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 view is looking northwest. The street with the odd jog in the lower left is Bartram Ave. The large church sits on Baltimore Pike between Wycombe and Highland avenues.
View shows Liseter, home of a branch of the DuPont family, in foreground, and Aronimink Country Club, with its golf course, in the background. The two are separated by Route 252.
View also shows cemetery on Lincoln Avenue. Further along this avenue, on the opposite side of the street are a school building (now demolished), First United Methodist Church (remodeled and added onto since this photograph), and at 822 Lincoln Avenue, the 1889 building of the Prospect Lodge No. 578 of the Free & Accepted Masons.
View shows the quarry at the intersection of Stoney Bank Road (curving in the bottom right) and Forge Road (just out of the picture at the bottom. Formerly known as General Crushed Stone, this quarry is now (2020) part of Hanson Aggregates, and is much wider and deeper, stretching all the way north to Sweetwater Road. The railroad line serving the quarry is still in operation.
View shows showing wide area, including parts of Aston, Chester, Upper Chichester and other municipalities. The tank farm sits off the Conchester Highway (Route 322) and is bounded on the left by Pennell Road (Route 452).
