Chester, Pennsylvania is a city with a complex and intriguing historical narrative that spans over 300 years. From it’s birth in 1644 when it was known as a town called Upland, to its first major economic boom shortly after World War I, to the beginning of its more recent and troublesome problems following a chain of unfortunate events after the 1950s, Chester is a fascinating place with an intricate heritage that deserves considerate attention in our modern world.
Our way of expressing that attention here at Chester Digital is to provide an online urban ethnography to share with anyone who has interest in learning about many facets of the city and its societal infrastructure. Based on careful research, our various articles on this site will explore and reason how modern Chester has come to be and what may lie in its future. We also include many links and sources for those who wish to expand their understanding of Chester even further, an interactive map of Chester indicating various points of interest, and several ways you can become involved in helping Chester now when it is most in need.
Feel free to explore and share this site with others. We hope you enjoy Chester Digital!
This website was created by students at Swarthmore College enrolled in the seminar “Social Action and Social Responsibility,” taught by Professor of Sociology Joy Charlton and supported by Jim MacMillan, Manager of Media and Social Responsibility at the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility. The students: Hope Brinn ’15, Leanne Browne ’15, Benjamin Grandis ’15, Sam Gutierrez ’15, Alice Kim ’15, Allison King ’15, Alison Koziol ’15, Steve McFarland ’15, Isabel Sacks ’15, Emma Sindelar ’15, Samantha Stevens ’15, and Ruth Talbot ’15.
