News & Events

Winter Newsletter 2024

Our Winter Newsletter highlights the Schuylkill River Heritage Center fall events and programs. During the Heritage Award Celebration 2023, we honored the Hankin Group for their extraordinary accomplishment in transforming the major portion of the Foundry Building into a a unique and historic place to have a special event.

Download a printable copy of  Newsletter Winter 2024.

Pennsylvania Railroad, Trenton Cut-Off Bridge,

Crossing the Schuylkill River: Two Centuries of Bridge Building

Justin M. Spivey is a licensed professional engineer with a passion for railroads, bridges, and rowhouses. He is a Fellow of the Association for Preservation Technology International and vice chair of its Delaware Valley Chapter. He has also documented dozens of bridges in Pennsylvania, Chicago, and Texas for the National Park Service’s Historic American Engineering Record.

He will present the story of

Crossing the Schuylkill River: Two Centuries of Bridge Building

Thursday, March 14th, 2024 at 7:30 PM

This event will be held at the Foundry, located at 2 Main St. in Phoenixville.

Admission is free for SRHC Members, $5.00 for Non-Members.
No Registration is required.

Download a printable flyer for this event.

  • Pennsylvania Railroad, Trenton Cut-Off Bridge,
  • Strawberry Mansion Bridge in Philadelphia
  • Historic postcard of the Spring City-Royersford Bridge

Chester County Trails Master Plan

Stephen Buck is the Trail Planner who serves on the Chester County Planning Commission.

He will share information about upcoming trail projects and the development of the

Chester County Trails Master Plan

Tuesday, November 14th, 2023 at 7:30 PM

This event will be held at the Foundry, located at 2 Main St. in Phoenixville.

Admission is free for SRHC Members. $5.00 for Non-Members.

No Registration is required.

Download a printable copy of this event flyer.

Celebrate our 14th Heritage Award Celebration

Schuylkill River Heritage Center will hold our

14th Heritage Award Celebration

October 19, 2023 5:30-8:00 PM

We are honoring The Hankin Group to recognize their dedicated investment to restore and reinvent the Foundry Building as a major component of Phoenixville’s past and its future.

This special event will take place at

The FOUNDRY
2 N. Main Street in Phoenixville

$85 per Person

Proceeds from this event will support our initiative to restore the Phoenix Wheel and place it on the Borough’s property, adjacent to the French Creek Trail.

To register call 610-783-0645 or email: allbar@aol.com.

Payment can be made online at givebutter.com/phoenixwheel.  Please write Heritage Celebration and the number of attendees (at $85 each) in the payment description.


The Schuylkill River Heritage Center thanks and recognizes our Heritage Award Celebration Sponsors.
Aqua, an Essential Utilities Company
Beausang, Butera, Cohen & Brennan, Attorneys at Law
Carnevale Eustis Architects, Inc.
Carroll Engineering Corporation
Chester County Economic Development Council
Chester County Industrial Authority
Colonial Gardens
Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Karen Czajka
Mr. & Mrs. Gern & WHitney Jaeger
Mr. Richard A. Kunsch, Sr.
Malvern Capital Wealth Management
Mr. & Mrs. James & Joan Moore
Phoenixville Federal Bank & Trust
Mr. & Mrs. James & Janet Reading
Sly Fox Brewing Company
Steel City Displays

Frank Furness: the architect of the Industrial Age

Barbara Cohen will present the story of:

Frank Furness: the architect of the Industrial Age: Beginning Modern Design at the Right Time and Right Place

Thursday, September 14th, 2023
7:30 PM

This event will be held at the Foundry, located at 2 Main St. in Phoenixville.
No registration is required.
$5.00 for Non-Members
Download a printable flyer for this event.

Please Help the Schuylkill River Heritage Center to Recreate the Historic Phoenix Wheel

Please help the Schuylkill River Heritage Center raise funds to restore and install the Phoenix Wheel, the oldest of its kind in the world, and an artifact representing Phoenixville’s industrial legacy.

The total project cost for this ambitious endeavor is very costly. Every donation brings us a step closer to breathing life back into this majestic monument. By contributing, you’re not just preserving a part of history, you’re also playing an integral part in revitalizing Phoenixville, transforming a former industrial space into a vibrant cultural hub that pays homage to our shared past.

The Phoenix Wheel’s revival is more than just restoring an artifact – it is about community, heritage, and the power of preserving our shared history for future generations. We invite you to be a part of this exciting journey. With your help, the Phoenix Wheel will turn again, a symbol of our resilience, our shared history, and a beacon for the future. Join us as we bring the past into the present for a brighter future. Donate today and become a part of this incredible journey.

Please send your donation to: Schuylkill River Heritage Center, PO BOX 427, Phoenixville PA 19460

Click here to donate online: Phoenix Wheel Fundraising Campaign.

How Trees Transform Streams

Lamonte Garber, the Watershed Research Coordinator at the Stroud Research Center will present the story of How Trees Transform Streams.

Thursday, May 11th at 7:30 PM

This in-person event will be held at the Schuylkill River Heritage Center at the Foundry, 2 Main Street, in Phoenixville.

Admission is free for SRHC & French & Pickering members – $5.00 for non-members.
No registration is required.

Download a printable flyer for this event.

The Schuylkill Navigation Canals in Chester County

Please join us for an in-person presentation and book signing event presented by SANDY SORLIEN, a well-known Philadelphia photographer and author who works with the Fairmount Water Works creating outdoor tours along the Schuylkill River.

Tuesday, April 11th at 7:30 PM
The Foundry, located at 2 Main St. in Phoenixville

Admission is free for SRHC & French & Pickering members – $5.00 for non-members.
No registration is required and masks are optional.

Download a printable flyer for this event.

Sandy’s new book Inland: The Abandoned Canals of the Schuylkill Navigation will be available for purchase at this event, thanks to our local independent bookstore Reads & Company.

William Penn’s Legacy

Barbara Cohen will share the story of

WILLIAM PENN’s LEGACY

She will tell how his Charter of Religious Toleration planted the seed of our nation through the prism of architecture in Philadelphia and Chester County.

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 – 7:30 PM

This will be an in-person event at the Schuylkill River Heritage Center
located in the Foundry at 2 Main St, in Phoenixville.

Admission is free for SRHC members – $5.00 for Non-Members

Masks are optional.

Download a printable flyer for this event.

Winter Newsletter

Our Winter Newsletter is now available for downloading. See highlights from the 13th Heritage Award Celebration and other programs at the Schuylkill River Heritage Center.

Newsletter Winter 2023

Event Flyer Insert