Tag Archives: delaware county

after 56 years maybe in 2026 maybe we can find out who murdered terry bowers?

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This is about a cold case of a crime committed within East Pikeland Township. Does the Chester County District Attorney have a cold case unit? Maybe if items are still preserved the DNA of it all could be tested again like the author of this post I am sharing suggests? I will note that it seemed like in the not too distant past that the Pennsylvania State Police are still very much looking into this. Also it looks like they looked at it in 2017?

I’m going to note that I looked up in the newspaper archives I think written by a colonist from the Philadelphia Daily News in April 1970 at some point talking about the viewing in Darby for this murdered little boy who would have been 67 now had he lived. He might have had a family of his own and more. But he never even lived long enough to go to a prom, let alone get a drivers license, grow up, etc.

Think about that.

Anyway, the old newspaper articles talk about how he earned the money to go on this trip where he ended up getting murdered.

The Daily News article about the viewing in 1970 spoke about all the people waiting in line to pay their respects. A lot of the people seemed as if they were kids his age?

He was laid out in a dark suit and some adult signed the sympathy book in the church in Darby “FIDDLE” and said I guess to this reporter that people would know who he was or Terry’s family would know who he was.

The columnist’s name from 1970 was Tom Fox. He also interviewed the man who helped to make the trip possible who apparently owned a furniture store. His name was Harold Finigan. Mr. Finigan‘s brother was the Rev. William Finigan, pastor of St. Basil the Great Roman Catholic Church on Kimberton Road. Apparently the property that these Boy Scouts went camping on was owned by the church. The article said that the church owned 18 acres around there at that point. I don’t know how much they own today.

(An aside would be Harold Finigan was a beloved figure in Darby until he passed away at 95 and he was a legendary rower at Malta Boat Club in Philadelphia. His furniture store was a vintage and antique store and he was the one who helped locate the grave of 18th Century Philadelphia botanist John Bartram in the Quaker cemetery in Darby. So knowing that can you imagine how he must have felt? This man did nothing but good for his hometown.)

Another interesting part of the article was the fact that the Darby Police Chief was reported to have been kind of standing in the shadows, watching all the mourners come and go to look for strange faces.

The other article I read about this noted that the killer must’ve been quiet because there were so many boys plus supervising adults sleeping nearby.

So was it some random person that snuck in where they were camping or was it someone among them? Can you imagine? I bet they probably thought they couldn’t think of a safer place to go camping than the backyard of a church, right?

It was so sad to read the quotes from the children who were at this viewing who knew Terry. One little girl remarked that this would be the last time she saw him, and another girl said the last time she saw him he was walking down the street in his scout uniform.

So this church is near where they hold the Kimberton fair I think. I know I’ve gone past it.

The article also commented that the investigation was also done with the assistance of Chester County Detectives at the time and the state police out of the Exton barracks. I have to be honest I thought that was a mistake in the article because they referred to “East Franklin” police and this church and property are in East Pikeland Township and I’ve also never known or maybe I don’t remember ever hearing about a Pennsylvania State police barracks in Exton…but there was because Barry Dee from WCHE FM sent me a note:

The PSP Exton Barracks was located where the Wicks Ski shop was later located that became Buckmans. It is across Rt 100 from Hill’s seafood which is at the corner of Pottstown Pike and Shoen Rd.  They used to land the helicopter in the field on the south side of the building. It was an old beat up farmhouse.  They later moved to Rt 30 heading west out of Exton, past Ball & Ball at the old farmhouse and barn on the right that became a veterinarian. The location is now the Pennsylvania Farm Table Company. That building location is right across from the old ARCO (i think) gas station that is now and Enterprise Rental.

They then moved to the building located on the Embreeville Mental Institution grounds on Strasburg Rd just east of Romansvile before they finally got the modern building where they are currently operating just half a mile west of their previous location. 

How’s that for a history?

Barry

Now back to the old case of Terry Bowers.

Terry was in 6th grade when he was murdered and he was stabbed a few times in the back.

Thank you Angelina Robinson whomever you are for the Facebook post that randomly popped up that made me dig into this. Should we all pay it forward and see if we could get anyone to look at this again? I mean, if they could find the name of the “boy in the box” after so much time, one could hope they find maybe who murdered this little boy?


Yes, they did look into this in 2017 and there were a bunch of media pieces that year. There have also been other articles or pieces or podcasts here and there.

Maybe this year they can look at it again? Maybe this year the media could revive interest in this case?

