I am looking for history of the Harvest Show that PHS used to produce.
I am looking for the dates of the Harvest Show which used to be in Memorial Hall and before that at Ambler. I am doing a history of my garden club. Back in the 1960s and years following, our club heavily participated in that show. When did it officially stop?
Answer
Since its beginnings in the 19th Century, PHS organized Fall Shows, and many of them, especially ones held in September, celebrated the season's bounty with displays of fruits and vegetables. They are descibed in year-by-year entries in James Boyd's A history of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 1827-1927, ( Philadelphia, Printed for the Society, 1929).
The 20th century Harvest show ran from 1942 - 2002
The Show was initially known as the Victory Garden Harvest Show and was associated with World War II Victory Gardens. PHS organized these shows and held them in Philadelphia.
Then, for several years, PHS and Temple organized the Harvest Shows at Temple/Ambler campus
From 1969 to 1981 PHS produced Harvest Shows at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park.
In 1982, the Harvest Show moved from Memorial Hall to the Horticulture Center in Fairmount Park.
The last Harvest Show was held in 2002.
Selection of Harvest Show images here
Harvest shows are also featured in Chapter 5 of The Philadelphia Flower Show (Images of America).
--- Janet Evans, Associate Director, PHS McLean Library