trolley Lines 

    An interior and an exterior view of the Paul Valley trolley power plant and car barn on Easton Road in Warrington Township.  The power plant building still stands today, albeit repurposed. Bucks County Trolley Lines  by Mike Szilagyi, AICP, author and historianWednesday, September 9, 2025, 6:00 – 7:30 pm Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was once served…

  • Pa. brewery historian contributes items for ‘Cheers to 250: Brewing in America’ exhibit

    For more than 40 years, Rich Wagner has researched the history of breweries in Pennsylvania. The National Museum of Industrial History tapped Wagner’s knowledge for a new exhibition to celebrate the semiquincentennial. “‘Cheers to 250: Brewing in America” is our signature exhibit,” says Andria Zaia, President & CEO of the National Museum of Industrial History.…

  • Brandywine Valley Oral History Project

    I’ve just dug deeper into the wonderful resources of the Hagley Museum and Library. I looked into their digital exhibits and just selected the Brandywine Valley that I thought would interest people.They also have digital exhibits on Beer and Brewing history, a collection on Automobile Advertising, The History of Product Packaging, and the Dupont Gunpowder…

  • Transit Tourism

    Design Advocacy Groupin person event Wednesday, August 12, 20265:30 PM – 7 PM David Seltzer will join DAG for a presentation based on his book,Transit Tourism: The Iconic Art and Design of 22 Subways Around the World, released in 2025 by Schiffer Publishing. Transit Tourism consists of travel essays and images on the art, architecture…

  • Thomas W. Dyott, Snake Oil, Soda Water and the Perennially Seductive Philadelphia Bottle

    View of the Glass works of T. W. Dyott at Kensington on the Delaware nr Philada., Lithograph by Kennedy & Lucas after William L. Breton, 1831. (The Library Company of Philadelphia) Thomas W. Dyott, Snake Oil, Soda Water and the Perennially Seductive Philadelphia Bottle By Ken Finkel https://blog.phillyhistory.org/index.php/2012/01/thomas-w-dyott-snake-oil-soda-water-and-the-perennially-seductive-philadelphia-bottle/ The first glass factory in the area,…

  • Workshop of the World Quiz

    Illustration by James Olstein The Great Philly Mag Semiquincentennial Quiz: Part 6 Test your Philly history knowledge with our Semiquincentennial Quiz. This month: how the city established its “Workshop of the World” reputation as a manufacturing and industrial powerhouse in the mid- to late 19th century and beyond.By Sandy Hingston https://www.phillymag.com/news/semiquincentennial-quiz-part-six