Media is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about west of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. It is part of the Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Media was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 5,991.

History

The history of the area goes back to

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, but the area remained predominantly rural until the 20th century.

17th century

Land in the area was sold and settled soon after

was named proprietor of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania in 1681 by King Charles II of England. Peter and William Taylor bought the land where Media is now located, directly from Penn.''Media: A Walking Tour'', published by the Borough of Media, 1990 At the time, the land was located in Chester County. Providence Township was organized in 1684, and later divided into Upper Providence and Nether Providence townships by 1690, even though they only had 40 taxable properties at the time. The current borough, formed in 1850, sits between the two townships. In 1683, the Court of Chester County approved the construction of "Providence Great Road", now Pennsylvania Route 252. The road, which runs north from

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

to within a few blocks of today's downtown, is shown on a 1687 map along with the names of local landowners. It forms the eastern border of the borough. Thomas Minshall, a Quaker, was an early Media resident, settling just outside the small village then known as "Providence", along Providence Great Road. The village then included a tailor shop, blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, barn and other buildings. Minshall bought from William Penn and arrived in 1682. The Providence Friends Meetinghouse was established at his house in February 1688.

18th century

The original Friends Meetinghouse was built out of logs in 1699 or 1700, and the current building was completed in 1814. A house on Minshall's property, built around 1750, still stands and was given to the citizens of the borough in 1975. In 1789, Chester County, Pennsylvania was divided, with the eastern portion becoming Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

19th century

The area in the center of the new county remained rural through 1850. On March 11, 1850, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Special Act of Assembly incorporated the Borough of Media, and made the sale of malt and spirituous liquors unlawful within its borders. At the same time, the county seat of Delaware County was moved to Media from Chester. The borough was formed from four farms purchased by the county, totaling only . The borders of the borough have not changed since that time. Streets were plotted in a rectangular grid around the location of the new courthouse, lots were sold at public auctions, and the construction of houses began. Sources agree that Minshall Painter, a descendant of Thomas Minshall, suggested the name "Media", but do not agree on the reason. The name most likely comes from the borough's

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

location in the direct center of Delaware County.

20th century

In 1940, the Pennsylvania guide described Media by noting that " e majority of its houses, almost all built since the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, sit far back on shaded lawns and seem somewhat gloomy. The borough has a large and prosperous business section and a few small industrial plants; many townspeople work in

." The John J. Tyler Arboretum occupies part of Thomas Minshall's original . This farm and a nearby Village of Lima was used by the Underground Railroad. The land was donated to a public trust in 1944 by an eighth-generation descendant. The arboretum was started as a private collection by brothers Jacob and Minshall Painter. In 1825, they began systematically planting over 1,000 varieties of trees and shrubs. Over twenty of their original trees survive, including a giant sequoia. Minshall Painter was also a leader of the Delaware County Institute of Science, which was formed on September 21, 1833, with just four other members: George Miller, John Miller, George Smith, M.D., and John Cassin. The institute was incorporated in 1836. About 1850, Painter gave the institute the land where its building currently stands at 11 Veterans Square, and the building was constructed in 1867. In the second half of the 19th century, Media was a summer resort for well-to-do Philadelphians. The borough's large vacation hotels included the Idlewild Hotel (1871) on Lincoln Street at Gayley Terrace, Chestnut Grove House or "The Colonial" (1860) on Orange Street, and Brooke Hall on Orange Street and Washington Avenue (now Baltimore Avenue). The Chestnut Grove was used for a year by nearby

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

due to a fire on its campus. The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad was built through Media on October 19, 1854. Electrified service was opened on December 2, 1928. Up to 50 trains passed through each day. The railroad became part of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and eventually the Penn Central. SEPTA took over operations in 1983.

