Larry Stevens named winner of society’s annual historic achievement award
Historical Society preparing for March 13 baseball program, April 10 award banquet
The Lansdale Historical Society has named the winner of its biggest annual award, and is preparing for a public program next week on the local history of America’s pastime.
On March 13 the society will offer a community program on the roots of baseball in the Lansdale area, and on April 10 will present Larry Stevens with the 2018 Edwin G. Holl Historic Achievement Award.
The March 13 program will be presented by society member Ron Ziegler, a former North Penn school district graduate and athlete, who will discuss the local baseball scene from the 1880s through the 1920s. The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Lansdale Parks and Recreation building, Seventh Street and Lansdale Avenue, and admission is free but donations are appreciated.
During that period, Lansdale’s status as a regional retail and transportation hub brought pro, semi-pro and amateur players to play before large local crowds, according to information from the society. During the presentation, Ziegler will describe early teams that carried the Lansdale names, noteworthy players, where they played, and behind-the-scenes stories of how the players, managers, and merchants of that era brought their teams together.
The next month, the society will recognize Stevens, the founder and president of the Hatfield Museum and History Society, at the LHS annual banquet on April 10.
Stevens has lived in Hatfield for more than 50 years and established in 1991 the museum and society that recognizes the past of both Hatfield Borough and Township. Since then, he has organized a series of five community programs each year, local memorabilia shows, and led a project to preserve the borough’s former jailhouse.
Stevens has also authored three books: “History of Hatfield Borough 1989-1998,” “A Walking Tour of Historic Hatfield,” and “The Hatfield Horror: The Story of the Great Hatfield Train Wreck of 1900,” and manages the society’s Facebook page, posting vintage photos of the Hatfield area with vivid descriptions.
“Larry’s efforts to preserve Hatfield’s history over so long a period makes him a natural choice to receive our Holl Award,” said LHS President Dick Shearer.
The Edwin G. Holl Historic Achievement Award was established in 2004 to honor those in the North Penn region who deserve recognition for exemplary effort to promote and preserve the region’s rich history.
“Hatfield, like Lansdale, has grown a great deal in recent years, and Larry has done a yeoman’s job of chronicling and presenting local history in ways that make it interesting for all generations, for longtime residents as well as newcomers,” he said.
In addition to the history society, Stevens is a life member of the Hatfield Volunteer Fire Company and spent more than 25 years on borough council. Stevens is currently the executive director of the Hatfield Chamber of Commerce, and will receive the award during the LHS annual banquet at 6:30 p.m. on April 10 at the William Penn Inn in Lower Gwynedd. The banquet is open to the public, and tickets are available via the historical society.
For more information on the Lansdale Historical Society, call (215) 8551872, visit www.LansdaleHistory.org or search for “Lansdale Historical Society” on Facebook.