The idea was simple enough: post old photos of Philadelphia on Facebook.
Three years later, the Facebook group “Old Images of Philadelphia” has more than 48,000 fans, more than 25,000 photos (the most of any page on Facebook, according to a status update) and even a potential TV spot, according to another recent status update.
“OMG !!! TV has contacted Old Images of Philadelphia, the popularity of this page is a little bit overwhelming for me. I’m going to keep you guys posted on the details !” the page’s founder posted.
Check the Facebook group out here.
Many of the photos come from the Temple University Urban Archives and the city’s Department of Records via its popular PhillyHistory.org site.
The man behind the photos and the charming, emoticon-laden status updates is retired sheet-metal worker Carl Manley, Philadelphia Magazine reported. He credits his mother, who passed away before the site grew to such popularity, with infecting him with the history bug. She would take him to local landmarks, he told Technical.ly Philly, and “that’s how my infatuation with the city started.”
“It’s sort of like therapy,” says Carl Manley, the 48-year-old local-history buff, born-and-bred West Philadelphian and self-described “History Channel freak” who started the page. “It was never my intent to make something that would touch people emotionally and spiritually, but the feedback is remarkable and overwhelms me. My page is tying into their memory banks.”
Here are 10 of our favorites (including the above image).
Captioned: “Philadelphia Police went from Red to Blue cars in the 1970s and now they are White. Philadelphia was the only major city to have police cars the colors of the American Flag !”
Captioned: “Boulevard Pools 1935 – apologies if this has been posted before but here is a nice site of Philadelphia memories.. http://www.joesherlock.com/Philly5.html There are multiple links at the bottom of the Mr Sherlock’s page.”
Captioned: “Ever wanted to know what the interior of a Broad Street Subway Train looked like in 1939?”
Captioned: “Stephen DeCarlo and Martin Bell cool off at the fire hydrant after working at their construction job in 90 degree heat – August 28th 1973 (Photo Credit Temple University Libraries. Urban Archives. McDowell Bulletin Collection)”
Captioned: “A Message for the Phillies Manager,sign hanging from leftfield stands in Vets Stadium with message for Phillies manager Frank Lucchesi. May 5th 1971 (Photo Credit Temple University Libraries. Urban Archives. McDowell Bulletin Collection.)”
Captioned: “Photo submitted by a fan of this page. Brave workers on the outstrecthed arm of the William Penn statue, above Philadelphia 1920s (no safety harness)”
Captioned: “This photograph was submitted by Bill Carpenter. He would be honored if you answered his question :-)”
Captioned: “Remember Charles Chips? Chips and pretzels delivered to your home in their familiar tins. I believe this photo was from the late 1960’s or early 1970’s”
Captioned: “Looking West you can see the Walnut street bridge, Chestnut Street bridge and the Market street bridge in the far background in 1946… The El used travel across this bridge (Market st) across the Schuylkill River”
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