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

spoke at the Media Station in 1912 during his first election campaign. Trolley transportation lines spread to and through Media in the 1890s and early 1900s. Media PA Theater

The Media Theatre opened as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

house in 1927. The first talkie film, '' The Jazz Singer'', was shown there. It remained a popular cinema through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1994, the theater underwent a $1 million (~$ in ) restoration by Walter Strine Sr. and re-opened as the Media Theatre for the Performing Arts. Shows produced there have included '' The Full Monty'', '' Carousel'' and ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a sung-through musical theatre, stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madama Butterfly'', and similarly tells th ...

''. On March 8, 1971, the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI raided an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

"resident agency" in Media. They later released thousands of documents to major newspapers around the country. These documents revealed FBI tactics such as the illegal wiretapping of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and the recruitment of Boy Scouts as informants, and confirmed for the first time the existence of COINTELPRO, an FBI program to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" dissident groups in the United States.

21st century

In June 2006, Media became the first town in the United States to follow over 300 towns in Europe in attaining fair trade certification. To meet the criteria for certification, Media passed a council resolution in support of fair trade, served fair-trade coffee and tea in local government meetings and offices, ensured that a range of fair-trade products were available in local restaurants and businesses, raised popular support and provided media coverage for the fair-trade campaign, and convened a fair-trade steering committee to ensure continued commitment.

Local historic districts

Three locally recognized historic districts were designated by the borough in 1975. These districts are: * Courthouse Square, from Olive to Orange Streets between 2nd and Jasper Streets. * Lemon Street, from Baker to Front Streets. * Providence Friends' Meeting House District, from Front to 2nd including the meetinghouse to Haldeman.

Landmarks

Homes

* Minshall House (c.1750) on Route 252 * Cooper House (before 1870) on State Street, home of Thomas Valentine Cooper, Pennsylvania State Senator and Representative * Dr. Samuel D. Risley House (1877), 430 N. Monroe Street * Gayley House (1855) 301 Gayley St., originally the ''Media Classical Institute'', a Presbyterian academy founded by Rev. Samuel Maxwell Gayley. In 1923, the building became a convent for Nativity BVM Catholic Church. It has served as Nativity's parish center since 2005. * Hillhurst (1890) on Orange Street, designed by Addison Hutton and owned by John Biddle as a summer home. * Jaisohn House (1925), 100 East Lincoln Street

Municipal/civic

* Delaware County Institute of Science (1867) on Veterans Square. The institute was founded in 1833. * Delaware County Courthouse (1871) on Front Street * First National Bank of Media (1900) on State Street at Veterans Square, designed by Albert Dilks * Media Armory (1908) on State St., designed by William Lightfoot Price and M H. McClanahan. Added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1989. Now home to the Media Armory and Trader Joe's grocery store. * Media Theatre (1927, restored 1994) on State St., designed by Louis Magaziner as a Beaux-Arts movie palace with

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

design elements.Media History
accessed May 10, 2007 * Old Rose Tree Tavern (1809), listed on the

in 1971 * The County Court Apartments, location of historic marker documenting the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI raid in 1971 that exposed COINTELPRO and mass FBI violations of the rights of U.S. citizens.

Churches

* Media Vineyard Church * Campbell A.M.E (African Methodist Episcopal) Church * Christ Church (Episcopalian) * Congregation Beth Israel, in Middletown Township - the oldest Reconstructionist congregation in the Delaware Valley, founded in 1925.History
, Synagogue website. Accessed July 23, 2008. * Faith Reformed Baptist Church * First Baptist Church of Media * First United Methodist * Honeycomb Union AME Church * Media Presbyterian Church (1855) on Baltimore Ave. designed by John McArthur Jr., architect of Philadelphia City Hall. * Brooke Hall Female Seminary (1856) Finishing school at Lemon St. and Baltimore Ave, attended by future first lady, Ida (Sexton) McKinley. * Media Presbyterian Church * Nativity BVM Church (1882) 30 E. Franklin St. Designed by Philadelphia ecclesiastical architect, Edwin Durang. * The Brick Church (1862) Nativity BVM's original church. Used as a school (1882–c.1950) after the main church was built. Currently used as a hall. * Quaker meetinghouses: Media Friends Meeting and Providence Friends Meetinghouse. * Media Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (1875) and Media-Providence Friends School (1876), both located at 125 W. 3rd Street * St. George (Greek Orthodox) * Second Baptist Church of Media * Trinity U.A.M.E. (Union American Methodist Episcopal) Church * Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County

