The Cheltenham Township Historical Commission has released dates and details for their upcoming events:
Annual Revolutionary War Reenactment at the Moland House
When: Saturday, August 27, 2024; 10:00-4:00 PM
Where: The Moland House, 1641 Old York Road, Hartsville, PA 18974
Who: A host of historical groups, including the Cheltenham Twp. Historical Commission
The Historical Commission was just invited to participate in the Annual Revolutionary War Reenactment at The Moland House. This is a great event, and we’d love to see you there visiting our neighbors. Along with the 1st Crossing Regiment they will have various interpreters of the period when General Washington and 11,000 troops encamped on the Neshamini Creek in the summer of 1777. At this point Penn’s Woods Puppet Theater, colonial cooking, a colonial gunsmith, woodworkers, the AWI Privateers, a cooper, and a colonial musician, among others will be at the Moland House for this Warwick Township Historical Society Event.
Colonial Surveyor at the Richard Wall House
When: Sunday, August 25, 2024; 1:00-4:00 PM
Where: Richard Wall House, 1 Wall Park Drive, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Who: Michael Carver as David Rittenhouse, Colonial Surveyor
The Richard Wall House, Cheltenham Parks and Rec, and the Elkins Park Library are hosting Michael Carver in his impression of the noted surveyor David Rittenhouse, to teach 18th Century surveying on August 25 from 1:00 pm to 4:00pm. The public is invited to participate in a hands-on program where they will learn to use the tools and techniques common in the 18th Century to measure, map, and deed a small plot of land using reproduction instruments and hand computations. We will discuss how surveyors oriented themselves and took surveys, measure and map a parcel of land, and issue a deed similar to what was given to pay soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War.
Participants will learn first-hand how the work of surveying our frontiers was done. They will gain a tactile understanding of the hardships men undertook in mapping out our communities in the 18th Century as well as an appreciation of the elegance of their methods and tools. Participants will also learn to appreciate the common units of measurement that they use in their day to day life but may not really understand as well as an intuitive appreciation for the fundamentals of basic plane geometry and trigonometry. We hope this program will help them not just appreciate history but also their community infrastructure and lay-out.
Camp William Penn and Historical La Mott Day
When: Saturday, September 21th, 2024; 10:00-4:00 PM
Where: 7322 Sycamore Ave, La Mott 19027
Who: Civil war re-enactors, the Camp William Penn Museum, Civil War medical presentations, local history organizations
Camp William Penn was located in what is now modern day La Mott and was the largest federal training camp for black Civil War soldiers. Come to our festival to meet re-enactors, learn about Civil War medicine, and engage local historic groups.
Community Fair and Grand Open House at the Richard Wall House
When: Sunday, October 20th, 2024; 1:00-4:00 PM (Rain date October 27th)
Where: Richard Wall House, 1 Wall Park Drive, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Who: You
Every October, the Richard Wall House hosts our flagship event, our Community Fair and Grand Open House. This event is free and open to the public. Currently, we are soliciting participants to host tables in around the house and in the park. We already have some interested parties:
- Cheltenham Parks and Recreation
- Citizens for the Restoration of Historical La Mott
- The Millbrook Society
- Friends of Northeast Philadelphia History
- La Mott Citizens United
- Researcher for Camp William Penn
- Oliver Evans Chapter Society for Industrial Archeology
- Cheltenham Township Library System
- Old York Road Garden Club
- Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership
- Old York Road Historical Society
- Friends of Curtis Arboretum (FOCA)
- Montgomery County Planning Commission
- Cheltenham Communities That Care
- Cheltenham Chamber of Citizens
BYOC (Bring Your Own Camera) Photos with Santa and Rosebud
When: Saturday, November 2nd, 2024; 9:00 AM-1:00 PM (Rain date November 3rd)
Where: Richard Wall House, 1 Wall Park Drive, Elkins Park, PA 19027
Who: Santa, The Flower Mama, and her truck Rosebud
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Photos: Cheltenham Township Historical Commission