Contributed by Shaun Kirkpatrick
Did you know that an amusement park once sat on an island in the middle of the Delaware River? Or that a Bristol, Pa.-to-Burlington, N.J. ferry in the 1750s charged 6 pence for a pig to ride (the same as a human), unless the pig was dead…in which case it was still charged 3 pence? These and other surprising facts can be found in “Bristol’s Riverfront Connection,” a free Archives Month Philly exhibit at the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library in Bristol, Pa.
Displays examine such regional maritime topics as pre-colonial inhabitants, early settlers, mills, ferries, fishing, shipbuilding, and yachting and other riverfront recreation; the ecology of the river is also addressed.
The exhibit is open from Oct. 18 to Nov. 15, during normal library hours (Monday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Thursday toSaturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Sunday).
For more information, visit:
http://archivesmonthphilly.com/2014/01/01/bristols-riverfront-connection-ongoing-exhibit-2014/
Delaware Valley Archivists Group 