Who knew that a movie showing people filing out of church and school, pigs in a truck, and bottles of milk could be so captivating?
I went to a meeting of the Southeastern Chester County Historical Society at the Friends Home on Sept. 28 and we watched an hour-long movie shot in 1940 in the Kennett area. It seems that a movie company went around to small towns and shot footage of businesses, churches, schools, shops, sports teams and local attractions, trying to capture on film as many local people as they could, then edited it into a video. It was so much fun recognizing buildings that still exist (like Kennett High School, Unionville Elementary, the old Kennett borough hall, St. Patrick's, Kennett Presbyterian and other churches, Longwood Gardens) and seeing once again those that are long gone (like the Eachus dairy in West Chester and the Anvil Inn). Some old-timers in the audience even recognized some of the people!
The fashions and hats were striking; we especially loved the bomber-pilot hats and pointy caps that the kids were wearing. Another highlight was a group of women dressed up in Indian costumes as part of a social club called the Daughters of Pocahontas, and a group of possibly tipsy men cavorting at a golf outing.
One mystery is why the Kennett sewage treatment plant rated such extensive coverage.
The lack of a teenager in the room was sorely felt when there were technical problems with the video setup only a few minutes into the movie. But the delay gave me time to catch up with several audience members I hadn't seen in ages.
Thanks so much to Mary Dugan and her group for showing this wonderful film, and to Damon Sinclair for converting it to DVD and adding the music.
Copies of the DVD are available for $10; contact Mary Dugan (610-347-2237 or mary@marylarkindugan.com).
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