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/20121205_New_clues_emerge_in_1970_Boy_Scout_murder__but_it_s_still_a_mystery.html

https://www.phillyvoice.com/reward-offered-1970-stabbing-murder-boy-scout-philly-suburbs/

https://muckrack.com/podcast/status-pending/episodes/case-overview-terrence-terry-bowers-jr-1970/#!

UPDATE: Reward fund now at $51,000 in Darby Boy Scout’s unsolved murder in 1970

https://6abc.com/amp/post/47-years-later-boy-scouts-death-remains-a-mystery/1917203/

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/missing-boy-scout-cold-case-terry-bowers/13456/#

political birds of a feather and the data center disaster bill gets voted on this morning 10 a.m.

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Ahh birds of a feather on a Monday morning? State Representative Lisa Borowski who was a self- serving commissioner in Radnor Township is now an equally self-serving State Representative for Delaware County is a co-sponsor of PA HB 2151 which adds data center language dangerously so to the PA Municipalities Planning Code gets voted on this morning.

Lisa Borowski doesn’t give a good god damn about Pennsylvanians obviously and well if she’s elected again then Delaware County has lost its mind. She could’ve removed herself from the spill, but she just ignored everyone and went to her little petition signing parties. Of course she’s also let down a lot of Radnor residents recently on issues they are having where she promised to help.

Kristine Howard of course is the great invisible state representative representing parts of Chester county including East Whiteland, which is fighting a data center.

From Ginny Kerslake:

📌At 10 o’clock this morning, March 2 the Pennsylvania House Energy Committee will be voting on HB2151. You can watch the vote at the link below.

HB2151 will NOT put strict guardrails on data center development as some in Harrisburg are claiming. Expect the opposite from the Department of Community and Economic Development which has been working hand-in-hand with corporations like Amazon to fast-track projects and keep information from impacted communities. They should not be in charge of deciding what is reasonable for local data center ordinances – such things as setback distances from homes and schools or maximum allowable noise level levels.

All of these state representatives are on the ballot this year. Let’s see how they vote

Here are the committee members: https://www.palegis.us/house/committees/69/energy

Three are from Chester County: Reps Paul Friel, Chris Pielli, Craig Williams📌

Will Pielli, Friel, and Williams remain MISSING on this issue and not save Chester County area residents and Pennsylvanians?

https://legiscan.com/PA/bill/HB2151/2025

400 leopard road in berwyn is becoming but a memory…with no court resolution yet.

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Today it begins. 2/25/26

Today the bulldozers have arrived at 400 S. Leopard Road in Berwyn, Chester County and Easttown Township. We have been living this since the first fire in 2024. Charged with arson in one fire here is still Kathryn Calmus Frankel. She was charged in the new year with a dangerous fire in York County, PA. She was also charged with some sort of fire in Delaware County (Radnor Township.) I am uncertain as to which prison she is located in – I presume York County which is county of latest arson.

Frankel has not been tried in any of these cases as of yet, although I did notice this on the Delaware County, PA docket:

Is there a chance she pleads on all of these cases? Who knows. The media down here has not followed up and we haven’t heard anything out of the various District Attorneys’ offices about that have we?

I am so sad that this quirky old house is becoming something we will maybe remember for a while and then forget as ashes to ashes dust to dust…and we know a McMansion shall replace part of our Chester County history, but two brutal fires have killed this piece of history.

This is yet another reason why this country needs better mental health services.

Here is one more photo and then to follow current dockets from 3 counties and a couple of prior posts.

Bye house. You were once beautiful, quirky, and loved even by strangers driving by.

chesco frankel caseDownload
delco frankel caseDownload
york frankel caseDownload
berwyn firebug does it again….in york pa
after the fire: 1 year later
so…. the story of 400 leopard road in berwyn has taken a twist

radnor school district has failed female students.

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I actually do have friends who have had kids in Radnor School District past and present. And I’ve been asking them about this whole AI deep sexual fake thing that we all heard about for quite a while and then it exploded.

Savvy Main Line wrote a powerful piece recently:

“Mom, they think I’m lying.” Radnor H.S. parents open up about the AI-manipulated video of their daughters and how officials handled it. The school board is updating its policies.

“Girls were pulled out of class after the situation was already widely known and visibly escorted to the principal’s office, increasing stigma, exposure, humiliation and distress. This happened despite the parents’ documented request to not interview the girls without speaking to a parent first. They were interviewed 1×1 by a 45 year old male.

