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Tinicum Arts Fest Fashion Show The Tinicum Art Festival has been held annually for over 70 years, but it has its origins in an 1946 fundraising event to support the Tinicum Schools

The first fundraising event was held at the Erwinna one-room schoolhouse and featured a fashion show of period clothing from resident's attics.

The show grossed $64.10 and the remainder after expenses was used to buy outdoor play equipment for the Erwinna School

Peggy Powell with Tillie Stover in 1946 at the first annual Tinicum Arts Festival. Peggy is wearing on of Tillie's childhood dresses. Image from Images of America: Tinicum Township, Bucks County by Patricia Valentine Whitacre and Richard A. Plank

In 1947, The second annual Art Festival was moved to Stover's Riverside Farm

"Between 500 and 600 persons attended the second annual fashion show and social sponsored by the Tinicum Township Improvement Association on Saturday evening. The Stover property provided an attractive setting for the colorful costumes which were shown." Doylestown Intelligencer 6/3/1947
Tinicum Arts Festival on the lawn of the Stover's Riverside Farm, 1947. Image from Images of America: Tinicum Township, Bucks County by Patricia Valentine Whitacre and Richard A. Plank
“The mothers and grandmothers would bring their old dresses down from the attic, and the young girls would sort of display these — it was sort of an odd fashion show,” --Ethan Perry
Fashion Show models from the 1947 Tinicum Arts Festival. Images from the collection of Ethan Perry.
"There was a runway across the front of the house, chairs on the lawn facing the house, and we would come out the door on the right and parade in our fancy clothes across the runway period great fun" --Jane Corbin Post
At the 1948 Fashion Show, Miss Ann Kolby of Pt. Pleasant left, wears an 1843 blue silk plaid dress while Miss Helen Beers of Uhlerstown models an 1860 red and green plaid gown. Image from the Collection of Ethan Perry.
"One of the highlights of the evening was a striptease of the 1890 variety performed by Mrs. Robert Goulding who removed the blue calico "Mother Hubbard" and sunbonnet in which she appeared to reveal 6 voluminous tacked and ruffled petticoats which were discarded in turn to show an old-fashioned chemise"-- Doylestown Intelligencer 6/3/1947

This 1959 photo of Shelly Goulding posing in front of the John J. Stover House is one of the earliest pictures of the Fashion Show at this new location. She is wearing one of Miss Tillie Stover's childhood outfits.

Shelly Goulding at the 1959 Fashion Show. Image from Images of America: Tinicum Township, Bucks County by Patricia Valentine Whitacre and Richard A. Plank

What started as a simple fashion had grown into a full blown Arts Festival with A BArn Full of Art, and a Broadway Style Follies

The Township Bulletin of 1961 describes the Arts Festival as, "Tinicum's own special 'Hello' to summer."
Tinicum Township Bulletin, June 1961

In later years, due to the tiny waists of Tillie Stover's dresses, the local girls scouts were brought in to serve as models.

1979 fashion show with girl scouts as models. Image from Images of America: Tinicum Township, Bucks County by Patricia Valentine Whitacre and Richard A. Plank.

tHE fASHION sHOW WAS RETIRED IN THE 1980S, bUT THE COSTUMES ARE DISPLAYED IN rOTATION AT THE eRWIN sTOVER hOUSE IN tINICUM pARK.

Stop by to see them when the house is open to the public for tours on weekends 12-4 pm (May through October)

Two of Tillie Stover's Dresses currently on display at the Erwin Stover House

This presentation was created by Amy Hollander, Historic Resources Manager, Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation

Created By
Amy Hollander
Appreciate

Credits:

Images of America: Tinicum Township, Bucks County by Patricia Whitacre and Richard A. Plank