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Overington Mansion

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bishop	Overington Mansion		Lead	[-]
Posts: 42 03/08/09 18:16:17	Tags : None Remove this ad Overington Mansion stood where Overington Park is. Leiper and Orthodox St. I live on Pilling St. I saw some photo's of the mansion on Philly History and it blew my mind that a large mansion and barn once stood there. I've been wanting to go to the Frankford Historic Society to see some photo's and read up on who the Overington's were.
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jre		#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 95 03/08/09 21:00:09	Neat I was able to split off that first entry into it's own topic.
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jre		#2	[url]	[-]
Posts: 95 03/08/09 21:09:03	This house? Ridiculous isn't it? The only thing I can add is that the mansion existed until at least 1953 according to the dates on the pics. I posted this on the Gazette a while ago: http://frankfordgazette.com/2008/11/19/1929-ward-23-google-maps-overlay/. In those maps you can see that there were more than a few estate type blocks in Frankford 80 or so years ago. The Overington estate included twice as much land as there is now at Overington Park.
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jre		#3	[url]	[-]
Posts: 95 03/08/09 21:14:42	jre wrote: This house? Ridiculous isn't it? The only thing I can add is that the mansion existed until at least 1953 according to the dates on the pics. I posted this on the Gazette a while ago: http://frankfordgazette.com/2008/11/19/1929-ward-23-google-maps-overlay/. In those maps you can see that there were more than a few estate type blocks in Frankford 80 or so years ago. The Overington estate included twice as much land as there is now at Overington Park. The 1929 Phila Wards 23 & 41 map shows that the mansion sat at the middle of the semi circle driveway that led to and from Pilling Street. It looks like there was a large building where the apartments are now. Very neat!!!!
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bishop		#4	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/08/09 22:24:24	The semi circle driveway is still there!!!! repaved but the same spot. The barn driveway curb is there also. Some of the trees are still standing. If you look at the pic's from 1950's you can see the quaint houses on Pilling St.
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jre		#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 95 03/09/09 07:50:03	bishop wrote: The semi circle driveway is still there!!!! repaved but the same spot. The barn driveway curb is there also. Some of the trees are still standing. If you look at the pic's from 1950's you can see the quaint houses on Pilling St. On a side note, I planted the two trees inside that semi circle during the Friends of Overington Park Tree Planting last fall.
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Nancy	Overington/Orthodox	#6	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3 03/09/09 10:17:51	Thanks for posting those pictures of the mansion. they are wonderful. I live on Orthodox Street facing the park in a beautiful old house. I have always wondered what the mansion in the park looked like. My mother used to tell me about it. In the old days, she said she would gaze at it when she passed by and wonder at what the inside may have looked like. I lived in Frankford all my life and fell in love with the amazing houses here. All I know about the house is that a Dr. Overington lived there. He donated the land to the city and the city eventually demolished the house. I would be curious to read a copy of Dr. Overington's will to see what his specific wishes were. I remember playing in the park as a child. There was an old fashioned cast iron water fountain in the middle of the park that had the coldest drink of water on the hottest days and there was a building there that served as a sort of office/rec center. It was also a peaceful place to sit and reflect. It upsets me when I leave the house to go to work in the morning and there are bums sleeping on the benches in the summertime or hoodrats throwing food and beer bottles all over. Frankford deserves better than this and so do its citizens.
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bishop	Street view of Overington Mansion from Orthodox	#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/09/09 19:30:15	Nancy, I thought you might like this view of the mansion. It looks like it could have been taken from a porch on Orthodox Street.
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bishop		#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/09/09 19:42:54	Does anybody remember " AL" The black gentlemen who who took care of Overington Park? Sure miss him. He taught me how to ride a bike.Those were the days.
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Nancy		#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3 03/10/09 09:29:06	Thanks Bishop! Another wonderful pic. I don't recall there being trolley tracks on the street. It must have been paved over in the sixties. In case you didn't know, a crew recently restored the stone wall around the park. Did a brickpointing job around the entire perimeter. Thanks to the efforts of my neighbors John and Diane, and help from Dan Savage's office. I hope that these efforts and more will restore the dignity to our precious historic properties.
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alia84		#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8 03/15/09 16:35:09	Remove this ad I grew up on Pilling Street too! Who remembers the turtle?
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alia84		#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 8 03/15/09 16:36:54	Get rid of the canon, bring back the turtle!!!
