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
This is Zimmerman's copy of an old photograph, which is not dated but could be ca. 1870. The school appears on the 1855 Map of Media, and predated the formation of the borough in 1850. According to Keith Lockhart (delawarecountyhistory.com) it was built about 1840 and known as the Upper School in Nether Providence Township.
Lewis founded Lewis Tree Surgeons Co. in 1933; the company moved to Media in 1937. More details about Lewis and the company can be found in an ad in the Centennial Book, page 78. In December 2020, this house (along with several outbuildings) on a 1-acre lot were being offered for sale for $969,000.
Lewis founded Lewis Tree Surgeons Co. in 1933; the company moved to Media in 1937. More details about Lewis and the company can be found in an ad in the Centennial Book, page 78. In December 2020, this house (along with several outbuildings) on a 1-acre lot were being offered for sale for $969,000.
