When William Penn established Philadelphia in 1682, he and his settlers no doubt sailed around several islands in the southern part of the Delaware River. Today a few islands still exist in this region, such as Petty's Island and Pea Patch Island, the site of Fort Delaware. But this expansive waterway between southern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey also once included several islands where the Delaware and Schuylkill River met – Mud Island, Little Mud Island, Hog Island, and League Island. Located just off League Island were once sandbars known as the Horseshoe Shoals. 

As an intern for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, I’m spending this summer researching people connected to the story of Bankers Trust Company, the first large Philadelphia bank to default during the Great Depression. I’m currently writing a brief biography about George Wharton Pepper (1867-1961), a lawyer, law professor, author, and Republican senator.

The summer is in full swing at HSP, and in archives that means we have welcomed two new interns into the ranks: Arek and Allison.  Both have been working hard on numerous projects, including updating our free space inventory and assisting Project Archivist Willhem Echevarria on collections he's processing for the NHPRC Civic Engagement Collections project.  They've also been hard at work inventorying and processing collections of their own.  Here's a rundown of those collections.  Links to the finding aids will be posted once their work is complete, but all these collections are currently o

It's tough being a holiday in June.  Just ask Flag Day.  Between Memorial Day and July 4th, people are out and about, vacationing, ending classes, and celebrating the beginning of summer.  Nobody has time to pay the ol' Red, White, and Blue any mind.