So you have these hyper sexualized deep fake videos done by a freshman male who basically came right back to school yet the girls seem like they were doubted and grilled? And interviewed without parents permission or asked to be present in this situation?

“My daughter called me crying after being interviewed one-on-one by the assistant principal. This occurred after we had specifically requested that we be contacted before any such meeting took place, which did not happen. While crying, she said, “Mom, they think I’m lying,” and asked me to pick her up from school.

In my humble opinion, that’s a victim shaming.

One of Radnor School District’s excuses? They thought it was created off campus. But was it? Did the kid use like a Radnor tablet or whatever they give students? And this student did this because why to other students? It’s also just freaking creepy.

These girls, they stood up, they went to adults, and look at the lesson they’re learning? Essentially, it’s like they’re slut shamed by their own school district, isn’t it? Blame the victim, play Pontius Pilate, and wash hands.

We always tell kids they should speak up if something’s wrong, right? So what lesson do they learn when they speak up and they’re looked at like they did something wrong for speaking up?

Maybe it’s inconvenient to deal with the parents of these kids doing things that are actually wrong like the AI deep fake videos, but guess what? That is the job you signed up for isn’t it, Radnor Township School District?

I have had problems with this district over the years just observing how they don’t address bullying enough. And that includes on the school buses.

And then remember when the middle schoolers were acting like packs of wild animals at businesses in downtown Wayne? And Radnor School District did what exactly?

I mean on one hand I agree that they shouldn’t be doing the parenting for parents who aren’t doing the parenting. However, does that mean that these kids get by with no accountability for their actions? And the people these kids hurt are just left feeling vulnerable and exposed and betrayed??

These deep fake things are just another form of bullying. It’s similar what happened at the Great Valley School District and the way they treated the TikTok bullying of teachers by students. That made national news and really those kids had no accountability did they? Or their parents did they? 

These kids might be minors, but there has to be actual accountability. And I don’t feel like there’s not real accountability for the kids or their parents. The parents of the kids doing this crap also have to be held responsible and accountable.

Radnor High School and the school district are sending a message with their in action and double talk that girls don’t matter in my opinion.

What happened to these girls does matter and it wasn’t a harmless prank. It’s all well and good that they’re now looking at changing policy, but look at the damage they’ve done to those young women?

https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/ai-deepfakes-disturbing-trend-school-cyberbullying

This is just another form of bullying. And then essentially these girls were all victimized again by the adults they looked to for help and guidance.

oh radnor you don’t wish to mess with us particular lawyer for valley forge military…

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Oh my just when you think the Radnor meeting was going to be by the book stupid like they have been it was a little popcorn worthy.

With great delight, I saw a familiar face take command of Commissioner Jack Larkin’s grand (and latest) eminent domain plan it seems.

Now Commissioner Larkin seems to be a little too enamored of eminent domain don’t you think? Remember, poor Wayne Presbyterian Church, and their parking lot?

I may be borrowing the lede a little bit so here we go…

Tonight the Radnor Board of Commissioner received a visit from one of my favorite former commissioners from Lower Merion, Phil Rosenzweig. You see how I know Phil as he is one of the seven commissioners we put into office as residents when we wanted to end the specter of the threat of eminent domain for private gain in the Historic Ardmore Business District many years ago. As a matter of fact, once he was sworn in he was the commissioner who wrote the language for the ordinance to eminent domain in Ardmore.

When Phil shows up at a meeting, municipalities are wise to listen. Because that man doesn’t come to play, he doesn’t grandstand, he comes to win for his clients. If Radnor wants to get tied up in litigation and lose at the expense of taxpayers, he’s their man.

I heard a very clear message to Radnor tonight: the land they think they are going to bully their way into from VFMA is not for sale.

The look on Larkin’s face as well as Moira Mulroney in my opinion was rather amusing when the cameras panned back.

Do not misunderstand me, I certainly don’t want to see more residential development back there and Valley Forge has been selling off land piecemeal over time. One thing that also came out tonight is how much a particular developer offered them for I presume the land that Radnor now wants. I believe the number was 20 million or thereabouts and just wow right? Especially just wow because Valley Forge said no.

Radnor needs to be a respectful date and learn that right now, no means no.

We first heard about this officially when Savvy Main Line wrote about it in early January.

Radnor Township will buy – or seize – part of Valley Forge Military Academy’s campus for public use

Apparently they want the land, (they meaning Radnor Township for some kind of parks and rec thing.) Of course I find that amusing because they can’t take care of the parks they have now. And it’s always a battle at meetings when people come in and ask for basics.

