Eksplore Istwa Nwa nan Philadelphia: 52 Sit Istorik, Tounen & Enstitisyon Kiltirèl

Nan Klividen, vizit gide ak atifak yo dekouvri detay sou lavi sou plantasyon nan nò yo, efò pou chape anba esklavaj ak manèv legal Benjamin Chew, patriyach youn nan pi gwo fanmi ki te posede esklav nan Philadelphia.

Egzibisyon sou istwa moun nwa nan Cliveden gen ladan The Chews & Enstitisyon Konplèks Esklavaj la epi Eksperyans Afriken Ameriken yo nan Fèm Epsom. Youn nan pwojè rechèch Cliveden yo — Ilistre Lavi Kache: Istwa Moun Nwa nan Rejyon Mid-Atlantik la — bay aksè ak dokiman ki nan Papye Fanmi Chew yo.

Sit la ouvè pou vizit depi me rive novanm.

Ki chita nan Jèrmantawun, la Kay Lekòl Concord ak Simityè Anwo a pataje tè epi genyen yon sal klas ki entak depi 1775 ak youn nan simityè ki pi ansyen nan Philadelphia, ki la depi 1693.

Vizitè ki vin sou sit lekòl la ka wè yon sal klas otantik ki soti nan 19yèm syèk la, yon zòn kote abolisyonis yo te konn rasanble regilyèman. Dokiman istorik Endike ke ni lekòl la ni simityè a te entegre.

Sit konbine a ouvè pou piblik la nan dezyèm samdi chak mwa soti Jiyè rive Oktòb, epi lòt lè sou randevou. Antre a gratis, men yo sijere yon don.

Stephen Girard te mouri an 1831 kòm nonm ki te pi rich nan Amerik. Nan testaman li, li te bay enstriksyon pou yo itilize gwo fòtin li pou etabli yon lekòl preparatwa pou kolèj pou “òfelen gason blan ki pòv” ki te rele Girard College. Kolèj la te refize entegre apre yo te deklare segregasyon an antikonstitisyonèl. Apre yon batay legal ki te long, Girard College te kòmanse admèt elèv Nwa an 1968.

Nan Mize Founder's Hall kolèj la, vizitè yo ka aprann plis sou istwa dezegregasyon Girard College (epi tou sou lekòl la ak sou lavi Girard) pandan lè nòmal nan jou lasemèn (Mèkredi rive Vandredi).

La Simityè Istorik Eden nan Delaware County Li rete simityè ki pi ansyen nan peyi a ki posede pa moun nwa e ki toujou an itilizasyon.

Nan fen 19yèm syèk la, Philadelphia te sibi yon ekspansyon iben ki te fòse simityè nwa yo fèmen epi deplase tonm yo.

Eden reponn pa tabli yon simityè kote rès sa yo te ka jwenn yon kay pèmanan. Kounye a, plis pase 90,000 moun nwa antere nan simityè istorik la, pami yo gen figi dwa sivil tankou Octavius V. Catto, James Forten, Absalom Jones ak William Still, osi byen ke pèsonalite remakab tankou achitèk Julian Abele ak chantè renome Marian Anderson.

Simityè Kwaker Fair Hill Istorik Sèvi kòm dènye repo pou anpil abolisyonis ak aktivis enpòtan, pami yo Lucretia Mott, Robert Purvis ak plizyè lidè Nwa nan mouvman an. Chemennfè Anba Tè.

Apre fondatè Quaker George Fox te resevwa tè a nan men William Penn, li te etabli yon kay reyinyon ak yon simityè entegre pa ras an 1703. Jodi a, vizitè yo ka eksplore teren yo (louvri gratis) soti nan mwa Avril rive Novanm.

Sit la ofri tou pwogram alfabetizasyon, verdisman iben ak toune istorik ki gen ladan yon vizit nan mi-grafik ki tou pre, tankou Omaj pou Harriet Tubman.

