Three Victorian Philadelphia sisters helped make Philadelphia what it is today. 

The oldest Mary Channing Wister petitioned for music in the public schools, more public parks for all, and placement of the Broad Street line underground. 

Frances Anne Wister was a founder of the Philadelphia Orchestra and became the city’s patron saint of preservation; without her there would likely be no Old City or Society Hill.

The youngest sister Ella Wister Haines got a late start on her career but became the public face and voice of Philadelphia Electric Company for 20 years, especially during the Great Depression. 

All three of these women are buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery.  I tell their stories today.