Farnsworth honored in Philadelphia

[Dave A]

At last, my hero Philo Farnsworth is getting some honors here in Phila. Last Friday, the Pennsylvania State Historical Commission erected a roadside plaque at the site of Farnsworth's Philadelphia studio at 1260 E. Mermaid Lane in the Wyndmoor section of the city.

These plaques are all around the state to give a little history of something famous that happened at that location. There is one near my house noting the historic mineral springs resort located here in the 1700's.

Mermaid Lane was during his Philco days for about 5 years in the 30's. The studio and lab is long gone. The tower is gone with replacements in place for local radio and repeaters. The gentleman in the photo is Dave Custis, a local broadcaster who started the effort two years ago. He built a radio station at the same location in the late 50's and knew the history and pushed for the honor. Dave told me that when he built the station, there was still a small wood shack under the newer tower that was original but now gone.

After Farnsworth left, the rebuilt tower was for W3XE/WPTZ-TV (now KYW-TV) until they left for a bigger stick a few miles away. The old photos are courtesy of the University of Utah collection that were on display at the event.

He passed away just two years after I became a broadcaster in sad circumstances. I wish I had known then.

And as a member of the local Broadcast Pioneers, we are looking to continue the honors and memory of Farnsworth in our upcoming events. Stay tuned.

Dave A.