The King of Prussia Gazette Preserving Upper Merion's Past to Enlighten its Future Volume II, Number One Spring 2013 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT by Michael Morrison The State of the Society, 2013 As we begin the Tricentennial year of 2013, and we near the end of our first year as a reborn society, I would like to take this opportuni- ty to thank everyone who has supported our efforts. Growth is not without its pains, but we stand resolute and will continue to bring you the story of our rich local history so it will never be forgotten. In review, our first year was a busy one, with the anticipated Tri- centennial celebration just around the corner. Last June, members of the Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society (est. 1936), were invit- ed to the historic King of Prussia Inn, and we shared the story of its history. Nearly 50 people attended the presentation, and we plan to offer it again this year. In November, I hosted Chef Walter Staib of City Tavern in Philadelphia and gave him a tour of the historic King of Prussia Inn. Chef Staib and his crew filmed the visit, which would be aired in March, 2013, as the season premier of his Emmy Award winning PBS show, “A Taste of History”. We will co-sponsor a very special Civil War History Day with the Upper Merion Township Library, the Upper Merion Tricenten- nial Committee, and Society for the preservation of the historical site at Christ Church – Old Swedes Upper Merion, planned for Saturday, June 29, 2013 at Christ Church (Old Swedes). This will be a fundraising event to benefit the preservation of the Church that is in need of maintenance and repair. If you have never visited this historic site, I urge you to join us and help this support this priceless treasure. You will experience reenactor Pat Jordan as Anna Holstein (an Upper Merion resident and Civil War nurse) at 11:00am, the story of Sarah Priest (also a CW nurse), tours of the graveyard highlighting prominent citi- zens, and tours and information about the church and its stained glass windows, which are quite a treasure. If you have ever wondered about the history of the church, this will be the perfect day to visit Christ Church (Old Swedes) with your family. In the book, “History of Christ Church (Old Swedes), Upper Merion 1760-1960”, it is suggested that “wherever the Swedish settlers went, the Church was not long in following, for they were a deeply religious people, intent upon preserving their reli- gious heritage, and extending it to all about them.” The first service of record for Christ Church (Old Swedes) was performed by Rev. Samuel Hesselius in 1733, and held in the home of Gunnar Rambo. It was suggested that services could be more frequent if a schoolhouse-church were built. The peo- ple took his advice and completed a simple log cabin in 1735 on land donated by Gunnar Rambo. There is also an indication that the Rev. Andrew Sandel, second pastor of Gloria Dei Church was here from 1702 to 1719, and sometimes came up to hold services, so you can see there is a rich history to be explored. INSIDE THIS ISSUE The “History of Christ Church (Old Swedes), Upper Merion 1760-1960” also states that “In this period of the Civil War, Mr. William H. Holstein MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT………….……..1 SOCIETY INFORMATION………...………..………..2 and other members of the parish were active in collecting supplies to ED DYBICZ……..……………………………...……….3 be sent to army camps as special treats for soldiers from Montgomery JOSEPH DORAZIO………………..………..………….3 County. Mrs. Holstein made several trips to such camps to distribute PICTURE THIS!...................................................4 them.” Both rest in the cemetery outside the church. UPPER MERION ABOLITIONISTS….………..…….5 THE KING OF PRUSSIA INN………………..……….6 PICTURE THIS! ANSWER…………………………….7 (Continued on Page 7) Page 2 The King of Prussia Gazette MISSION STATEMENT The Town Crier—-updates from the Society The mission of the King of Prussia Historical Society is OUR CHARTER MEMBERS to preserve and interpret the history of Upper Merion We acknowledge our Charter Mem- Township as relevant to its various neighborhoods of bers and thank them for their sup- Gulph Mills, Gypsy Hills, Croton Woods, King of Prus- port: Emma Carson, Father James sia, Valley Forge, Abrams, Belmont, Town Center, Evans, Dave and Marianne Furman, Swedesburg/King Manor, Henderson, and Swedeland, Frank Luther, Dr. Carl Schultheis, as well as the areas of Rebel Hill, Port Kennedy, and and Van Weiss. Hughes Park. The Society's goal is to stimulate public interest and to support the township's heritage INTERESTED IN WRITING? through educational programs and public events fo- The Society welcomes articles pre- cusing on preserving the