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 – SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 1915

There will be fair skies over the city today and tonight with moderate winds from the northeast. The high will be about 75° with the low around 50°.

The Knights Templar of Pennsylvania held their 15th annual field day this afternoon on the Belmont Plateau (shown below). The events included both marching and horseback drills by the knights in company. The knights also, as one, pledged to immediately rally to the colors if the nation needed them for defense. The day began at the Masonic Temple on Broad Street where the knights formed their lines and marched to the Broad Street Station where they took a special train to the plateau. The festivities will conclude tonight with a band concert and fireworks.

9-25-1915 Knights Templar

In Delaware 5 prisoners were whipped at the post today at the New Castle County Workhouse just outside of Wilmington. Each man received either 10 or 20 lashes. Although open to the public there were few spectators present and the men did not appear to suffer greatly.

At the motion picture theatres this weekend patrons can see “The Quest” staring Margaret Fisher and Joseph Singleton at the Girard, 7th & Girard Avenue; Marguerite Clark stars in “Pretty Sister of Jose” at the Sherwood, 54th & Baltimore and at the Tulpehocken, Germantown & Tulpehocken Street, Blanche Sweet and Baby Gorman star in D.W. Griffith’s “Oil and Water”. As a special attraction Baby Gorman will appear in person at each showing. In Vaudeville at the Globe theatre, Juniper & Market Streets Joe Hortiz & Co. presents “Coney Island to the North Pole” and on stage at the Garrick Theatre, 1330 Chestnut Street, the comedy delight “Potash & Perlmutter” is on stage with tickets starting at .50¢.

In sports, the Penn Quakers football team opened their season with a win over West Virginia at Franklin Field today. It was a hard fought defensive battle that Penn won 7 to 0. In other games Lafayette defeated Muhlenberg 14 to 7 and Penn State beat Westminster 26 to 0. In baseball, The Phillies met the Cubs for the last time this season and it was quite a game. The Phillies had the lead going into the bottom of the 9th but the Cubs fought back and tied it up. Finally in the 11th the Phillies scored and held the Cubs off for the win. The A’s dropped both games of their doubleheader with the White Sox at Shibe Park.

WAR NEWS

On the Eastern front, the Russians have launched a counter-offensive along the entire front from Poland through Galicia. The Russians are also striking at the German forces around Pinsk in an attempt to regain that city. Also fierce fighting continues at Dvinsk where Field Marshal von Hindenburg has massed enormous numbers of men and artillery to take that city.

GET YOUR COPY OF PHILADELPHIA: THE WORLD WAR I YEARS BY JUST CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW OR STOP IN AT YOUR NEAREST BARNES & NOBLE OR OTHER BOOK STORES.

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