Beyond the Sesqui-Centennial: A History of FDR Park Walk & Talk with Thomas Keels

Join us for the ASHM Annual Meeting followed by a fika and piano performance - September 20th! Join Fairmount Park Conservancy, the American Swedish Historical Museum, and local historian Thomas Keels, author of Sesqui! Greed, Graft, and the Forgotten World’s Fair of 1926, for a lecture and walk focused on the history of South Philadelphia’s beloved FDR Park. In the early 20th century, the site of current-day FDR Park became League Island Park, part of a grandiose development scheme called the ‘South Philadelphia Improvements’. The Olmsted Brothers, sons of renowned Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted, were hired to transform the swamps of South Philadelphia into a natural wonder. Then, in 1926, the park was chosen to host the world’s fair, the Sesquicentennial International Exposition. While there are few physical remnants left from the Sesquicentennial, it brought the landscape closer to what we know today. We’ll start off with a 45-minute presentation inside of the American Swedish Historical Museum, which itself has ties to the Sesquicentennial, before transitioning to a walk and talk through the north end (Pattison Avenue adjacent) of the park. On the walk, we’ll highlight points of park plans’ past and future, stopping at places such as the FDR Park Boathouse, the new Gateway Plaza, and the site of the Sesquicentennial’s ‘High Street’, a popular exposition built by the Women’s Committee near present-day Pattison Lagoon. This program is offered in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy. Visit the link to find out more about City parks and programs. ABOUT THOMAS KEELS: Thomas H. Keels is a lecturer, writer, and commentator specializing in Philadelphia history and architecture. He is the author or co-author of seven published books, including Sesqui! Greed, Graft, and The Forgotten World’s Fair of 1926; Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love; Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries; and Forgotten Philadelphia: Lost Architecture of the Quaker City. In 2026, The History Press will publish his eighth book: Sinners and Scandals of Laurel Hill Cemetery. For more information, click the registration link.