Chestnut Hill Celebrates the Woodward Family
Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood noted for its history, design, and preservation. The Woodward and Houston families have been a big part of all three. They created the first planned residential developments in the neighborhood and helped start some of its most important institutions – Chestnut Hill Academy, the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Last week, Chestnut Hill celebrated the Woodward family with “The Woodward Celebration 2016.” Events began on Wednesday, June 8, and ran through Sunday, June 12, featuring more than a dozen events in Chestnut Hill honoring the contributions the Woodward family has made to the neighborhood. On Saturday, the Chestnut Hill Community Association renamed the Chestnut Hill Community Centre at 8419 Germantown Ave in honor of Gertrude Woodward, who had given the building to the community in 1916; the center will now be known as “The Woodward Community Centre.” After the dedication, a community picnic was held behind the centre complete with a delicious BBQ, entertainment by The Original Hobo Band, and trolley tours of Chestnut Hill. Even the Phillies Phanatic stopped by to say hello.
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HughE Dillon covers parties, events and more for Philadelphia magazine’s The Scene. You can follow him on Twitter at @iPhillyChitChat and visit his daily online social diary PhillyChitChat.com.