On this page we will look back at life in the city during the war years. Here we will provide the visitor with the stories making the news, what was happening in sports and entertainment, city politics, the social scene and the prominent people at the time. We will also recount the events occurring in the war on that day. So, check back each day for new editions.
To share your family or neighborhood stories, please email PhillyWWIyears@gmail.com
TODAY IN PHILADELPHIA – MONDAY, MARCH 6, 1916
An unexpected and heavy snow has covered the city. It began falling around 11:00am and is still continuing. The weather bureau had called for possible rain but the forecaster was as surprised as anyone when the flakes began to drop. Today’s high will be about 33° with the low near 18°.
Prominent Philadelphians of Irish heritage left for New York yesterday for a national conference being held at the Hotel Astor. Delegates from this city include Professor Robert Thompson, principal of Central High School, Monsignor Hugh T. Henry, president of the Boys’ Catholic High School, Joseph McLaughlin, president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and many others. The purpose of the conference is to bring together all Irish associations in America to formulate a plan to secure Irish independence after the present war is over.
Miss Caroline K. Kenworthy, 4835 Cedar Avenue, received her licensed to practice law in the Federal Courts of the United States of America this week. Miss Kenworthy (shown below) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School last year and was one of only two women in her class. Although the practice of law is considered a manly profession there is nothing manly about this young lady. She is a womanly woman with no hint of masculinity. She is not the clinging vine type and is quite proud to be able to cook, sew and keep house as well as practice law. There is no hint of any mannish traits in her. She is the kind of woman men like and trust.
Her father is Joseph Kenworthy, a prominent Philadelphia attorney in his own right and very proud of his daughter’s accomplishments. He recalled his daughter would work in his office 3 days a week for 9 hours each day while she attended law school so to ensure he was able to spend his evenings with the family. She now shares an office with her father in the finance Building on South Penn Square. Miss Kenworthy is a great believer in co-education and hopes that one day all the liberal arts courses at Penn will be open to women. Although now admitted to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the federal court here she must wait 5 years before applying for admittance to the Supreme Court of the United States, which she fully intends to do.
In national news, the War Department is making preparations, should it be necessary, for this country to go to war. The Department is conducting a nationwide inquiry to determine how many men with military experience would be available if needed. Men who served in the Spanish-American War are being contacted as well as those who offered their service when the Mexican situation was most acute two years ago. Names of those attending students’ and business men’s military camps are also being collected. Finally the Department has requested reports from each state detailing the strength and capability of their militias.
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