THE HISTORY OF ELWYN THROUGH ITS HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

[Mary Anne Eves]

The Middletown Township Historical Society and the Middletown Free Library present

THE HISTORY OF ELWYN THROUGH ITS HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

by Caitlin Angelone, MSLIS, Elwyn Collections Archivist

Wednesday, October 8 at 2:00 PM

Roosevelt Community Center Auditorium,

464 S Old Middletown Road, Media, PA

 

Free but registration requested at

https://delcolibraries.libcal.com/event/15387056

 

Known by several names over the years, Elwyn was created to educate individuals with intellectual disabilities.  In 1852, Dr. Alfred L Elwyn opened a school in Germantown for children with special needs. In 1853, by special act of the Pennsylvania legislature, "The Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children" was incorporated.  In 1857, with the encouragement of reformer Dorothea Dix, the Pennsylvania legislature funded a grant for the construction of a new, larger school.  A sixty-acre farm in Middletown Township was purchased for $10,000.

 

By 1868, there were more than 150 children attending the school in Middletown.  Children who reached eighteen and could not find useful employment in the community or could not return to their families, were given jobs at the school, such as in the laundry or farming, and stayed on at to assist with younger children. In 1870, Dr Elwyn was elected president of the Training School.  In 1871, the term "institution" began to be used to describe the combination of educational and custodial services offered at Elwyn.

 

Elwyn has had a broad history in education and care models. Caitlin will focus on items from the collections to give context on its 173-year history in Middletown Township.

 

The Middletown Township Historical Society Museum will feature a special exhibit on Elwyn this fall focusing on items that reflect student life and their recreation/education, such as the Elwyn School Band.  The band performed at many locations around Delaware County for several years, including on September 1, 1939, when they provided music at the dedication ceremony for the new Clover Leaf intersection at PA Rt. 352/Middletown Road and US Rt. 1/Baltimore Pike. 

 

The MTHS Museum will be open following Caitlin’s talk until 4:00 p.m. and also on Saturday, October 11 and Saturday, November 8 from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

Questions about the Museum?  Please email in...@mthsdelco.org

Mary Anne Eves
Vice President, Middletown Township Historical Society
www.mthsdelco.org