James Smart's Philadelphia

James Smart is a Philadelphia native, unabashed Philly chauvinist, and chronicler of the city's life and lore. He was a staff member of the old Philadelphia Bulletin from 1948 to 1973, including 14 years as writer of the In Our Town column. His later career included public relations work and editing business publications, but his greatest pleasure came during the Bicentennial period, when for two years he wrote a daily column of Philadelphia news of that day 200 years in the past. Since 1990, he has written Of All Things, a weekly newspaper column, and three books. On this site, you'll find recent Of All Things columns, stories of Philadelphia's past, tales of the late great Evening Bulletin, and assorted facts, opinions, oddities and whimsies. They'll change frequently. Thanks for dropping by.

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Adonijah Hill's Journal, a unique book by James Smart .

Available on Kindle and at http://amazon.com

It's the true-to-history diary of a fictional Evening Bulletin reporter in the Centennial year, 1876. For information, and to read excerpts from the book, go to Adonijah's website at the link below:

Here's a brief James Smart résumé

2011- Adonijah Hill's Journal: Diary of a Philadelphia Reporter in 1876 published

2010 - following reorganization of Journal Register Co., column appears in only one newspaper,

The Review in northwest Philadelphia

2009 - began the process of creating the James Smart Collection, a career's worth of notes, writings, research material, etc. to the Urban Archives, Paley Library, Temple University (the repository of the old Evening Bulletin library )

2008 - Of All Things column placed third in the annual awards of the National Society

of Newspaper Columnists

2001 - Historic Philadelphia; an Ilustrated History published by Historic Philadelphia, Inc. (out of print, but available from some on line book-sellers.)

1995 - collection of columns published: Soggy Shrub Rides Again and Other Improbabilities

(copies available; e-mail the author at address below.)

1990 - began writing Of All Things column, distributed to newspapers in

southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey published by

InterCounty Newspaper Group, and other Journal Register Company weeklies.

1983 - 1990: media relations manager, Mellon Bank, Philadelphia.

1980 - 1983: editor and publisher of Delaware Valley Business Magazine,

monthly regional business magazine

1978 - 1981: editor and publisher of Building and Realty Record, monthly

real estate trade newspaper

1976 - 1986: taught news writing, feature writing, Charles Morris Price School of

Advertising & Journalism, Philadelphia

1974 – 1978: freelance writer

Typical freelance projects through the years included:

Firefighters Museum, Harrisburg, Pa.; (wrote descriptive panels)

U. S. Navy (audiovisual script for minority officers recruiting)

Army Corps of Engineers (audiovisual script for National Dam Inspection Program)

National Park Service, Thaddeus Kosciusko House, (audiovisual script)

Philadelphia Bicentennial Commission; (wrote Stand Before Kings, monograph on

history of Philadelphia business)

The Bulletin (daily column on Philadelphia news 200 years ago that day, 1974-76; also monthly supplement on the American Revolution and 20-newspaper-page history of the

United States during 1976 Bicentennial)

The National Park Service, (wrote dedicatory poem read by Lee J. Cobb on televised ceremony

when the Liberty Bell was moved to its new pavilion, New Years Eve 1975-6)

(Many other projects)

1973 - 1974: vice president, Public Relations Ltd., subsidiary of J. M. Korn & Sons

advertising agency, Philadelphia

1948 - 1973: staff member, Philadelphia Bulletin; featured columnist 1959-73

1947: sold first freelance magazine articles while a high school senior

Graduate of Northeast High School and Charles Morris Price School of Advertising and

Journalism, both Philadelphia