The I. Frank Lees Collection forms the backbone of the collections of the Media Historic Archives Commission, and is its reason for being. MHAC--an official arm of the Media, Pennsylvania government--was created to administer a collection of photographs and other material which I. Frank Lees (1919-1999), a lifelong resident, donated to the borough in 1981. The collection contains roughly 15,000 items, including the more than 1,800 photographs which are presented here. More photographs from this collection, and from other collections donated after Lees' death in 1999, will be added to this site in the future.
THANKS TO
- Chris Welc, for scanning more than 1,000 photographs in the photograph folders that Frank Lees had created. and for creating the first version of the Excel spreadsheet that became the basis of the catalog records on this site.
- Adam Levine scanned hundreds more photographs, fleshed out the photograph descriptions, and created the final metadata now attached to each image.
- Media Borough Council approved the purchase of a new computer and scanners for MHAC, and funded the creation and upkeep of this website.
Spatial Coverage
Media, Pennsylvania and vicinity, as well as other locations (including the Panama Canal Zone) related to Media people.
The church fronts on Main Street, Darby. The four-lane road is MacDade Boulevard, with Holy Cross Cemetery in upper left. The golf course is now gone, but one of the roads in the development that replaced the course is named Golf Road.
View shows buildings that are now the Collingdale Borough community center and police station, at MacDade Boulevard and Clifton Street. Har Zion Cemetery is in the upper right corner of the photo.
View shows St. Joseph's School in Collingdale in foreground, and Har Zion, Mt. Lebanon and Mt. Jacobs cemeteries in background. The school closed in 2010.
Diagonal road is Springfield Road. Baltimore Pike runs from left to right. The school complex at the left, on Diamond Avenue, included the smaller Clifton Heights Elementary School, which burned in 1974 after 103 years in service. After the fire, redistricting by the Upper Darby School District sent the borough's students to schools in other communities. The larger Clifton Heights Junior High School closed in 1977. This building was eventually sold and demolished, with houses and stores built on the property.
View shows Folcroft School, facing on Elmwood Avenue at Primos Avenue, northeast corner. This is now (2020) the Folcroft Police Department and District Court.
intersection of Chester Pike and South Avenue and what is now SEPTA/Amtrak railroad line, Glenolden, showing campus of Mulford Biological Laboratories (part of Sharp and Dome).
Aerial view looking north of Har Zion Cemetery, foreground, fronting on MacDade Boulevard, and Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. St. Joseph's School on Woodlawn Avenue is three-story building with tower in right center of photo.
