We’ve all been complaining about the heat and humidity lately. But, as we all know, it’s July and this is what we can expect.
And 30 years ago, the region was sweltering away as well.
Glenda Moyer of Lansdale has submitted these photos that ran in the July 22, 1978, edition of The Reporter — well, it was named the North Penn Reporter back then — and they show that it was hot then, too.
The information that ran with the “Kool-Aid Kids” photos noted:
“Even a cold drink brings little relief from the muggy weather, as these youngsters found yesterday. The brothers and sisters opened competing cold drink stands on the corners of Derstine and Cannon avenues, Lansdale, but sales weren’t booming.
The information accompanying the top photo said, “At left, Shawn Moyer, 5, and his brother Steve, 8 of Columbia Avenue, wait for business.
“In photo at right, their sister Yvonne, 9, at right, and her friend, Julie Lichty, look grim as they await some hot weather business. The boys said they made about $1.30 in sales. But there was no report from the girls.
The information for the second photo said, “Below, a herd of cows on the Alderfer farm, off Orvilla Road, Towamencin, looks for shade, rather than a drink, on a hot afternoon.”


As an additional note, a brief story that ran with the photos noted:
“High pressure will remain stationary over the southeastern United States and Pennsylvania will continue to swelter in the continuing hot, humid and increasingly stagnant air mass over this part of the country.”
Hmmmm.
Some things never change, do they?

Christ Covenant Church on Sumneytown Pike, Kulpsville, which formerly was known as Christ United Church of Christ and, before that, Christ Reformed Church, is readying to celebrate its 175th anniversary.


In light of that, member Mig Robertson has submitted this photo that was printed on March 7, 1949, in The Reporter’s “sister” paper, the Times Herald in Norristown.
The photo shows Mrs. Harry B. Benner, organist of what was then called Christ Reformed Church, at the console of the church organ, which had been dedicated at a service the day before, after repairs and additions to the instrument.
According to the caption, those watching are, from left, Paul Bartholomew, organist at Trinity Lutheran Church of Lansdale, guest organist during the ceremony; Doris Moyer, the church’s assistant organist; R.M. Moyer, director of music at the church; and Pastor Lester A. Ehret.
According to information supplied by Robertson, the organ was used until the new sanctuary was built in 1965, when a new instrument was purchased.
The organ in the photo, she notes, originally came from a local theater (Souderton or Lansdale, she said).
Robertson also details those in the photo:
“Of the people in the photo, the guest organist is the deceased brother of a current church member, Mary Kemmerer; Doris Moyer, now Loux, is a sister of two current church members, Melba Fluck and Norrell Weisenborn, and Mrs. Loux is the longtime organist at Trinity UCC of Telford. Russell Moyer still resides in the area.”

The Sixers may have signed one extremely expensive player, but that guy has nothing on this local hoops team.
This photo, submitted by Jim Moore of North Wales, was taken in 1959.
Moore says the picture shows a basketball team from North Wales and Upper Gwynedd, and the boys are ages 11 through 13.
And there is a famous player in the group. According to Moore, No. 19 — the youngster shown front and center — is none other than John Oates, of the singing duo Hall & Oates.
The coach for the team was Andy Mazzanti, Moore noted, and the team was sponsored by Merck.
“Some of the names of the players in this photo that I remember are George Brower, Bob Milnes, Daryl Boorse, Russ Camburn, Nevin and Wayne Harper, Dick Holmes, Greg Lacher, Dave and Paul Robison, Tim Weigner, Faris Barnes, Jim Rittenhouse, Bob Mathe, George Gardiner, Dick Reiner, Phil Waldron, Walt Peifer, Tom Penn, Jim Moore, Dave Gerhart, George Arbic and Jim Mazzanti. Maybe some of the readers will recognize the rest,” Moore said.
Well, anyone?

