Society Hill received its name from the “Free Society of Traders” who were granted a strip of land in this area by William Penn in 1683. Take a leisurely walk through this country’s largest, intact collection of original colonial and post-colonial residential architecture. Learn about this neighborhood’s mid 20th century renewal efforts and its contribution
Archives: Walking Tours
Philadelphia City Archives
Join us on a special evening tour of Philadelphia City Archives on Spring Garden Street. From Board of Health lists of abandoned privy wells, to ground rent deeds, to the original architectural plans for City Hall, the records in the City Archives hold the key to innumerable inquiries into Philadelphia’s past. Learn how archivists preserve the City’s
Laurel Hill Cemetery Rescheduled to April 20
Special Tour: Laurel Hill Cemetery Designing for the Dead: Art and Architecture at Laurel Hill The birth of the rural or garden cemetery, with its spacious lots and bucolic landscapes, created a unique marketing opportunity for 19th century designers. Noted architects like John Notman, William Strickland, Frank Furness, and John J. McArthur, competed fiercely for
Founders Hall
Stephen Girard’s 1831 will left an unprecedented $2 million construction budget to build a school to educate poor orphans. He left meticulous instructions for the original classroom building, now known as Founder’s Hall. It was to be built of masonry and marble, have four 50’x 50’ classrooms on each of three floors, front and rear vestibules,
Visit West Chester!
Chester County History Center is home to over 100,000 photographs, 70,000 objects, and 750,000 documents and manuscripts that explore and preserve the rich history of Chester County, Pennsylvania. It’s also home to the award-winning permanent exhibit, Becoming Chester County, which is all about choices—the choices that colonists and indigenous peoples made. Colonists made difficult choices to immigrate
Powelton Village
The small neighborhood of Powelton Village in West Philadelphia has great stories to tell. Settled by Welsh Quakers after 1682, the village was named for the 18th-century estate of Samuel Powel, the mayor of Philadelphia during the Revolution. This tour features an eclectic variety of mid- to late 19th-century houses, mansions, and a few churches
Mount Moriah Cemetery
Join Bill Warwick on a walk through time on nearly 200 rolling acres of secluded, and largely unknown Victorian era rustic green space situated in South West Philadelphia and Yeadon Delaware County. Chartered in 1855 and the final resting place for an estimated two hundred thousand persons, we will walk and discuss the history of the cemetery
Frankford
Discover beautiful Victorian residences, churches, and public buildings in this historic neighborhood that developed along an old Native American trail. See the commercial revitalization efforts of today’s Frankford Avenue. Learn about Frankford’s early history that predates Philadelphia and how it figured prominently in this city’s colonial past. Experience its tremendous growth during the city’s industrial
Lansdowne
Explore historic Lansdowne Borough and its early Victorian subdivisions that were created as a result of the expansion of the West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad. Lansdowne has two National Register listed Historic Districts, 12 locally designated districts and hundreds of historic buildings, all within a square mile. Come explore the tree-lined streets of two neighborhood
Beechwood: Suburban Haverford Township
Explore the early 20th Century suburban developments of Penfield, Brookline, and Beechwood that were made possible by the expanded railroad and trolley lines. The tour includes the former site of the short-lived Beechwood Amusement Park that was created by the P&W in 1907 as well as the former home of the Slinky inventor. Take a
