Poquessing Trail of History

Years of preservation advocacy in Byberry are paying off!

Join us June 27 to celebrate the permanent protection of one of the oldest Black burial grounds in Philadelphia.

Byberry Township African American Burial Ground was established by Byberry Friends Meeting in 1780 as a resting place for free Blacks and people of color.

Nearly forgotten for over a century, local historians and preservationists began advocating to preserve and honor the Burial Ground in the 2010s. The Preservation Alliance and the Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets (SPPAAA) partnered in the early 2020s to develop restoration plans for the site. In 2024 it was incorporated into the Alliance’s Poquessing Trail of History project with SPPAAA’s support.

Finally, in 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources officially incorporated the Burial Ground into Benjamin Rush State Park, giving it permanent protection at last.

Join us for a historical presentation, performance of antebellum Philadelphia Black music, and a blessing ceremony to celebrate this preservation win!

Register for the free event here:
https://preservationalliance.givecloud.co/product/0FE5F35/not-forgotten-celebration-of-byberry-african-american-burial-ground

Celebrate Juneteenth at the Quaker Meeting of Friends!

Art activities, history tours, and a film screening.

Free refreshments and free parking.

NE 250- Threads of History at Byberry Friends Celebrate history at Byberry Friends Meeting house with art making and a file screening later in the day.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the June 13th cleanup of the Byberry Township African American Burial Ground!

We had over a dozen volunteers, with representatives from several Poquessing Trail of History stakeholder groups participating, including Friends of Poquessing Watershed and the Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets who helped organize the event, Byberry Friends Meeting, and Friends of Northeast Philadelphia History.

The Burial Ground had gotten quite overgrown in recent weeks and we were able to cut down and bag up quite a large quantity of weeds, brush, and bramble to spruce up the site for our June 27th event.

Not Forgotten: Celebration of Byberry Township African American Burial Ground.
Saturday, June 27, 2026
1:00pm – 2:30pm
Benjamin Rush State Park

The event is free but registration is required. More information and registration here: https://preservationalliance.com/all_events/not-forgotten-celebration-of-byberry-african-american-burial-ground/

Join us on June 27th for our final event of our spring program series!

Not Forgotten: Celebration of Byberry Township African American Burial Ground
Saturday, June 27, 2026
1:00pm – 2:30pm
Benjamin Rush State Park

Not Forgotten is a historical presentation, performance of antebellum Philadelphia Black music, and a blessing ceremony to honor the Byberry Township African American Burial Ground, established by Byberry Friends Meeting in 1780 as a resting place for free Blacks and people of color.

Brent White, Assistant Professor and Director of the Jazz Orchestra at Drexel University, will lead an ensemble performing the music of noted early 19th-century Black composer and bandleader Francis Johnson.

The preservation of the Burial Ground is thanks in large part to the tireless work of the Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets. President Dr. Victoria Best and co-founder Jacqueline Wiggins will speak at the event.

FREE registration and more information here:
https://preservationalliance.givecloud.co/product/0FE5F35/not-forgotten-celebration-of-byberry-african-american-burial-ground

There was a full house on Saturday for our living history production This Monstrous Law! We're excited to share more photos next week but here's a sneak peak.

Don't miss our last program, coming up in a few weeks at the Byberry African American Burial Ground now part of Benjamin Rush State Park! More details at the link in bio.

Thanks Northeast Times for the blurb on our program this Saturday!

Check it out here:

Byberry Meeting to host recreation of Fugitive Slave Act protest - Northeast Times The Poquessing Trail of History, an initiative of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, along with Millicent Sparks Productions invite the

What happens when you recreate a historic event just steps from where it happened?

Find out the first weekend in June! We’ve partnered with Millicent Sparks Productions to create an original living history production for the Poquessing Trail of History.

It will take place not in a traditional theater, but in a 19th-century building from the time of the story:

The 1808 Byberry Friends Meeting House.

Recently restored, it stands a few feet from where the historic events in the play actually took place.

“Rarely do we get an opportunity to understand history as if we had lived it,” says Jack McCarthy, historian and director of the Poquessing Trail of History project.

“It will be thrilling to see these icons of early Philadelphia speaking again in one of the few remaining buildings from their lives. This is where historic preservation really comes alive.”

Get a FREE ticket while they last:
https://preservationalliance.com/all_events/this-monstrous-law-robert-and-harriet-purvis-and-the-fugitive-slave-act-dramatic-presentation/

Earlier this month, our director Jack McCarthy was putting Northeast Philly on the map at a special press event announcing the launch of Neighborhood Jawnts.

Neighborhood Jawnts is a citywide tour series celebrating the culture, creativity, and small businesses that define Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.

The tours will feature a different neighborhood each week over a 20-week series. Each tour is created in partnership with community members and highlights authentic stories, local businesses, and neighborhood gems.

Join us later this summer on a Jawnt highlighting the Poquessing Trail of History!
https://www.phlvisitorcenter.com/neighborhood-jawnts-tour-series

Tickets for our next event are going fast!

This Monstrous Law!
Robert and Harriet Purvis and the Fugitive Slave Act
Saturday, June 6, 2026
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Byberry Friends Meeting

A recreation of a historic protest of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, which compelled everyday citizens to assist in capturing enslaved people seeking their freedom. Living history performers portray abolitionists Robert Purvis and Harriet Forten Purvis, who boldly responded to the inhumane law by rallying local citizens to defy it.

For more information and to reserve your FREE seat, please visit the link in our bio!

This tour fills up every time!

We had to reschedule our tour last weekend due to rain - there are tickets available for our new date, this Saturday!

Come join us and hear about the hidden Poquessing Creek from Philadelphia Water Department Historian, Adam Levine.

Registration and more details here:
https://preservationalliance.com/all_events/the-poquessing-discover-philadelphias-forgotten-creek-tour/