Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Church-All Saints Episcopal Church

Location: 801 MacDade Boulevard

Ministry hours: Sunday School 9:15 AM
Church service 10:30 AM

Denomination: Episcopalian

Founded: September 1912 as part of Trinity Episcopal in Collingdale.

A brief history: All Saints started as sub-entity of Trinity Episcopal in its mission to the people of Darby. They didn't have a building to meet in, so they sublet Trinity's building in Collingdale until they acquired land in Darby around 1913. Building commenced rapidly and the congregation moved into the building on Summit and Market streets in Darby about a year later. Research is still ongoing for this church, but it had a very active role in Darby with its outreach programs. Deterioration of the roof which would have cost the church thousands of dollars was the determining factor behind moving back to Trinity Episcopal in November 2010. By that time Trinity had closed its doors forever and was on the auction block to be sold. It was definitely a "win" for them and for the community to keep this church intact.

Update: Church is now closed....December 2013....Building is endangered historical landmark and on auction block to be sold

Update Two....Pilgrim Seventh Day Adventist Church now owns this building. Services started January 2, 2016

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Organization-Collingdale Fire Company No. #2

Location: 310 MacDade Boulevard

Hours of operation: Volunteers are on call 24/7

Founded: October 1916, chartered as a fire company January 31, 1917.

Founding members: Hugh Carlin, Harvey Faust and Andrew Voss

A brief history: The fire company came into being due to the fact that a number of fires on the east side of Collingdale, sometimes also known as the southside, were not being attended to quickly enough. In those days the fire apparatus was a horse and wagon which would pull the attached tank where needed. Having a separate fire company was a smart move for those who lived on the east side and made sense at the time. Residents supported the incorporation and helped raise funds for the new company which then purchased land on Rhodes and Parker Avenue for a building. Before the building was built, the fire company used existing buildings in the area to store equipment. There are no existing records of which building(s) they used. Through the years they supported Collingdale Fire Company No. #1 fighting fires, raising funds and in community services. One of the most memorable events that both fire companies supported was the annual carnival that was held across the street from Collingdale Fire Company No. #2 for a number of years until it wasn't a viable source of revenue anymore. The firemen of Collingdale Fire Company No. #2 still volunteer their time and efforts in supporting community events and offer their hall for rentals.

To learn more, please visit:

Collingdale Fire Company No. #2

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Past businesses-Mena's Kitchen

Location: 1030 MacDade Boulevard

A brief history: This store opened in June 2010 after the Pretzel Factory closed in May 2010. The diner is best known as the MacDade Diner and is still listed as such in the manta website. The MacDade Diner closed in 2009 due to a number of factors. Mena's specialized in home cooked meals such as meatloaf and had a wide variety of choices. They served breakfast, lunch and dinner when they first started, but soon decided not to serve dinner to accommodate groups that wanted to hold meetings there. The staff was very accommodating and went out of their way to serve their customers. Unfortunately both the economy and other factors made it necessary to cut hours which deterred groups from meeting at that location. The restaurant closed January 2013.