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layla529		#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1 03/15/09 19:16:43	Overington Park turtle??? I remember it well. Does anybody remember the concerts in that park or Simpson?? BRING BACK THE TURTLE~~
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bishop		#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/15/09 20:51:40	I remember the pink turtle. Wow!! As far as concert's I remember one concert. PS Bring back the turtle
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Warren		#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 17 03/16/09 12:24:38	During the 70's my father lived in the "Roberts" house a couple of doors north of Overington Park on the same side of the street. The house is still there and as far as I can tell from the old maps it was built between 1876 and 1885. He lived there after it was converted to small apartments. But, that house left an impression on me as a teenager that it was truly a grand place in its time. The Roberts house was originally part of Overington's Property that ran from Orthodox to Arrot and from Leiper to Oakland Sts. Warren
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crazymommy	i remember the turtle	#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 96 03/16/09 12:47:50	i remember when overington park was renovated and the recreation dept refused to return the cannnon! after a battle and a letter from Dan Mac (former 7th dist councilman before tricky ricky) and frankfords former state rep John Taylor it came back! The Overington's donated the house to be used as a rec center for folks in Frankford. like Burholme mansion. It was vandalized and set on fire by local teens aledgedly. It was later burned down by the fire dept. for practice and then demolished as local legend was told to me by the late Joyce Haley (Rip) who was a historian of sorts. She also told me that the first drafts of the constitution were penned across the street from Overington Park at the original church on the corner before it burned down and was rebuilt. Originally I was told it was the sight of a summer cottage where John Adams sometimes stayed. Under ground at the site there are some brick structures resembling wine cellers or foundation walls that support that story. In the 1990's one actually caved in some a created a sink hole. A local child fell in the hole and was there all night before being found alive and ok! I have no proof that these stories are true or false but it sure would be interesting if anyone has any old pics or news clips to share. That is my dogs favorite spot to visit. I cant pick up a plastic bag in my house around him or he runs to the door with his leash ready to go there for a walk.
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bishop		#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/16/09 18:20:18	Warren was the Robert's house on Leiper st? Or Orthodox? Looking at the map it appears that the Overingtion Property to be the same size as the park. I read somewhere that Mr. Overingion purchased the property off of the Smith's who owned orthodox st to pratt st. Can anyone tell me if there was another mansion on the same site as the Overingtion Mansion? I was talking to a 94 year old guy in Leandro's and he said he remembered the Smith Property that sat just to the right when entering the park on Leiper st. Is he confused?? Who were the Smith's???
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Warren		#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 17 03/16/09 19:35:42	bishop wrote: Warren was the Robert's house on Leiper st? Or Orthodox? Looking at the map it appears that the Overingtion Property to be the same size as the park. I read somewhere that Mr. Overingion purchased the property off of the Smith's who owned orthodox st to pratt st. Can anyone tell me if there was another mansion on the same site as the Overingtion Mansion? I was talking to a 94 year old guy in Leandro's and he said he remembered the Smith Property that sat just to the right when entering the park on Leiper st. Is he confused?? Who were the Smith's??? Overington did own a much larger property than what the park is today. He sold off many parcels under pressure of neighborhood development and of course $$$. If you look at this map you can see that many mansions were built along Leiper St over to and beyond Arrott. He originally owned this land. http://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/view-image.cfm/GMH1887.PhilaWard23.006.Plate3 But about 10 years earlier the land was not subdivided and developed as shown in this map: http://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/view-image.cfm/GMH1876.PhilaWard23.005.PlateA Warren
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bishop		#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/16/09 22:27:15	Warren, great map, thank you. Do you know where allen st. would be? according to the map it looks like overington st but it would have ran threw where the apt. bldg is?Is that your take? Thanks again!
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bishop		#19	[url]	[-]
Posts: 42 03/16/09 22:30:10	Warren, one more question. Do you know if mr.overington purchased land from a Smith? Any info would be great.
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Warren		#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 17 03/17/09 08:43:30	Remove this ad bishop wrote: Warren, great map, thank you. Do you know where allen st. would be? according to the map it looks like overington st but it would have ran threw where the apt. bldg is?Is that your take? Thanks again! Allen St became Overington later on. Sometimes the maps show what the city planners envisioned but never actually occured. Apparently they intended the street to cut through the Overington propertly.
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