Treasure
Philly!
Engaging Frankford
Treasure Philly! Frankford launched in October 2025, in partnership with the Historical Society of Frankford, Frankford CDC, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, and the Free Library of Philadelphia.
We are working together to support community-led preservation of Frankford's cultural resources.
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Photo: Church Street and Frankford Avenue, 1921.
Photo courtesy of PhillyHistory.org, a project of the Philadelphia Department of Records.
Project Launch
Treasure Philly! Frankford launched with two public events: an Open House at the Historical Society of Frankford on October 4, 2025, and a Walking Tour of Historic Churches on October 18, 2025.
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The open house provided a hands-on opportunity to explore the Historical Society’s fascinating museum as well as its expansive collections of photographs, maps, and ephemera.
The event included photographer Joseph V. Labolito sharing his images of Frankford Avenue in 1982.
Attendees discussed local history and resources with Philadelphia Historical Commission staff, Historical Society of Frankford volunteers, and project partners Frankford CDC, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. ​
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The walking tour, led by Gail McCormick, highlighted three of Frankford's historic churches within a one-mile loop of the Historical Society of Frankford. In addition to historical information, participants learned about current programs at the churches.
The featured churches were St. Mark's Church, Frankford (brief presentation by Lay Leader Cristina Mancini), Moses Holy Temple Church (brief presentation by Pastor Aaron Kidd), and Word of Faith Church (brief presentation by Bishop Humphrey).
Picturing Frankford Avenue: c.1910s & 1982
See more at @PhiladelphiaCollections on Facebook and Instagram.
See more at @PhiladelphiaCollections on Facebook and Instagram.
T. Comly Hunter Collection, Historical Society of Frankford. Part of a 76-image series documenting both sides of Frankford Avenue before the construction of the El.
See more at @PhiladelphiaCollections on Facebook and Instagram.
Th​Attendees at our first public event - the Historical Society of Frankford Open House - viewed this slideshow illustrating Frankford Avenue in the early and late twentieth century.
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Late twentieth century photographs are by Joseph V. Labolito. Joseph is a distinguished photographer based in Philadelphia, known for his extensive and evocative portrayal of the city’s rich tapestry.
Joseph's photographs are housed in several prestigious public and private collections, including the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University and the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Print and Picture Collection, which features nearly 1,300 images.
See more of Joseph's work at @PhiladelphiaCollections on Facebook and Instagram.​
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Early twentieth century images are by Howard George (1869-1959), who operated a sporting goods store at 4359 Frankford Avenue for 61 years. The photographs were taken between 1910 and 1920 to document Frankford Avenue before the construction of the El. The series, which consists of 76 images, illustrates both sides of the avenue. George’s photographs are in the Historical Society of Frankford’s T. Comly Hunter Collection.
Celebrating and Preserving Historic Frankford Churches
Photo by Mike McCormick.
Photo by Mike McCormick.
Photo by Bruce Bohri.
Photo by Mike McCormick.
Building on interest in the October 2025 walking tour of historic churches led by Gail McCormick, the team turned its focus toward engaging local churches more than, or nearly, 100 years old.
We are prioritizing listening to, and learning from, church representatives in order to develop supportive programs.
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In January 2026, historic Frankford church representatives, project partners, Historical Society of Frankford board members, and staff from the Philadelphia Historical Commission, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, and Partners for Sacred Places convened for a discussion about historic preservation. Attendees expressed interest in learning more about designation. In response, we organized a meeting exploring historic designation in February 2026.
Our February meeting featured presentations by Philadelphia Historical Commission and PA State Historic Preservation Office staff, followed by a discussion. The event also marked the opening of an exciting exhibit curated by Gail McCormick in the Historical Society of Frankford's gallery celebrating historic Frankford churches (on view Spring 2026).
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Since February, we've met with historic Frankford church representatives individually to explore designation and preservation-related programs. Our work has included collaborating on the Second Baptist Church of Frankford Juneteenth Community Celebration (June 19, 2026), supporting archival preservation led by the Historical Society of Frankford, and engaging with University of Pennsylvania Historic Preservation students in Dr. Brian Whetstone's Public History of the Built Environment course (Spring 2026).
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Our ongoing initiative seeks to strengthen relationships while collaboratively crafting a preservation strategy which celebrates and sustains Frankford's vibrant network of historic churches.
Northeast 250: Threads of History
Northeast 250: Threads of History is a project of Mural Arts Philadelphia's Tacony LAB Community Art Center honoring the Semiquincentennial Celebration of the birth of our nation.
The project highlighted the historic places, stories, and organizations that shape Northeast Philadelphia. Tacony LAB Community Art Center organized a series of events at sites throughout the Northeast, from March 2026 to July 5, 2026. These gatherings offered opportunities to learn about local history while participating in hands-on community artmaking. Inspired by Betsy Ross's unique connections to Northeast Philadelphia, a team of artists with ties to Northeast Philadelphia engaged with community members to create make-and-take traditional crafts as well as a series of flags celebrating the stories that stitch our neighborhoods together.
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Treasure Philly! is a proud Northeast 250: Threads of History partner. On March 31, 2026, Treasure Philly!, the Historical Society of Frankford, and Tacony LAB Community Art Center hosted a Northeast 250: Threads of History event at the Historical Society of Frankford. The event featured a presentation by Gail McCormick (Historical Society of Frankford) on Betsy Ross’ Frankford connections, an exhibit exploring those connections, a paper quilling workshop by artist Zoey Storck, and a printing activity to create a community flag by artist Michelle Gibbs.
What do you treasure?
We asked attendees at public events Frankford and Northeast Philadelphia to respond to these questions:
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What local places, people, traditions, or events do you treasure?
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What makes your neighborhood special?
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Please click through the gallery below to read their answers!
What would you add?​ Tell us!
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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker outline. "Public pools" is written inside the outline, alongside a drawing of a swimming pool in front of rowhouses. Text at the top of the page reads, "My Philly History!"
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker outline. "Butter Cake (Holmesburg Bakery) 100+ years old" is written inside the outline.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker outline. "Water Ice" is written inside the outline, alongside a drawing of yellow water ice. Text at the top of the page reads, "My Philly History!"
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission historical marker outline. "Public pools" is written inside the outline, alongside a drawing of a swimming pool in front of rowhouses. Text at the top of the page reads, "My Philly History!"
Join us
Please check our events page to learn about upcoming public programs!