by Walter Ault

WORCESTER - One of the most fascinating places in all of Montgomery County is the Peter Wentz Farmstead, a historical and architectural gem in Worcester Township that those with an interest in local history should visit.
The farmstead is a beautifully preserved German-style farm bordering Skippack Pike, Shearer Road and Zacharias Creek, with the centerpiece being a large two-and-a-half-story stone house built in 1758.
The house is about 80 percent original, according to Morgan McMillan, who has been curator of the site for five years.
Peter Wentz inherited 300 acres from his land-speculator father in 1744 and subsequently began building a house on the plot. The house was completed in 1758 and is in excellent condition despite being 250 years old.
There are also many other, smaller structures on the site - re-creations built on original foundations. There is a barn, a sheep fold, an ice house and a smoke house, a privy and a wood shed, all carefully constructed to give the site an appearance of the late 18th century.
The Wentz family, Peter and his wife Roseanna, lived in the 10-room house until 1784, then sold it to a man named Devault Beiber. Ten years later, Beiber sold the house to Melchiore Schultz, a Schwenkfelder minister.
Schultz and his descendants lived in the house until 1969 when the county bought the property.
The house is intriguing for many reasons: one being that it has elements of both English- and German-style architecture, as McMillan explained. "The façade and floor plan are Georgian (English) style," he said, "with everything being symmetrical.
"The pent roof, the split doors or Dutch doors are German style."
The site is still a working farm, with sheep and horses, the barn and a vegetable and herb garden. There are also plenty of fields, meadows and nature trails for walking.
"The Wentzes were wealthy farmers and their property reflected that," McMillan said. "And the farmstead looks much as it would have back then."
Nevertheless, the house is definitely the main attraction. It is truly beautiful inside and out, with many interesting features.
Standing near the front door, the first floor pent roof is immediately noticeable. It keeps water off the foundation of the house and supports a small, outside balcony. The stonework and fancy window shutters are equally impressive.
Once inside the house, the pine wood floors, some of which are original, stand out. "The front rooms, a parlor and a kind of utility room or family room," McMillan points out, "are more fancy than the others, with more plaster and paint and more decoration."
Even on the second floor, the front rooms are more decorative and elaborate, with, among other things, a corner cupboard in each room.
The walls even have a surprising feature. From the chair rails down to the floors, all the walls are painted in decorative patterns, in accordance with the German style of the 18th century. One small section of the wall has some of the original paint exposed for visitors to examine.
All the rooms are elaborately decorated with period furnishings. Some rooms have fireplaces while others have what are called five plate (cast iron) stoves.
One of the most fascinating rooms is called the Washington bedroom, because that is where it is believed General Washington slept during his stay at the house.
As it turns out, General Washington stayed at the Wentz home in the fall of 1777 (using it as his headquarters) for two days before the Battle of Germantown.
The American troops moved from the farmstead toward Philadelphia, where they encountered the British forces in a battle Oct. 4.
The future president stayed at the house again after the battle.
"The Washington room is the most originally intact room in the house," McMillan said.
The room has some beautiful period furnishings, but what really draws attention are the closets that extend the entire length of one wall from floor to ceiling.
However, the interesting aspects of the house don't end there. The summer kitchen is also worth mentioning. It has a large, original fireplace, with a brick bake oven in one corner.
The summer kitchen, unlike many others at the time, is connected by a breezeway to the main house.
Above the breezeway is a loft now used to house a collection of 18th century tools and contraptions.
"This is a special place," McMillan said. "A lot of care and hard work went into making this place an attractive and interesting site for visitors. And we believe the farmstead's appearance gives visitors a feel that they are traveling back in time to the period of the Revolutionary War."
Montgomery County has owned and operated the farmstead for almost 40 years now, with support from the Peter Wentz Farmstead Society - a nonprofit volunteer group dedicated to the preservation of the site and educating visitors.
"People come here and are amazed at how beautiful this property is," McMillan said. "And they love the house and its rich history."

