Why the Philly history museum became history | Morning Newsletter
Let’s go Down the Shore.
The Morning Newsletter
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It’s like a heat wave, burning in my heart. The high temperature will again reach the 90s but it’s the expected low, 74, that would be the highest minimum for a May 22 in records dating to the 1870s.
In today’s newsletter:
Illuminating: Why the Philadelphia History Museum will become history itself.
Through: The cost of paradise is going up down the Shore.
🏖️ And something new and truly exciting: Big news for the season of the Shore. We’re launching our brand new, highly infotaining Jersey Shore newsletter this Thursday. It’s written by Amy S. Rosenberg, who will bring you our best Shore storytelling, and fun, games and shenanigans.
Let’s be beach buddies. Sign up to get Down the Shore in your inbox.
If you see this 🔒 in today’s newsletter, that means we’re highlighting our exclusive journalism. You need to be a subscriber to read these stories.
— Ashley Hoffman (@_AshleyHoffman, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
🎤 And now I’m passing the mic to Stephan Salisbury.
When the city went to Philadelphia Orphans’ Court for approval of a plan to give away the huge collection at the Philadelphia History Museum to Drexel University, it seemed inevitable to me. I’d written about the museum since the Rendell days, and there was no day, it seemed, that brought good news. A very Philadelphia story. People asked me, how can the city allow such a great opportunity slip through its fingers? How indeed. Looking into the history of the place, what I found was not so much an instance of opportunity lost, although it was certainly that, but rather opportunity not even recognized. Where some in the city’s cultural community saw 100,000 stories tied to the museum’s 100,000-plus artifacts, successive mayoral administrations saw multiple and costly pains in the neck. Morris Vogel, a former Temple dean, told me the museum’s story was one of “cascading failures.” Now it’s up to Drexel to show that there is more in the city’s autobiographical collection than failure. 🔒
What you should know today
Glenn ‘Hurricane’ Schwartz has been a man of many bowties whose neck accessory choices necessitate this trip down memory lane.
Fudge, real estate, and even pickleball costs are up at the Shore.
Speaking of things that will set you back, gas prices in Pa. just keep rising.
Tom Turcich finished seven years of walking around the world with his dog, Savannah, on Saturday. See pictures of his South Jersey homecoming.
Something we require: a Harriet Tubman holiday, writes Jeannine Cook.
🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️🏖️
❓Pop Quiz❓
Amy S. Rosenberg reported on how down the Shore, it’s a pricier summer. What’s the one price that she witnessed go down at the Shore?
A) Margate bridge toll
B) Basic summer membership in Stone Harbor
C) A house in the Gardner’s Basin area near the inlet
D) Shashibo shape shifter thing for sale at Air Circus on the Ocean City Boardwalk
Find out if you know the answer.
🧩 Unscramble the Anagram 🧩
Used to be a metal factory, and the sign says LIVE not LOVE.
FROTH MELLIE
HINT: 🐟 +🌆
We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if you’d like. Email us if you know the answer. Cheers to Jan Dalina who correctly guessed GLEN MILLS.
Photo of the Day
🎶 For today’s Sunday track, we’re listening to a song from required summer viewing Dirty Dancing. “Love is strange. Lot of people take it for a game. Once you get it, you never want to quit, no no. After you’ve had it. You’re in an awful fix.🎶
👋🏽 Don’t sleep on a good Sunday brunch today. After remodeling my patio, I’m headed to Ardmore for breakfast, as a treat.