Wyoming Branch of the Free Library

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2021

John S. Trower built one of the most successful catering businesses of his day here in Philadelphia, becoming one of the wealthiest African Americans of the late nineteenth century. He turned his success into service, founding the Downingtown Industrial & Agricultural School and a building-and-loan association to help Black families become homeowners. A devout man, he gave generously to Baptist charities throughout his life.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2025

Wyck sheltered nine generations of a single Quaker family whose interests ranged across science, education, glassmaking, horticulture, and brewing. The oldest part of the house dates to 1690, and in 1824 the noted architect William Strickland reshaped the 1720s dwelling into the home that stands today. In 1821 Jane Bowne Haines laid out a rose garden that grew to hold more than fifty rare cultivars, among the oldest surviving gardens of its kind in its original plan.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1969

Founded in 1884 as the Philadelphia Textile School, this was the first institution in America devoted to training workers for the textile industry. In an era when Philadelphia was a powerhouse of American manufacturing, the school aimed to lift the quality and competitiveness of domestic fabrics through technical education. It grew over the following century into a full college on this campus.

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2022

In 1796, in a young republic still importing most of its fine goods, John McAllister Sr. opened what is remembered as America's first optical shop near this Philadelphia site. His shop grew into a multigenerational dynasty of innovators: a son who became a pioneering hospital optician, a grandson who first taught the science of refraction to eye physicians, and a great-grandson who helped found a national professional body in 1898. For over a century the McAllisters helped turn eye care from craft into profession.