But I digress.

So that meeting in January as reported by Savvy? Here’s an excerpt:

… the township would much rather shake hands than grab, according to Commissioner Jack Larkin whose ward includes the VFMA campus. It prefers to negotiate an amicable purchase and bypass the long, tortuous path of eminent domain,

This wouldn’t be a hostile takeover as some eminent domain purchases are, he says. Cash-poor Valley Forge Military wants to sell. In fact, it’s had talks with a developer who hoped to build single-family homes at the site, Larkin says. VFMA knows the township wants the property but went “radio silent” some time ago.

Could the threat of eminent domain bring VFMA back to the bargaining table? There is a precedent. Radnor engaged in a similar gambit in late 2024 when it threatened to use eminent domain to take Wayne Presbyterian Church’s parking spaces. In that instance, friendly fire sparked a friendly resolution.

The VFMA deal – whether negotiated or seized – will be a boon for the township, Larkin says. 

So this whole issue just got a little more fun at least for me to watch with popcorn.

Again, no one wants more residential development over there, but the flipside is sometimes Radnor needs to do things the right way not the way they just feel is more expedient. These commissioners needs to learn how to do things differently, and they also got some stripes in their proverbial hides courtesy of residents who are pissed off because they doesn’t respond to emails apparently.

Get your popcorn, ready kids, I’m not kidding. Radnor had a personally delivered warning on camera tonight. No matter how pleasant it was delivered, I think the message is pretty goddamn clear.

https://www.suburbanrealtorsalliance.com/news/2026/01/16/delaware-county/radnor-seeks-to-acquire-vfma-land-through-eminent-domain/

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/commercial/valley-forge-military-academy-land-eminent-domain-radnor-20260107.html

Charter school pulls proposed plans for Valley Forge academy in Radnor

missing: state representative lisa borowski’s conscience

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‼️MISSING‼️: Rep. Lisa Borowski Lisa Borowski for State Representative. We suspect she is probably on her knees somewhere doing whatever is asked of her by Johnny Frack as this is what she does- whatever she is told. (I hope the pats on the head don’t mess up her hair.)

Lisa Borowski is a co-sponsor of horrible data center loving PA HB 2151, and was for quite a while a co-sponsor of last year’s disaster of a data center bill HB 502, until she slithered away like the snake 🐍 in the grass that she is (or muppet weasel take your pick.)

stealth legislation: the bill gov. shapiro and a.i. / data center bigwigs don’t want pa residents to see before it’s passed.

This is Lisa’s habitual political M.O. —whatever is best for Lisa. She would not and cannot be counted on to defend Delco residents on pipelines, hydrogen hubs, warehouses, or wanton development (even in Radnor Township which also doesn’t like being tagged by this lowly blogher much to my great amusement!) so unless public pressure comes to bear she will sit there on data center bills like Joshie’s good little girl.

It’s time to innundate Radnor’s fave political muppet. Call her, if they don’t pick up the phone, leave a message. DO NOT USE FOUL LANGUAGE NO MATTER WHAT – among other things, her staff doesn’t deserve it. They can’t help it if she is inept and a political striver. (I had to laugh just now because for some reason when I started to write striver, it wanted it to be stripper🤣)

If you live in her district, you also should find people to primary her and run against her who are decent candidates. After all if she can’t stand up for everyday Pennsylvanians in solidarity of getting rid of data center threats, you can’t trust her for anything. People should want someone who works for them not for themselves and special interest groups right?

https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hb2151

STATE REP. LISA BOROWSKI
168TH DISTRICT/DELCO
CO-SPONSOR OF BAD DATA CENTER BILL
PA HB2151
LAST SEEN AT PHOTO OPS IN RADNOR TOWNSHIP
Call 484-427-2884 or
717-772-2005
1-833-787-5039

Oh, and Lisa? The First Amendment protects my right to criticize you as now a state politician because you are no better than you were as a local politician.

brandywine view antiques has been utterly robbed and burglarized.

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I saw this earlier today and literally started to cry. This is my friend Lisa’s business. I started out as a customer years ago when I met Lisa at one of the first Clover Markets in Ardmore all of those years ago. Literally we met in 2010 and became friends, I am not jut a customer. And I am a happy customer.

Lisa the owner is a wonderful warm hearted person who would give someone a hand up if they needed help. She has a rare generosity of spirit that someone or several someones has decimated. I think there should be a special place in hell for people like that.