James Audubon set up his first home in America at Mill Grove

By Walter Ault

Many famous people have resided in Montgomery County. Among the most noted is the internationally-recognized artist and naturalist John James Audubon, who lived in an impressive 14-room mansion overlooking the Perkiomen Creek from 1803 to 1806.
The mansion, Audubon’s first home in America, is now a well-organized museum — situated on 175 pristine acres of woodlands and meadows — that illustrates Audubon’s life, particularly his widely-admired paintings of birds and other wildlife. It is called the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, on Pawlings Road in (you guessed it) Audubon.
Audubon was more than a painter. He was a conservationist, writer, scientist, innovator and explorer whose accomplishments are admired around the world.
As a boy in France, Audubon developed a love of nature and drawing. At 18, Audubon was sent by his sea captain father to the family-owned property along the Perkiomen Creek, to supervise the estate and its working lead mine.
But rather than seek a career in business, the young Audubon spent countless hours exploring the nearby woods, becoming fascinated with its wonders, particularly the 175 species of birds identified in the area.
During his stay at Mill Grove, Audubon blossomed, creatively and in his personal life.
“Three important things happened to Audubon while he was at Mill Grove,” said Mill Grove Communications Coordinator John Hartman. “He developed wire armature; he did the first banding in North America; and he met his future wife, Lucy Bakewell.”
Wire armature is a technique, using wires and pins to pose dead birds, Audubon developed to make his subjects appear alive and natural. Many believe this process put Audubon years ahead of his contemporaries.
Through bird banding — tying strings around the legs of nestlings — Audubon learned much about the habits of numerous species.
After leaving Mill Grove, Audubon spent considerable time traveling the country, continuing to explore and paint birds.
Audubon’s diligence and artistry are well-represented in Mill Grove.
Prominently displayed is a huge open book, a rare volume of “The Birds of America,” featuring 435 prints of Audubon paintings of birds in each four-volume set.
Subscribers purchased 200 sets in the 1820s and 1830s. Today, the 100 sets still in existence are priceless, Hartman said. Approximately 40 original prints of “Birds of America,” from sets that were broken up, hang on the walls of Mill Grove, along with other nature art.
The volume displayed at Mill Grove is elegantly bound in leather, is 27 by 39 inches and weighs 50 pounds.
Audubon, with a collaborator, also wrote “Ornithological Biographies,” describing the habits of each of the many species of birds depicted in “Birds of America.”
Audubon, with the help of his son John Woodhouse Audubon, also compiled a volume with paintings of mammals entitled “The Viviparous Quadrapeds of North America.” One of these rare works is also displayed at Mill Grove.
The huge stone mansion, built in 1762, is impressive when viewed from outside: an ivy-covered three-story stone structure sitting atop a grassy hill bordering the Perkiomen Creek.
Virtually the entire museum inside the mansion is dedicated to Audubon’s and others’ nature art.
Reception area and gift shops are located on the first floor.
The second floor has two galleries, one with a permanent art collection and the other a changing collection; a drawing room; and a recreation of Audubon’s bedroom.
The third floor features a Victorian-style taxidermy display and a room offering a detailed look into the history of Mill Grove.
Mill Grove was sold to the Montgomery County Commissioners in 1951 and designated the Mill Grove Museum and Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary.
In 2004 the National Audubon Society, through a partnership with the county, assumed management of the site, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mill Grove is a fitting tribute to a notable figure. “Audubon was truly an amazing individual, with tremendous talent and creativity,” Hartman said. “And you must remember,” Hartman added, “he never had any formal training in art. He was self- taught. So what he accomplished is incredible.”
Mill Grove accommodates people of all ages. It features nature trails to traverse; beautiful scenery to enjoy; history to absorb; and volumes of art to appreciate.

We seem to be continuing a school theme of late, and this week we see a photo of the second-grade class from North Wales Elementary School in 1945-46.
Judie Cook Lorenson has submitted this photo and notes that she is the fifth student from the right in the first row, in case you want to pick her out.
She writes:

“I was with this group until the end of grade four, when my family moved to Upper Gwynedd and I attended the Upper Gwynedd Elementary School on Broad Street for grade five; then the West Point School for grades six through nine; after which time I attended Lansdale High School for grades 10 and 11; graduating grade 12 from North Penn Joint High School, now known as North Penn High School.
“My group from Upper Gwynedd was one of many who joined Lansdale High School students in September 1955 to create the North Penn Joint High School and graduate from grade 12 in June 1956.
“What a joy it was to graduate from high school with boys and girls with whom I had begun my schooling.”

Lorenson also noted that the class celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.

“What fun it was to meet again people from bygone days,” she notes.

We’re sure it was a treat to reunite after 50 years!