Philadelphia’s First Catholic Cathedral

...races its history to 1763, when a second church was needed for the growing number of Catholics in the city. Built on land originally bought to serve as a cemetery for Old St. Joseph’s, Old St. Mary’s was referred to as “Mission Number 1” as St. Joseph’s was seen as

Continue reading

Thomas Nast Anti-Irish Cartoons

Among the recently digitized images added to our online collection are a number of drawings by cartoonist Thomas Nast. In 1846 at the age of six, Nast immigrated with his mother to the United States and by age 15 he had begun drawing for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News.[1] He joined

Continue reading

TV and Radio

...eal to Reel and Catholic Magazine have been digitized and are available to watch on our YouTube channel. More episodes will be added over the coming months. [1] The History of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 398, 558 [2] Television and Radio Press Release, June 25, 1974, Blue Binder, R1996.001 [3]

Continue reading

Centennial Exposition

...tured exhibits and displays from numerous countries including Peru, Egypt, Japan, and Switzerland.[6] Other prominent buildings included: Machinery Hall, Horticultural Hall, Agricultural Hall, United States Building, Memorial Hall, and the Women’s Pavilion. 15 countries and 26 states also constructed their own buildings.[7] Of all the buildings, only two survived to

Continue reading