Even Martha Stewart has been to her store. She has a great eye and a wonderful mix of new, vintage, and antiques. And this is a very historic property and fabulous adaptive reuse.

In case people can’t read her message via my screenshot, here it is in her words:

Dear Friends.

I am sorry. I need to close the store for a bit. I have tried so HARD the last couple of months to try to keep it together. In almost 30 yrs of doing what I ABSOLUTELY LOVE to save, we had a very bad robbery. They pulled in the back driveway with a van, and uhaul. I don’t understand how, but they managed to override the system. They had at it. The basement, attics, backyard, shop, and my office. Let alone a constant supply out of my vehicle, and trailer. I believe this was over time, LOADS of vtg xmas, art work, costume, jewerly, primatives, salvage, garden, paper, glass, minitures, mirrors etc.. many collections and memories in boxes.

I IMMEDIATELY shut our social media down, and was trying to work through the trauma. It HURTS so bad. I watched it go through auctions, area consignments shops, in the antique shops as well as marketplace. I feel so LOST, betrayed, and mentally EXHAUSTED. We work so HARD at being a small business, let alone save 2 old houses over 200 yrs old. It is so SAD we live in this kind of world.

Take pictures, do inventory it will save u in the long run. Don’t keep keys out, let alone how you store your valuables. Keep your guard up. DON’T think it WON’T happen to you.

I CAN’T THANK my family and friends, state police ENOUGH for helping me work through this. Esp. my husband Spencer. Quite tough loosing the bits and pieces of your life’s work. I know the man upstairs has a plan. I TRUST him. I look forward to being, and feeling our happy place again. “Three floors, have fun. ”

#brandywineviewantiques, #chaddsford, #chestercounty, #delco, #kennettsquarepa, #Glenville, #smallbusinessbigdreams, #community, #mentalhealth.

I thought it was bad enough when the losers stole her hydrangeas outside a few years ago. But this? This is like someone raped her. This is her business, livelihood, dreams, hopes, hard work.

This is the kind of crap stuff that is a joy sucker. What she sells can’t be magically replaced like it is an Amazon warehouse.

What I am asking of readers, especially fellow antique and vintage dealers is keep an eye out. Be wary of too good to be true and unknowns wanting to peddle things like she describes. If you are a dealer be aware, this could happen to you.

Lisa will rebuild and we will all support her. I firmly believe there is a special place in hell for people who do things like this to wonderful people and small businesses.

berwyn firebug does it again….in york pa

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for story, follow this link: https://local21news.com/news/local/woman-charged-with-arson-in-connection-with-york-county-duplex-fire-that-displaced-7-pa-pennsylvania-fire-blaze-ogontz-street-new-years-day

I think this might break the Chester County Internet. I had readers contact me this afternoon…oops she did it again. For real.

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/york-county/woman-charged-arson-new-years-fire-displaced-5-people

I mean FOR real? Burned a 3rd place? I mean I JUST HAVE to oops song it.

This is scary and ridiculous.

First Berwyn (Easttown).

Then Radnor Township (whatever that was.)

Now York.

Oh, and the DUI in SC?

She is literally not right, is she? If someone has already set fires and the courts are taking forever to get the cases heard is that fair to anyone?

How does someone go from beautiful young doctor/bride/wife/mother to the mugshots? And she was a doctor too?

Why do we have such inadequate mental health services in this country?

https://local21news.com/news/local/woman-charged-with-arson-in-connection-with-york-county-duplex-fire-that-displaced-7-pa-pennsylvania-fire-blaze-ogontz-street-new-years-day

Original fire:

https://6abc.com/post/chester-county-fire-easttown-township-leopard-sugartown-road/15090808

House in December (my photo):

Photo from CBS affiliate (note the apartment is Tudor-ish):

Stuff from South Carolina:

https://www.yorkdispatch.com/story/news/crime/2026/01/06/woman-charged-with-arson-in-york-area-fire-also-charged-near-philly/88047015007

Woman charged with arson in York-area fire also charged near Philly

Aimee Ambrose

York Dispatch

Updated Jan. 6, 2026, 4:31 p.m. ET

  • A woman is charged with arson after she allegedly used a heat gun to start a fire New Year’s Day at a Spring Garden Township duplex.
  • A firefighter was injured in that blaze and another resident was treated for smoke inhalation.
  • Kathryn Frankel also faces arson charges in Chester and Delaware counties after fires there.
  • Greater York FF photo Facebook

This time someone was hurt, a firefighter. And someone else had smoke inhilation.