Parks

There are several parks located within the borough of Media and shared with surrounding communities. * Rose Tree Park * Glen Providence Park * Houtman Park * Cherry Street Field * Scott Park * Ridley Creek State Park

Geography and climate

Media is located in central Delaware County at (39.918761, -75.388127). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the borough has a total area of , of which , or 0.42%, is water. Media is situated on high ground ( above sea level) draining west to Ridley Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Delaware River. Media has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa'') and the hardiness zone is 7a.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the borough was 82.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 5.7% Asian, 2.6% from Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.9% from two or more races, and 2.5% from

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. At the time of the 2010 Census, the racial makeup of the borough was 83.4%

, 10.6%

, 0.1% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

Media ZIP Code

The term "Media" is often used to include not only the borough of Media, but other municipalities but that share the ZIP Code. The borough of Media covers only and less than 6,000 residents, but the Media ZIP Code 19063 covers and a population of 35,704. According to the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

, the following addresses are included in the 19063 ZIP Code: Elwyn, Garden City, Glen Riddle, and Rose Valley. Other areas at least partially included in the 19063 zip code are Upper Providence Township; Nether Providence Township, the neighborhoods of South Media, Bowling Green, Pine Ridge and Ridgewood; and most of Middletown Township, including, Bortondale, Riddlewood, and

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Government

The borough of Media is run by a mayor and an elected council. Mayor Bob McMahon was first elected in 1992. Mark Paikoff is the president of the Media Borough Council, and Elizabeth Romaine is the vice-president. As of April 2024, the other Council members are Kevin Boyer, Lisa Gelman, Jen Malkoun, Tray Herman, and Joi Washington.Media Borough Council Members
/ref>

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Media lies within the Rose Tree Media School District, created by a merger with the Rose Tree Union School District and Media Borough School District in 1966. Public school students living within borough boundaries attend Media Elementary School, located in Downtown Media, for grades K-5. Springton Lake Middle School serves students in grades 6–8, and Penncrest High School serves students in grades 9–12. The Media-Upper Providence Friends School is the only private school in the borough. Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School in Wallingford is the area Catholic school of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Archdiocese of Philadelphia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Dela ...

. It formed in 2012 from a merger of Nativity BVM School, which was Media's only pariochal school and St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford. Nativity BVM school opened in 1912, with its last building occupied in 1949. The Nativity BVM school administration chose not to file an appeal against the 2012 order to merge. Some parents had lobbied for the continued operation of the school. The archdiocese had originally planned to make Nativity BVM the regional campus, but changed when St. John Chrystosom had appealed the decision. After the closure, Media Elementary School occupied the campus while renovations of the permanent Media Elementary occurred.

Tertiary education

The following are in townships around Media, and have Media mailing addresses: * Delaware County Community College, a two-year liberal arts college, has its main Delaware County campus in Marple Township; this campus has a Media mailing address * Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, a two-year junior college, in Upper Providence Township * Penn State Brandywine, in Middletown Township - The map indicates the location of the schools, "Penn State University" and "Williamson Trade School". * Williamson College of the Trades, a three-year technical college, in Middletown Township

Transportation

Highways

As of 2018, there were of public roads in Media, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough. Route 252, Providence Road, is the only numbered highway presently traversing the borough. It follows a north-south alignment along the eastern border of Media. U.S. 1 formerly ran through the borough until the "Media bypass" was completed in 1960. The bypass has an unusual "volleyball" or three-level diamond interchange with Interstate 476. The former Route 1 through the center of Media is known by its older name, Baltimore Avenue, changing to " Baltimore Pike" outside the borough limits.

