Partnership is often a key ingredient for a preservation outcome. The value of partnership and collaboration, the importance of preservation networks, and leveraging resources are all central ideas of Pennsylvania’s statewide historic preservation plan, Historic Preservation: The Keystone of Community.
We recently learned about the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia‘s Poquessing Trail of History initiative and its emphasis on collaboration. The project director, Jack McCarthy, answered some questions for me about the initiative so we could spotlight this preservation partnership.
Can you tell me a little bit about the Poquessing Trail of History initiative and the four historic sites under its umbrella?
The Poquessing Trail of History is an initiative of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia in partnership with local community and heritage groups as well as state and city agencies. The goal of the project is to foster awareness and appreciation of the rich history of the Byberry area of Northeast Philadelphia and to highlight the stories of the diverse peoples who inhabited the region from the pre-colonial era through the mid-19th century.
Map showing the locations of the four sites included in the Poquessing Trail of History: 1) Benjamin Rush Birthplace, 2) Lenape Memorial, 3) Byberry Township African American Burial Ground, 4) Byberry Hall.
The project will accomplish this by activating four historic sites along or near the Poquessing Creek Trail, a public nature trail that follows the course of the creek through state and city land in Byberry, and engaging stakeholders in documenting and sharing their stories with the broader community.
The sites include:
- An interpretive representation of the c. 1690 Benjamin Rush birthplace house, which stood in Byberry until it was demolished in 1969;
- A memorial to the area’s original inhabitants, the Lenape;
- Byberry Township African American Burial Ground, established in 1780 by Byberry Friends Meeting as a resting place for area free Blacks and people of color; and
- Byberry Hall, built in 1847 by noted Black abolitionist Robert Purvis and others to host discussions of anti-slavery and other social issues.
Historic early 20th century photograph in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) record for the Benjamin Rush birthplace. Source: Benjamin Rush Birthplace, Red Lion Road, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA, HABS PA,51-PHILA,556-, Library of Congress.
What inspired this initiative? And why now?
Byberry, a mostly rural/agricultural area through the early 20th century and now a largely residential neighborhood in the far northeastern part of Philadelphia, has an incredibly rich, diverse history. Most local residents are unaware of this history, however. Likewise, the greater Philadelphia history community, from scholars to general history lovers, knows little about the historical significance of this part of the city.
By fostering greater awareness and appreciation of this largely neglected history, the project aims to instill a sense of community values and civic pride in local residents while positioning Byberry in the broader narrative of early Philadelphia and American history.
The 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding in 2026 is an ideal time to highlight this important, under-appreciated history. Two of the four sites featured in the project have a direct connection to the Revolutionary era—the birthplace of founding father and signer of the Declaration of Independence Benjamin Rush, and the Byberry Township African American Burial Ground, which was established during the Revolutionary War—while the Semiquincentennial provides an opportunity to explore the complex, multi-layered history of the different ethnic, religious, and political groups who shaped early history of this part of Philadelphia.
Cleanup crew at the Byberry African American Burial Ground. (Photo credit: Society for the Preservation of Philadelphia African American Assets)
We learned through our outreach for the statewide historic preservation plan that communities are looking for models to help them plan for and preserve their own historic places. How did a project like this get started?
The project builds on many years of preservation work, historical research, and advocacy efforts that took place around the sites beginning in the 1960s.
Different groups—preservationists, scholars, local history buffs, community activists—sought to document and/or preserve the sites over the years and their efforts laid the groundwork for the Poquessing Trail of History project. It was just a matter of recognizing that the sites were linked by their location along or near the Poquessing Creek Trail in Byberry, had the potential to illuminate important aspects of local and national history, and could be unified into a “trail of history.”
Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia recognized this potential to highlight a part of the city whose history is often neglected and agreed to sponsor the project and seek funding for it.
What is one thing you’ve learned through this initiative that you’d like to share with our readers?
The importance of engaging stakeholders whose stories are embodied in the sites in the process of shaping and telling those stories in a meaningful way. Project stakeholders include
- Friends of Northeast Philadelphia History;
- Byberry Friends Meeting;
- Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets;
- Friends of Poquessing Watershed;
- Delaware Tribe of Indians (a federally recognized Lenape tribe);
- Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of State Parks;
- Philadelphia Parks & Recreation; and
- Pennsbury Manor, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
These stakeholders each bring a unique perspective to the project and different ideas on how to tell the stories behind the sites that relate directly to their history. It is important for the stakeholders to have a role in shaping the stories and how we engage the public in them.
Stakeholders and visitors at a kickoff event for the project. (Photo credit: Aislinn Pentecost-Farren)
What is next for the trail in the short term? In the long term?
We will be pursuing two key agendas for the project simultaneously over the next year:
- an ambitious series of public programs and historical interpretation activities around the four sites, and
- physical restoration/reconstruction of the sites.
The programming/interpretive activities will share with the public the compelling stories behind the sites and the rich history of the Byberry area, while the “bricks and mortar” restoration/reconstruction work will transform the sites into permanent memorials that provide opportunities for the public to physically experience the sites and learn their stories.
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Project Director Jack McCarthy is a longtime Philadelphia historian and archivist who has held leadership positions at several area historical organizations and directed a number of major archives and public history projects.
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