Phoenixville, Pennsylvania (Images of America Series)

Phoenixville is a journey through time, looking into the nineteenth century and exploring the birth of a community just outside the reach of Philadelphia. The journey begins with the explosive growth of the 1880s and chronicles the town's evolution over the next one hundred years. Phoenixville is a cross section of evocative images and text, each destined to challenge the memory and entice curiosity. Postcards are used to illustrate places and events from a time when cameras were a new phenomenon, presenting a unique view of Phoenixville's social and industrial achievements, as seen through the eyes of its people. The images spark an array of interesting questions and insights. How did a business called the Swastika Company ever exist on Main Street? Were there really trolley tracks on Bridge Street? What happened to the glass dome that once adorned the top of the library? Phoenixville reveals that St. Ann's Catholic Church looks much the same now as it did in 1910, and little evidence still exists of the sprawling Phoenix Steel Corporation, which once spanned the length of town.

Vincent Martino Jr. is a lifelong resident of Phoenixville. His knowledge of the community's history was wrought from experiences at local schools and while owning a business downtown. He has spent decades acquiring postcards and photographs, en route to assembling an archive befitting any local historian. In Phoenixville, he shares this collection that is sure to delight and inspire.