I found the report from NBC affiliate WGAL in Lancaster particularly interesting and the article has a long video:

https://www.wgal.com/article/woman-charged-with-arson-following-fire-in-spring-garden-township/69938937

Police say Kathryn Frankel is accused of starting a fire using a heat gun in a home on Ogontz Street. They also say she has a previous arson arrest out of Chester County from 2024, also with a heat gun.

Details of the arson

Police said Frankel was living in the basement of the home on Ogontz Street when the fire started just after midnight on Jan. 1.

The fire department was dispatched for a reported basement fire, and upon arrival, they saw people trapped inside. Several residents had to be rescued, with some jumping from the second floor, and one person was hospitalized for smoke inhalation.

A firefighter was also hurt.

According to charging documents, witnesses told officers Frankel was acting suspiciously before the fire and tried to stop others from going into the basement.

Police say they found a pile of burning clothes and blankets on the floor, as well as seven burned aerosol cans and a can of lighter fluid.

Frankel admitted to being in the basement and using a heat gun in the area shortly before the fire started, according to the charging documents. Kathryn Frankel is charged with arson and recklessly endangering another person.

https://www.ydr.com/story/news/crime/2026/01/06/woman-charged-with-setting-fire-to-york-county-home-on-new-years-day-kathryn-frankel/88046581007

Look I am sorry she is so mentally ill. But she is not safe out on the street. Someone is going to die. Once again, she could have died, and this time others got hurt.

She needs to NOT be out on the street. This is not the first fire. She is not safe, she may never be safe with this hobby of hers, correct?

Below are the dockets. Imagine if the wheels of justice had moved a little faster? Maybe those people in York wouldn’t have been displaced. I hate to say lock anyone up, but she is a danger to herself and others. She went from high style on the Main Line to a basement apartment in York County, PA.

Here is the York docket:

Frankel York CountyDownload

Here is the Chester County Docket:

Frankel Chester County DocketDownload

Here is the Delaware County Docket:

Frankel Delaware County DocketDownload

north wayne is a beautiful and historic area.

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I have been in love with North Wayne, PA for years. It’s an amazing and historic area, and ironically was a quasi planned development in the late19th century. The North Wayne Historic District is actually a national historic district. Most houses were built between1881 and 1925, and include notable examples of Shingle Style, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival architecture. Among the famous area architects who contributed to this were the Quaker Price brothers (William and Frank, who also did a lot of Rose Tree in Media.)

Allow me to share something I wrote many years ago in 2011:

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/radnor/north-wayne-worth-preservingbetter

Allow me to quote myself but click on the above link for photos I took years ago as well:

I first became a fan of North Wayne when I was a kid. The fanciful Victorian architecture in particular had me at hello, just like Cape May, NJ.

North Wayne has grand Victorian homes with sweeping porches and smaller homes of a more fanciful bungalow style. Many of these homes have been lovingly restored. You see Queen Anne, Second Empire, Tudor, shingle style, stick style, craftsman, and colonial revival homes dot the streets neatly laid out on a grid pattern.

Like many other towns on the Main Line, Wayne popped as the Pennsylvania Railroad developed and connected Philadelphia to points west–Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The Main Line itself received its now famous name as a result of this train line.

Wayne as we see it today can be ironically described as an early planned development. Streets were orderly and on a grid. Houses were large, but convenient to downtown Philadelphia. They embraced the Victorian sensibilities and importance of hearth and home, yet were so modern. Steam heat, the train, public water and sewer, electricity, indoor plumbing, paved roads. There were even swimming pools–like the famous Wayne Natatorium.

The Wayne Natatorium, which was recognized in the fall of 2010 with a historical marker from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, was located in North Wayne on what we know today as Willow Avenue. Among the largest open-air, in-ground swimming pools in the United States, and some still argue the world, this Victorian folly existed between 1895 and 1903. It was 500 feet by 100 feet and played host to national swim meets during its existence. And in the winter, when this fresh water pool froze over? There was ice-skating and winter carnivals held under colorful lights.

The area in which the Wayne Natatorium sits is in North Wayne, but outside the boundaries of the historic district. The historic district in North Wayne only extends so far, and doesn’t encompass a lot of the more modest streets with working class roots that abut the Wayne train station, and I think that is a mistake. For example, if it hadn’t been for vigilant neighbors who live on some of the streets NOT in the historic district, 236 North Aberdeen Ave. might have been lost a couple of years ago to ill-fitting new development.

