2025 Dickens Festival
2025-12-07 12:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Downtown Narberth, 221 Haverford Ave, Narbeth, PA, 19072, United States
Come visit our informational table at the 2025 Dickens Festival in downtown Narberth!
The Festival is a free family event held each December on the streets of downtown Narberth. It draws thousands to this little borough every year, and it has become the fastest-growing holiday festival in the Philadelphia area. In this Dickens-themed event, the town of Narberth is transformed into 1840’s London, as Ebenezer Scrooge and all the characters from A Christmas Carol roam the streets for an afternoon.
There is entertainment and activities for all ages, including carriage rides, crafts, carolers, period vendors and food, dancers, musicians, ballet performances, puppet shows, ice sculptors, a free scavenger hunt for children, and much more.
This year’s Narberth Dickens Festival will be held on Sunday December 7, 2025, from Noon to 4pm.
For more information on the festival see link below:
http://www.narberthonline.com/dickens-festival.html

In partnership with Natural Lands: The Legacy of the Women of Stoneleigh
2026-02-12 18:30 - 19:30 | Stoneleigh: a natural garden, 1829 County Line Road, Villanova, PA, 19085, United States
Join us for an event in partnership with Natural Lands: an unforgettable journey through time highlighting the women who lived and worked at Stoneleigh. Dating as far back as the 1680s, historical records paint a vivid picture of the history of Stoneleigh through the years, from its origins as a home to the Lenape people, to its time as a Quaker settlement and active farm, and finally as an estate to three prominent Main Line families.
Erin Betley of the Lower Merion Historical Society will present the findings of years of research into the women who shaped the story of Stoneleigh over many decades, creating a legacy that can now be enjoyed by all as a public garden.
The evening will include a presentation, opportunities to view historic materials from the LMHS collection, and a Q&A with Erin. This event will take place in the Main House at Stoneleigh, and light refreshments will be served. You must register for this event here.
Please note: the inclement weather date for this event is Thursday, February 19.

Archive deep dive: Woman's Club of Bala Cynwyd, with Xandra O'Neill
2026-03-22 14:00 - 15:00 | Lower Merion Historical Society, 506 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004
Lower Merion Historical Society intern Xandra O’Neill will present a summary of her work with the newly accessioned Woman’s Club of Bala Cynwyd materials. She will share about her experience processing the collection and highlight a few of the collection’s items that tell the story of the club throughout its roughly hundred year history. Her internship was supported by a Historical & Archival Records Care grant to the Society from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

POSTPONED - Tintype Portrait Day! New date TBD
2026-04-12 10:00 - 17:00 | Lower Merion Historical Society, 506 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004
Given our successful Tintype Portrait Day last year, we will again be hosting Victorian Photography Studio Gettysburg!
Watch the wetplate collodion process live and take home your own tintype. Each portrait session is 20 minutes. Period costumes are not provided, but everyone is welcome to bring their own. Pricing as follows, paid at the time of service via cash, card, PayPal, or Venmo. $10 of each portrait session will go to the Society to help preserve and maintain our photograph collection.
You must reserve your Portrait Session by registering here
All registrants will receive detailed event information by email prior to the event. If you have any difficulties with this form, please email us at info@lowermerionhistory.org to reserve your session.

Quarter plate (3.25 x 4.25″): $75
Half plate (4.45 x 5″): $85 – not recommended for more than 3 people
5 x 7″ plate: $100 – not recommended for more than 5 people

In partnership with the Bala Cynwyd Library: Discussion with Sheilah Vance, author of Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment
2026-04-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Bala Cynwyd Library, 131 Old Lancaster Road, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004, United States
In partnership with the Bala Cynwyd Library, listen as author Sheilah Vance brings to life an untold chapter of Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary War history at a critical turning point in America’s fight for independence.

Sheilah’s new book, Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment, uses an image from our collection on its cover. Register for this free program here.

LMHS Annual Meeting and Presentation on Lower Merion's first library, by Denise Francis
2026-04-26 14:00 - 15:30 | Lower Merion Historical Society, 506 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004
During our Annual Meeting, we look forward to updating our members and our community on our progress over the past year, and sharing our vision for the coming year. We will also dedicate a new memorial bench in honor of Presidents Emeritus Jerry Francis and Ted Goldsborough, as well as longtime volunteer Max Buten.
The meeting will include a presentation by Denise Francis sharing her research on Lower Merion’s first library.

NarbEarth Day 2026
2026-05-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Narberth Park, 25 Windsor Ave, Narberth, PA, 19072
For the fourth year in a row, we will host an informational table at NarbEarth Day in Narberth Park. More information is available from the Narberth Civic Association.

Local author talk on Frank Miles Day, Philadelphia architect
2026-05-28 18:30 - 20:00 | Lower Merion Historical Society, 506 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004
Join local author Julia Steinberg Agnew as she shares the research behind her newly published book, Frank Miles Day: The Life, Works and Legacy of a Philadelphia Architect. Day designed numerous structures in Lower Merion and surrounding communities, including designs of the outbuildings at Stoneleigh and Oakwell in Villlanova.
This is a free program.
More about the book:
Philadelphia architect, Frank Miles Day (1861-1918), left his mark on Philadelphia and beyond, and yet, until now, his name is hardly known. In the late 1880s and 1890s, alongside the firms of Cope & Stewardson and Eyre and other members of the “T Square Club,” Day became widely known in the American architectural world for his Creative Eclectic style inspired by his study and travels abroad. In the early 1900s, he went on to design in his own interpretation of the Collegiate Gothic style. For nearly three decades, Day received commissions for townhomes, country residences, club buildings, warehouses, hotels and university buildings–many still standing today.
When viewed together in this compilation, his designs are evidence of his expertise in many areas–from classical architecture and brickwork to watercolor, sketch, horticulture, landscape design, and of his continued compassion and sense of social responsibility. The story of his upbringing, his marriage to social reformist Anna Blakiston Day and his early support for civic improvement, historic preservation, travel abroad scholarships, human wellness and women in the arts and sciences reveals an inspirational Philadelphian not to be forgotten.
Now, for the first time since the 1980 dissertation by architectural historian Patricia Keebler, we have a comprehensive description of his life and unique architectural works that includes his sketches, photographs of his designs, descriptions of his clients and excerpts from his many publications.

Wednesday Evening Public Hours
2026-06-10 19:00 - 21:00 | Lower Merion Historical Society, 506 Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004
Join us Wednesday from 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. to explore our collections and chat with board members. During your visit, we are happy to offer on-site services, including research assistance, guidance on handling of documents and objects, and use of our digital scanner and photocopier. More information about what to expect during your visit can be found here.

Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd Fourth of July Celebration
2026-07-04 10:30 - 12:00 | Bala Cynwyd Park, 398 Trevor Lane, Bala Cynwyd, PA, 19004, United States
For the fourth year in a row, we will host an informational table at the Fourth of July Celebration organized by the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd in Bala Cynwyd Park.
The Annual Fourth of July Celebration, which has been sponsored by the NCBC since 1916, is one of the oldest and most popular Independence Day events on the Main Line.
More information is available from the Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd.
