Harry C. Silcox's Books

Northeast Philadelphia: A Brief History

By: Dr Harry C. Silcox,Frank W. Hollingsworth

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Northeast Philadelphia: A Brief History

By: Dr Harry C. Silcox,Frank W. Hollingsworth

Before the Consolidation Act of 1854 more than tripled the former capital's population, Northeast Philadelphia was a scattered group of pastoral communities just beyond the city limits. Holmesburg, Somerton and other small villages initially struggled but ultimately triumphed in their transition from rural townships to a bustling urban center. Dr. Harry C. Silcox has collaborated with Frank W. Hollingsworth to chart this fascinating evolution, from the demise of the family farm to neighbors uniting on the homefront during World War II. With such lively characters as Mary Disston, the founding mother of Tacony, and tales of the local effort for suffrage, Silcox and Hollingsworth create a brilliant and affectionate portrait of Northeast Philadelphia.

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Page Count

162

Publisher

History Press Library Editions

Published Date

ISBN 10

1540220540

ISBN 13

9781540220547

Remembering Northeast Philadelphia

By: Dr. Harry C. Silcox

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Remembering Northeast Philadelphia

By: Dr. Harry C. Silcox

The towns of Northeast Philadelphia boast a rich and vibrant history, but many of their engrossing stories have been pushed into the background over time. In this collection of historical columns, first published in the Northeast Times, Dr. Harry C. Silcox brings their narratives back into the spotlight. From the beginning, all major roads in the region went to Frankford, the site of the nation's first psychiatric hospital and the popular Unity Street open-air market. The town of Holmesburg offered shelter to the veterans of the stage in Edwin Forrest's Home for Aged Actors. Years before the civil rights movement, Greenbelt Knoll became Philadelphia's first planned racially integrated housing development. Even the nation's first solar energy-powered machine was developed in Northeast Philly. From tales of alligator wrestling to groundbreaking feats of aviation, Silcox weaves a fascinating tapestry of everyday American life.

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Page Count

120

Publisher

Arcadia Publishing

Published Date

ISBN 10

1614232911

ISBN 13

9781614232919

A Place to Live and Work

The Henry Disston Saw Works and the Tacony Community of Philadelphia

By: Harry C. Silcox

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A Place to Live and Work

The Henry Disston Saw Works and the Tacony Community of Philadelphia

By: Harry C. Silcox

A rich history of the unique relationship between life and work in an American factory town from 1840 to 1984, A Place to Live and Work tells the remarkable story of Henry Disston's saw manufacturing company and the factory town he built. The book provides a rare view of the rise of one of America's largest and most powerful family-owned businesses, from its modest beginnings in 1840 to the 1940s, when Disston products were known worldwide, to the sale and demise of the company in the postwar years. Henry Disston, however, not only built a factory; he also shaped Tacony, the town in northeastern Philadelphia where the workers lived. The book describes the company's interdependence with the community and profiles the lifestyle that grew out of Disston's paternalistic blueprint for Tacony. Using original letter books, shop committee meeting notes, photographs, and a wealth of other documents, Harry Silcox reveals Disston's highly sophisticated distribution and marketing system as well as a management system that, unlike the one advocated by Frederick Winslow Taylor, responded to the concerns of workers and foremen. Through two world wars, the Depression, and the rise of unions, Disston's innovative business practices enabled the company to remain active and strong even when factories across the nation were failing. This study raises important questions about the demise of the factory system and its impact on urban communities and family life. The Disston company provides one example of how people could work and live together successfully within the larger framework of the factory system.

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Page Count

312

Publisher

Penn State Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0271010797

ISBN 13

9780271010793

Philadelphia Politics from the Bottom Up

The Life of Irishman William McMullen, 1824-1901

By: Harry C. Silcox

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Philadelphia Politics from the Bottom Up

The Life of Irishman William McMullen, 1824-1901

By: Harry C. Silcox

The story of the political career of the colorful nineteenth-century politician William McMullen, who represented the poorest Irish neighborhoods of South Philadelphia. McMullen's ideology, leadership style, and confrontation with the issues as well as his relationship with powerful national leader Samuel Randall are explored.

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Page Count

188

Publisher

Balch Institute Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0944190014

ISBN 13

9780944190012

Northeast Philadelphia

A Brief History

By: Dr. Harry C. Silcox,Frank W. Hollingsworth

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Northeast Philadelphia

A Brief History

By: Dr. Harry C. Silcox,Frank W. Hollingsworth

Northeast Philadelphia chronicles this area's history of transformation, from scattered communities to an urban center. Before the Consolidation Act of 1854 more than tripled the former capital's population, Northeast Philadelphia was a scattered group of pastoral communities just beyond the city limits. Holmesburg, Somerton and other small villages initially struggled but ultimately triumphed in their transition from rural townships to a bustling urban center. Dr. Harry C. Silcox has collaborated with Frank W. Hollingsworth to chart this fascinating evolution, from the demise of the family farm to neighbors uniting on the homefront during World War II. With such lively characters as Mary Disston, the founding mother of Tacony, and tales of the local effort for suffrage, Silcox and Hollingsworth create a brilliant and affectionate portrait of Northeast Philadelphia.

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