What was so special about 236 North Aberdeen Ave.? It was the home of builder Jonathan Lengel. Lengel was a builder who brought a lot of the whimsical architectural visions of such greats as David Knickerbocker Boyd. Lengel was responsible for the construction on some very interesting Radnor landmarks.

North Wayne not only boasts the homes out of the imagination of David Knickerbocker Boyd but also among others, the Price brothers–William and Frank Price, Philadelphia Quakers who were originally protégées of Frank Furness before venturing out on their own starting in 1881…..Radnor residents, take the time to become more active with your local Radnor Historical Society and get to know your local streets. They are delightful and charming, offering a real sense of community. Get out of your cars and walk these streets if you haven’t in a while. You’ll be glad you did.

Yes, I mentioned the Wayne Natatorium. I raised the money, found the non-profit sponsor and got the PA Historical Marker approved years ago in 2010. And guess what? Didn’t live there. I just loved the quirky history. See next link to learn about the Wayne Natatorium.

https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php%3FmarkerId=1-A-400.html

The Radnor Historical Society has tremendous archives of the area. Here is their website:

Home
https://radnorhistory.org/

There is also the North Wayne Protective Association:

https://www.northwayne.org/default.php

Both organizations continue to do their thing, although I wish they would be less insular and more active.

One house that got torn down just outside the historic district of North Wayne a few years ago was the one built by Jonathan Lengel for his own family on N. Aberdeen. I had helped stop the demolition a bunch of years ago, but Radnor Township didn’t give a damn a few years ago and down it came. I wrote about it:

it’s just ugly in north wayne.

Here is the 1985 application from when North Wayne formed a historic district:

NW HDDownload

Also see:

https://delcohpn.wixsite.com/dchpn/national-register-sites-3

Here are some photos I took of North Wayne from around 2007:

Oh and what else did I do back in the day for North Wayne? Well I got stormwater improvements out of Septa and some safety issues addressed with a giant drainage pipe that frequently flooded out parts of Pennsylvania Avenue.

How did I do that? The lead engineer for Septa at the time was a super nice man named Jeff Knueppel. (Yes, the one guy in recent past who was eventually the general manager of Septa before the wheels fell off and people like former politician or perennial politician Leslie Richards came to be there.) Jeff Knueppel was a great General Manager and accessible to the public. But I digress.

Anyway, I had written an editorial for Main Line Media News when Tom Murray was the editor, and Jeff Knueppel read it and contacted me. At the time, Wayne train station and their parking lot was getting a makeover. Jeff Knueppel said the budget had room for added stormwater infrastructure underneath the parking lot, and they did some stuff with the embankment facing Pennsylvania Avenue and put a grate over the giant pipe to keep dogs, cats, and kids out of it (which had been a problem.) Next photo is what this looked like before Septa added the grate cover thing and did improvements.

So this was something I did with my writing and activism because it was the right thing to do.

I used to belong to the Radnor Historical Society because I loved North Wayne so much. (I am thinking of rejoining, actually.)

Anyway…. before Christmas I was over there and I took photos of some of the houses on Poplar Avenue because it is one of my favorite streets back in North Wayne. In an other life, I almost lived in North Wayne, a couple of streets removed from there.

Now I hadn’t posted most of these photos yet because I had not gone through them and was editing a lot of December photos and still am from volunteer non-profit photo taking amounting to a few hundred photos. When I started going through the photos from Wayne, I shared one particular house on my blog’s Facebook page:

The ONLY thing I said of the above house is “this house in North Wayne could be fabulous….”

Nothing else. It’s one of my favorites and is one that I have watched for YEARS. For years it has gone through phases where it was tidier and repairs were happening but over the past couple of years in particular it has devolved into this. Here are photos going back to 2007 where you could see the house, 2012 when there was gardening going on, and 2017 when it started to slide into the condition you see today in 2025. These photos incidentally are from Google:

This house was fabulous and could be again if the decay is stopped. It was built around 1905-1906 by Jonathan Lengel whom I mentioned earlier in this post. Here is a screen shot from Radnor Historical Society of Poplar:

Radnor Historical Society see https://radnorhistory.org/archive/photos/?p=6931

So yeah…I posted about this house because it is one of the quirky houses of Wayne I think are so cool. But of course the moral judgement squad of a lack of reading comprehension on Facebook jumped on my back:

So yeah, I love the judgmental who can’t read. Literally ALL I said was the house could be fabulous. The Judgey Judgersons came from West Goshen, Downingtown, Malvern, and I don’t know where else…but none from near this house in North Wayne. As a matter of fact a woman who grew up across from there left a comment saying the house was once fabulous.

