The Poquessing Trail of History recently presented What was Purvis Reading? The Books of a Great Abolitionist at Byberry Friends Meeting, 3001 Byberry Road.
The Poquessing Trail of History is an initiative of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.
Jack McCarthy is program director and was one of the guest speakers, presenting on Gentleman Farmer/Community Activist: Robert Purvis in Byberry.
Other speakers were Michiko Quinones, co-founder and lead public historian of 1838 Black Metropolis, who spoke on The Black Metropolis World of Robert Purvis; A.J. Aiseirithe, a Purvis scholar and Library of Congress historian who spoke on Robert Purvis: Reader, Writer, Thinker; and Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, associate curator at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College, who spoke on Did Purvis Have a Library Card? Finding Purvis’ Books in Byberry Library.
The afternoon also featured a book exhibition, library tours, scavenger hunt, panel discussion, Q&A and light refreshments.
Robert Purvis (1810-98) was a member of the Byberry Library Company, whose book collection is still preserved at Byberry Meeting and whose circulation records are at the Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore.
Purvis checked out about 100 books in the 1850s and 1860s and the Poquessing Trail of History displayed the actual books that Purvis read at the Nov. 15 event.
McCarthy explained that Purvis lived in Byberry from 1844-73, when it was a remote, rural village of Philadelphia County. He took part in anti-slavery discussions at Byberry Hall, and is credited with helping many slaves escape.
On Oct. 18, 1850, there was an important meeting at Byberry Hall to protest the Fugitive Slave Law. What followed was a strongly worded resolution, published in a local newspaper, signed by 38 people to ignore the new law.
“This was a serious place for serious discussion,” McCarthy said.
Poquessing Trail of History events will continue in 2026, and Byberry Hall – which received a state historical marker in 2014 – is being renovated.
“We’re doing some really cool programs,” McCarthy said
For more information, contact McCarthy at [email protected] or 610-639-2164 or visit poquessingtrailofhistory.org. ••
