This collection focuses mainly on the Media Centennial Celebration, which ran from June 3-10, 1950 and included thousands of participants and attracted tens of thousands of spectators. Besides covering the centennial activities for local newspapers, Zimmerman took many photographs of local business, churches, and community organizations for inclusion in a souvenir book sold during the events. (The page number of these photographs, in this publication, are noted in each item’s description). To view a selection of Centennial photos by Zimmerman, click here. For an overview of the Centennial activities, click here.
A smaller but fascinating group of aerial photographs of Media and other nearby Delaware County, Pennsylvania communities, taken in 1950, show how much open space existed in the area at the time, and how quickly that land was being bought up and built up as part of the post-World War II housing boom.
Thanks to Adeline Cianella, for scanning most of the 750+ negatives and choosing appropriate subjects for each image; also to Matt Lake, for kicking off the project with a few dozen scans of his own. Most of the photographer's captions were minimal, so thanks also to Adam Levine, who edited each image and fleshed out the descriptions by perusing the Centennial souvenir book along with captions of published photos and newspaper articles describing the events, from both online databases and MHAC’s own scrapbooks and newspaper collection.
Identifier
Francis F. Zimmerman Photograph Collection
Spatial Coverage
Media, Pennsylvania and surrounding municipalities in Delaware County, Pennsylvania
John Rock (left) and Ted Rigby rehearsing scene reenacting the founding of Media, part of the historical pageant to be presented during Women's Day, June 8, 1950.
“Handicraft of pupils of Elwyn Training School forms one of the most attractive exhibits in the Media armory, where 29 different business and community [groups] have set up booths for the centennial week. Samples of basketry, hand woven tapestry, hooked rugs, loom woven rugs, hand woven linen pieces and hand embroidered linen illustrate the work of the Elwyn pupils. There are other exhibits of what the boys of the printing shop have turned out and several exhibits of academic work of the school including English, history, arithmetic and penmanship.” (Chester Times, June 6, 1950, page 17)
Booth for Girard-Miller Coal Co. featuring the automatic "blue coal" burner and a jar of pea coal with "blanks for guesses on the total number of pieces in the jar. A savings bond will go to the persons coming closest to the actual total.” (Chester Times, June 6, 1950, page 17)
Booth for Girard-Miller Coal Co. featuring the automatic "blue coal" burner and a jar of pea coal with "blanks for guesses on the total number of pieces in the jar. A savings bond will go to the persons coming closest to the actual total.” (Chester Times, June 6, 1950, page 17)
Francis Gray, right. These "Kops" were members of the Media Lions Club, and in charge of "enforcing" the beard rules in town during the celebration. Beardless men needed to buy a beardless permit or risk being fined and ducked in a bathtub of water, as other Keystone Kops photos in this collection show.
Pamela Baker, 9, daughter of the late Capt. Milford Baker, one of Media's war dead, ready to unveil the World War II memorial that includes the name of her father. To her left are color and honor guards from numerous Delaware County veteran's organizations. The memorial originally stood on the grounds of Media High School; it now stands to the west of 1 W. State Street, which was formerly the Media Post Office and then the Borough Hall, and now (2020) a restaurant.
Pamela Baker, 9, daughter of the late Capt. Milford Baker, one of Media's war dead, ready to unveil the World War II memorial that includes the name of her father. To her left are color and honor guards from numerous Delaware County veteran's organizations. The memorial originally stood on the grounds of Media High School; it now stands to the west of 1 W. State Street, which was formerly the Media Post Office and then the Borough Hall, and now (2020) a restaurant.
Pamela Baker, 9, daughter of the late Capt. Milford Baker, one of Media's war dead, ready to unveil the World War II memorial that includes the name of her father. To her left are color and honor guards from numerous Delaware County veteran's organizations. The memorial originally stood on the grounds of Media High School; it now stands to the west of 1 W. State Street, which was formerly the Media Post Office and then the Borough Hall, and now (2020) a restaurant.
Pamela Baker, 9, daughter of the late Capt. Milford Baker, one of Media's war dead, ready to unveil the World War II memorial that includes the name of her father. To her left are color and honor guards from numerous Delaware County veteran's organizations. The memorial originally stood on the grounds of Media High School; it now stands to the west of 1 W. State Street, which was formerly the Media Post Office and then the Borough Hall, and now (2020) a restaurant.
Pamela Baker, 9, daughter of the late Capt. Milford Baker, one of Media's war dead, ready to unveil the World War II memorial that includes the name of her father. To her left are color and honor guards from numerous Delaware County veteran's organizations. The memorial originally stood on the grounds of Media High School; it now stands to the west of 1 W. State Street, which was formerly the Media Post Office and then the Borough Hall, and now (2020) a restaurant.
Miss Greater Media, Patty Highfield, takes a lap around the field in an automobile, with J. Fred Schultz (right) and Walter Wood, who chaired the Miss Greater Media Contest.
Media Fawns All-Girls Junior Drum and Bugle Corps. (This is the identification on the negative envelope, but according to newspaper accounts, the Fawns did not compete in this event; this may be another unidentified group, or perhaps the Fawns performed as the local group, before the competition.)