All of these people completely missed what the post was about and decided I was targeting whomever lives there. I mean HUH? I was talking about the house, no clue who lives there or what is going on. All I said is the house could be fabulous.

But if we are going to talk about the deterioration, it is happening. Like I said, I have been watching this house from the early 2000s. For a while it looked like repairs were happening, and gardening was happening so it was a shock when I went down this block this holiday season and saw it. This is a neighborhood of old house proud and other houses disappeared for McMansions literally have appeared across the street and down.

I was not doing anything other that taking photos on a public street. I wasn’t peering in windows although with this down on her luck North Wayne house the windows aren’t clear on the second floor. I saw it when I was taking photos and chose not to take that photo. But if the inside indeed resembles the outside then whomever knows the owner maybe should help them?

I am sick of people who lack basic reading comprehension and interpolate whatever is on their mind, not mine, as my actual thoughts or reason for writing about something. This happens with almost everything and it’s old. I am not going to stop writing and people did this when I started writing about Loch Aerie before she was restored, and even more recently the Joseph Price House in Exton.

Get. Over. Yourselves.

No one has to read what I write, and no one has to comment on my blog’s Facebook page or here. And if you don’t even know what it is you are bitching about, it’s even more pathetic.

I am talking old houses here, in an area I find immensely special in spite of the crazy municipality it is in. And Jonathan Lengel? The guy who built the house I spoke of having the ability to be fabulous? In the area he was also responsible for The Saturday Club, Waldheim mansion – (VFMA’s Sullivan Hall, torn down in 2001), Walmarthon estate (Now still there minus historic log cabin), and Waynewood Hotel – (Still standing AKA Wayne Hotel.)

Check out the history in North Wayne and better yet check out the Radnor Historical Society at Finley House. The Finley House is open Tuesdays and Saturdays from 2-4 p.m.
113 West Beechtree Lane, Wayne PA. They also have amazing photo archives. (https://radnorhistory.org/archive/photos/)

I take photos. A majority involves old and often historic houses.

Ciao haters. Go look at some cool old houses and enrich your sense of why they are important.

hey villanova officials have you actually been to mt. pleasant?

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Yeah….so Villanova held a meeting with neighbors over at Cabrini. I actually am glad they did it, except listen to a snippet of the presentation and I have to ask if this Villanova official has ever visited Villa Blue Tarp in Mount Pleasant?

This neighborhood is mostly Chester County/Tredyffrin, but a part of it is also Upper Merion/Montgomery County. The Tredyfrin part of it has some seriously ridiculous off campus party pits. Forget about are the houses safe for the students to live in, will the neighbors ever have peace? The lady speaking at Cabrini I’m sure has the best of intentions, but she has zero clue or doesn’t want to have a clue of what actually goes on in off campus party pits in Mount Pleasant, which is close Cabrini.

Neighbors also reported the following who were at the meeting:

FYI Traffic is going to be awful when Villanova opens the Cabrini campus next year!!!

Villanova says they have purchased six large buses. Shuttle service will leave Cabrini campus every 5-10 minutes 6:30 AM to 10:30 PM.

400 on campus student vehicles. 600 staff and commuter vehicles. Who knows how many Ubers and Doordash type vehicles, right?

That’s a lot, isn’t it?

They are permitted on campus at any time. The King of Prussia and Eagle Road entrances will close at 10:30 PM and reopen at 6:30 AM.

All traffic during this time will enter and exit on Upper Gulph.

I am very glad I don’t live near there. And with Villanova going to Cabrini and Valley Forge Military failing, and who knows what’s happening to that land, how will Radnor and Tredyffrin be protecting their residents through this?

I am glad that Cabrini is not going to be a giant parcel for residential McMansion development, but all the same, Villanova doesn’t have a good track record with their off-campus students, so what’s it going to be like over there?

Also to be considered is the practicality of the traffic implications on a lot of these roads, which are overtaxed and overburdened already.

Buckle up residents, you can hope this will all go smoothly, but I predict a lot of bumps in the road.

And speaking of Villanova, what are they doing with their main campus area property (or properties?) that back up to Aldwyn Lane? And doesn’t the university own properties on Aldwyn Lane? Is Radnor protecting their residents over there or ignoring them?

This is going to be interesting for sure, right? It’s their own version of Happy Valley without the great ice cream right?