Lower Merion Historical Society

09/03/2026

🎶 The Girl from Ipanema…and Lower Merion 🎶🎤

Astrud Gilberto (1940-2023) was a bossa nova and samba singer. She was the first wife of Brazilian bossa nova guitarist João Gilberto. She gained international attention in the mid-1960s following her vocal contribution to the song "The Girl from Ipanema", which was awarded a Grammy in 1965.

In the 1960s, Astrud Gilberto appeared at a Philadelphia nightclub and met a local bar owner. She never left. They moved to a house on Sandringham Rd in Belmont Hills.

She and her family moved all over Lower Merion Township in the 1970s, living in Ardmore, Wynnewood, and Merion, while often traveling to Europe and Japan. She later lived a private life at the Society Hill Towers in Philadelphia.

09/02/2026

This distinctive Asian-influenced office building is called the Pagoda Building. It was built in 1966 on Presidential Boulevard in Bala Cynwyd.

But did you know it also has a (private) Japanese garden? A tranquil little oasis right off of a busy road.

https://lowermerionhistory.org

09/01/2026

Lower Merion Historical Society invites you to our Inaugural Fundraising Gala and Silent Auction. As we gather in the heart of suburban Pennsylvania, we invite our neighbors, historians, and friends to celebrate the stories that shaped Lower Merion and Narberth and help us preserve them for the generations to come.

When: November 14th, 7-10 pm

Where: The Cynwyd Club, 332 Trevor Lane, Bala Cynwyd

Early bird tickets are on sale now, but only until Sept 30. Click the link for more information!

Making History Together: The Lower Merion Historical Society Inaugural Fundraising Gala & Silent AuctionJoin us for a landmark evening celebrating the…

09/01/2026

🎞️When Gladwyne went Hollywood 🎥

Mary Pickford was “America’s Sweetheart” in the silent film era.

And there was no doubt much excitement in the village of Gladwyne in 1917, when she and a film crew shot exterior scenes for “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” on the Frank Willis farm in Gladwyne.

It must have been the talk of the little village when a crew from local film studio Betzwood Studios grouped its extras around the Claypool house at Youngsford and Rose Glen Road as the hero carried Rebecca’s limp form from the blazing building while assistants wafted clouds of sulphur fumes from the windows and doors.

Pickford was not only the star—she was the producer. The film was a box office hit.

08/31/2026

Ardmore has a connection to a person who became important in the founding of our country, as well as many other significant American “firsts.”

Philip Syng, Jr. (1703-1789) was a silversmith, father of 18 children, and especially remembered for his inkstand used at the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He was also a watchmaker, a maker of electrostatic machines, inventor of the first lawnmower, and assistant to Benjamin Franklin in developing the lightning rod.

In 1774 Syng purchased the former Three Tuns tavern along with 45 acres on Montgomery Ave and Mill Creek Road in Ardmore. Syng later renamed his estate the “Prince of Wales Farm.” Syng sold the estate, which later would be owned by five generations of the Anderson family, who renamed it “St. Georges” in 1785.

Syng was involved in many “firsts.” He was a founder of:

-The Library Company of Philadelphia (the oldest cultural institution in the US)

- The Union Fire Company (the first firefighting organization in Philadelphia)

- The Philadelphia Contributorship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss By Fire (the oldest insurance company in the United States)

- The Pennsylvania Hospital (America’s first hospital).

Syng also was a founding trustee of the Academy and College of Philadelphia, now known as the University of Pennsylvania.

08/29/2026

Old directional sign you can find on Old Lancaster Rd. in Merion. Old Lancaster is one of the oldest roadways in the country.

08/28/2026

Fun Fact: Did you ever wonder why KYW radio and tv stations begin with a “K” and all the other broadcast stations begin with “W”?

The letter generally is K for stations located west of the Mississippi River and W for eastern US stations. The two main exceptions are both in Pennsylvania: KYW and KDKA in Pittsburgh.

The KYW call letters were originally assigned to a station in Chicago until the 1930s. KYW is also unusual because it has three letters rather than the usual four.

08/27/2026

Join us at History on the Street this Saturday, August 29 from 12-4 at 13th and Locust.

National History Day Philly and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania sponsor a free end-of-summer celebration for the whole family. Kick off the school year with museums, cultural organizations, and community partners sharing their resources through a day of fun and discovery.

This street festival will feature vendors, activities, food trucks, and a live DJ. Connect with partner organizations such as the Museum of the American Revolution and the National Constitution Center to explore what Philadelphia’s history community has to offer students, teachers, and families alike.

Look for our LM Historical Society table. See you Saturday!

08/26/2026

Tragedy on the Tracks

May 18, 1951: A Pennsylvania Railroad train, Red Arrow, going 30 to 40 MPH, sped through a stop signal and collided with the rear end of the Philadelphia Night Express at Bryn Mawr train station, killing eight and injuring 63 (the numbers vary slightly, depending on news accounts).

The early phases of the investigation began amid reports that a physician, one of the first at the scene, found the engineer of the Red Arrow "could hardly see anything out of his right eye, due possibly to a cataract condition."

A subsequent investigation found that the engineer, Francis Yentzer, 61, of Harrisburg, was negligent; he had claimed that the cab signal indication was faulty, reading medium clear when it should have read restricting. His train, the eastward Red Arrow, struck the rear of the Philadelphia Night Express. (The Philadelphia Night Express had stopped because of a dragging equipment detector alert.) The PRR removed the cab signal equipment from the wrecked GG1 locomotive, installed it in another engine, and tested it repeatedly over the same stretch of track; it was found to be working perfectly.

Yentzer was charged with negligent homicide, but was acquitted nine months later by a Montgomery County Court jury.

08/25/2026

“Don’t call me Shirley!” (with apologies to the film “Airplane!”)

If you’ve ever sat at the light at busy Montgomery and Bala Avenues, you may have noticed a handsome 100+ year old apartment building with the name Shirley on the door. She’s likely not named for Shirley Temple, because that’s a little before her time as a child star. Perhaps named for the builder’s mother or wife?

Shirley has seen a lot over the years. She’s now called 10 Montgomery, but she’ll always be Shirley to us.