past and shaping the future. pared by its members. Contact Frank Luther if you might be inter- MEETINGS ested in writing and sharing an arti- cle for our publication. Members and friends of the King of Prussia Historical SPECIAL EVENTS Society are invited to regular meetings nine times a Civil War Commemoration…The King of Prussia Historical year. No meetings will be scheduled in July, August, Society is partnering with Christ Old Swedes Church, the and December. A topic dealing with local history will Library, and the Tricentennial Committee to honor the be presented following a brief business meeting. Upper Merionites who made significant contributions dur- Meetings will be held at 2:00 in the Upper Merion ing America’s Civil War. This year, being the 150th Anni- Township Building. versary of the Civil War, it is most appropriate to remem- ber those who sacrificed so much for the country. The An "Annual Meeting" will be held each January. The event is planned for Saturday, June 29 at Christ Old purpose of this meeting will include the election of Swedes Church. In the planning are presentations, re- Directors and Officers, the reporting of the business of enactments, and tours of the graves of the veterans and the Society, and for any other objectives that may be citizens who supported the War. Refreshments will also deemed necessary. be available in the Church Hall. Look for forthcoming de- tails about this special event! During this Tricentennial year, the Society’s meetings are being coordinated with the Speakers Series meet- Mark your calendar for a Society special event at the Inn ings scheduled for the township’s 300th anniversary on Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29: celebration. The Publick House at the King of Prussia Inn. Also during the day, a two-hour program at the Old Roberts School- house is being planned. VOLUNTEERS AS IS: SELECTED POEMS OF JOSEPH DORAZIO The Society benefits greatly by the knowledge and Joseph Dorazio, featured in this issue of THE GAZETTE, expertise of dedicated and capable volunteers whose informed us in January that his latest volume of poetry, efforts enable all of our varied activities, from coordi- As Is: Selected Poems of Joseph Dorazio, is available nating our public programs to working with our ar- wherever books are sold. At Amazon.com, you can down- chives and managing our publications and our web- load As Is for your Kindle®. If you have a Nook® As Is is site. available at Barnesandnoble.com. Of course, you can al- ways order a printed copy of the book at Amazon, B&N, We are always looking for new people to step up and or your favorite indie bookstore. You can also order di- to take on new projects. If interested, please come rectly from iUniverse.com where As Is has earned an to a meeting and talk to us or contact us by electronic "Editor's Choice" award. or conventional mail. OMISSION ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP The story, Christmas at Valley Forge, by Suzanne Vincent in the Winter 2012 issue of THE GAZETTE should have Student/Senior (65+) $35.00 been identified as a work of historical fiction. We regret Individual $40.00 the omission. Family Household $50.00 Patron $125.00 Charter $250.00 The King of Prussia Gazette Page 3 THE KING OF PRUSSIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY SALUTES TWO LOCAL HISTORIANS ED DYBICZ, MR. UPPER JOSEPH DORAZIO, ARCHIVIST MERION HISTORY As a young high school student in Upper Merion, Joseph In 2013, Upper Merion Dorazio developed a keen interest in history and espe- Township is celebrating its cially local history. He began collecting articles and fil- Tricentennial. Go to the ing them in a reasonable order. Going to the Local His- Local History Collection in tory Collection in the Upper Merion Township Library, the Township Library and one can find the work that Joe had done and develop one is amazed by the an appreciation for his efforts. number of newspaper arti- cles filed there about Up- Modestly, Joseph noted that as far as background info per Merion, most being the goes, “I'm afraid it's not very exciting: I was somewhere work of Ed Dybicz. He has between junior high and high school when I took an certainly helped to pre- avid interest in the history of King of Prussia and Upper serve Upper Merion’s his- Merion Township. I think it started during a summer job tory to enliven its future. I had as a library page at the Wolfsohn Memorial Li- brary. As I recall, I remember seeing a flyer about-town Ed Dybicz, a lifelong resi- regarding a spring cleaning dent of Upper Merion Township, has lived in the village of the King of Prussia Inn. of Swedesburg all of his life. A graduate of Upper Meri- That's how I became associ- on High School in 1941, he served in the U.S.