The Poquessing Trail of History recently had its coming-out party at Byberry Meeting, 3001 Byberry Road.
It’s an initiative of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia supported by grants from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial.
The June 28 celebration featured information tables; displays of historic maps, deeds, paintings and photos; tours of Byberry Library; videotaped opportunities to share your favorite local history stories; an appearance by state Sen. Joe Picozzi; and pretzels, snacks and refreshments.
Among the participating cultural groups at the event were Friends of Northeast Philadelphia History; Byberry Friends Meeting; Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets; Friends of Poquessing Watershed; Walk Around Philadelphia; and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
Historian Jack McCarthy, of Parkwood, is project director, while Aislinn Pentecost-Farren is project coordinator.
“It’s coming together,” McCarthy said. “It’s a great thing to finally have a public event to show off the project.”
The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia was represented by Jennifer Robinson, director of preservation services.
“We’re excited to share the history of Northeast Philly, which is often not well known,” Robinson said.
McCarthy explained that the project will have two components.
One will touch on the following four areas, all near the Poquessing Creek Trail:
• The birth house of Benjamin Rush, a founding father and signer of the Declaration of Independence, which was demolished in 1969 by the city Department of Licenses and Inspections. Apartments are now at the site, on Keswick Road. An interpretive representation of the house will be built in Benjamin Rush State Park, using stones from the original house.
• A monument will be built near the Poquessing Trail to honor the Lenape, the original indigenous inhabitants who lived in the area for thousands of years before English Quakers began settling there in the 1680s.
• The Byberry Township African American Burial Ground, established in 1780 by Byberry Friends Meeting, will be restored. It is on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
• Byberry Hall, built in 1847 by black abolitionist Robert Purvis and local Quakers to discuss issues of the day, will be renovated into a local history center and community meeting place.
“We’re going to revive sites that have been hidden or non-existent,” McCarthy said.
The other focus will be a series of eight programs starting in September and continuing through next spring. Here is the schedule so far:
• Living Connections: Lenape Storytelling – Saturday, Sept. 13, 1 p.m., Byberry Friends Meeting
• The Poquessing: Discover Philadelphia’s Forgotten Creek – Saturday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m., Benjamin Rush State Park
• In the Light of Freedom – Saturday, Oct. 18, lantern-making workshop at 4:30 p.m. followed by lantern parade at 6, Byberry Friends Meeting
• What Was Purvis Reading? – Saturday, Nov. 15, 1 p.m., Byberry Friends Meeting
“Everything is free and open to the public,” McCarthy said. ••
To sign up for an e-newsletter, visit PoquessingTrailOfHistory.org and click “Stay In Touch.” For more information, go to the project’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