Airports

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), the 21st-busiest airport in the nation in 2022, is 11 miles' driving distance (about a 15-minute drive) from downtown Media, following Baltimore Pike east, then Interstate 476 south and

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

northeast.

SEPTA Trolley & Train

* Media station is a SEPTA rail station of the Media/Wawa Line. * The Media–Sharon Hill Line is a light rail line that run through Media to the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby. The trolley line ends in Media at Media-Orange Street station.

Gallery

File:Media Trolley 072107 014 (917190137).jpg, SEPTA trolley on State Street File:Media Station.JPG, Media Station File:Jaisohn House Media.JPG, Philip Jaisohn House File:Samuel Risley House Media PA.JPG, Samuel Risley House File:Media Old School.JPG, Old Friends Select School File:Media PA Friends Meeting.JPG, Media Friends Meeting Providence Friends Meeting Media.JPG, Providence Friends Meetinghouse

Notable people

Government and politics

* Jesse Matlack Baker (1854-1913), Pennsylvania State Representative and State Senator * Crosby M. Black (1866-1916), Pennsylvania State Representative and mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania * John M. Broomall, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from 1863 to 1869 * Orson Flagg Bullard (1834-1906), Pennsylvania State Representative * William H. G. Bullard, admiral of the U.S. Navy * Thomas Valentine Cooper, Pennsylvania State Senator and Representative * Edward Darlington, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

from 1833 to 1839 * Graceanna Lewis, ornithologist, abolitionist, and suffragist * Ida Saxton McKinley,

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

from 1897 until 1901 * Joan Mondale, Second Lady of the United States from 1977 until 1981 * Mildred Scott Olmsted, peace activist and suffragist * John Buchanan Robinson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

from 1893 to 1899 * V. Gilpin Robinson, Pennsylvania State Representative * Anna Howard Shaw, physician and suffragist * Bill Whitaker, journalist on CBS ''

60 minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

Business

* Jonathan Bixby, costume designer * Samuel D. Riddle, textile mill owner and race-horse owner

Sports

* Sean Bettenhausen, soccer player * Jon Conway, soccer player and coach * Mark Donohue, racing driver, winner of the 1972 Indianapolis 500 * Harry Kalas, broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies * Lew Krausse Jr., former pitcher for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics and other teams * Lew Krausse Sr., former pitcher for the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, they became the Oakland ...

* Phil Martelli, former head basketball coach, Saint Joseph's University * Tug McGraw, former pitcher for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

and Philadelphia Phillies * Ted Meredith, former double Olympic gold medallist * Auston Trusty, soccer player * Jonah Jackson, professional football player, Los Angeles Rams

Entertainment

* John Billingsley, actor * Jim Croce, singer and songwriter * Ann Crumb, Broadway actress * Paul DiMeo, actor, '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' * Dave Miller, record producer for

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

's early recordings; creator of the 101 Strings franchise of

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

record albums * Todd Robinson, Emmy-winning director and screenwriter * Dean Sabatino, drummer for The Dead Milkmen * Wanda Sykes, actress and comedian * Alan "Mike" McConnell, Award-winning radio host at WVUD (University of Dayton), WTUE (104.7 Dayton Rock), 700 WLW (Cincinnati) and WGN (Chicago).

Science

* John Heysham Gibbon, surgeon known for inventing the heart-lung machine

Art

* Frank Furness, renowned Philadelphia architect * Charles Lewis Fussell, 19th-century landscape painter *

Michael A. O'Donnell Michael A. O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) is an American writer and researcher and co-principal investigator of the Adolescent Wellness Research Project, jointly with family strengths scholar Nick Stinnett. Their resea ...

, author, researcher, international lecturer, and Episcopal priest

Military

* Harold J. Lavell, US Army major general

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1850 establishments in Pennsylvania Boroughs in Delaware County, Pennsylvania County seats in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1681