Kòm yon fanmi Kwaker abolisyonis nan Filadèlfi kolonyal, fanmi Johnson te ofri kay yo kòm yon espas ki an sekirite pou moun esklav k ap chèche libète sou Chemen Fè Anba Tè a. Kounye a se yon Moniman Istorik Nasyonal, Mize kay istorik Envite piblik la vizite youn nan dènye estasyon Chemen anba tè ki rete nan vil la.

Ekspozisyon ak atifak atravè sit la rakonte enjistis esklavaj la ak fason fanmi Johnson te goumen pou egalite. Abolisyonis enpòtan William Still te souvan òganize “reyinyon” nan sit la pou ede lòt moun sove. Epi, menm si sa poko konfime, tradisyon fanmi di ke Harriet Tubman te rete nan sit la yon fwa.

La Sant Liberty Bell — kay Liberty Bell la ak mize dedye li a depi 2003 — envite vizitè yo aprann sou koneksyon ki genyen ant klòch la ak istwa Afriken Ameriken. Videyo ak ekspozisyon entèaktif eksplike kijan mouvman abolisyonis la te adopte objè a kòm yon senbòl libète ki baze sou sitasyon ki grave sou li ki soti nan Levitik, “Pwoklame libète nan tout peyi a pou tout abitan li yo.” 

Depi nan fen ane 1800 yo, klòch la te vwayaje atravè peyi a pou ekspozisyon yo pou ede geri divizyon Lagè Sivil la, li te raple Ameriken yo lè nasyon an te ini pou goumen pou endepandans. 

La Lamezon Prezidan Li fè memwa sou paradoks esklavaj ak libète a nan sit premye rezidans egzekitif nasyon an, kote Prezidan George Washington ak John Adams te rete pandan manda yo, e kote nèf moun ki te esklav te sèvi premye prezidan an.

Anplennè Pak Istorik Nasyonal Endepandans sit la, ki chita jis kèk pa lwen Sant Liberty Bell, ofri yon espas pou refleksyon an silans epi li genyen tou yon gwo vitrin an vè ki pèmèt vizitè yo wè fragman achéolojik yo te dekouvri sou sit la an 2007.

Nòt: Sèvis Pak Nasyonal la retire pano entèpretatif yo nan Mezon Prezidan an 22 janvye 2026. Anviwon mwatye nan pano orijinal yo te retabli 20 fevriye 2026. Apre yon seri desizyon tribinal federal, Sèvis Pak Nasyonal la te konplete ranplasman panno entèpretatif orijinal yo ak yon nouvo ekspozisyon sou 15 jiyè 2026.

Karyè remakab James Logan te gen ladan l sèvi kòm sekretè William Penn, yon mantò pou Benjamin Franklin ak majistra Philadelphia (se poutèt sa yo rele vil la sou non li) Logan Square nan Sant Vil la.

Ansyen plantasyon Logan an, Stenton, Li siviv kòm yon egzanp achitekti bonè nan stil Jòjyen epi kounye a sèvi kòm yon mize ki prezante travay bwa eksepsyonèl, detay ki byen konsève ak bibliyotèk Logan an ki gen prèske 2,700 volim, ke revolisyonè tankou Franklin ak John Bartram te konn itilize pou rechèch.

Sitiye sou twa nan 500 ekta orijinal li yo nan Jèrmantawun, sit la te konn gen moun an esklav, pami yo te gen yon mèt kay Dinah, ki, daprè sa yo di, te sove gwo kay la pou yo pa boule l pandan Gè Revolisyonè a.

Vwazen Philadelphia a nan nò, Bucks County, gen anpil kote istorik ki te yon fwa arè sou Chemen Fer Anba Tè a. Vizite vil tankou Yardley, Bristol, Newtown, Nouvo Espwa epi Doylestown pou wè legliz yo, fèm yo, tavèn yo ak plis ankò kote abolisyonis yo te kache epi ede moun ki te esklav yo nan vwayaj yo pou ale nan nò.

Kòlèg nou yo nan Visit Bucks County te prepare de Vizit oto gid ou menm, youn atravè pati anwo Bucks la epi lòt la atravè pati anba konte a. Swiv tèks ki sou sit wèb la pou aprann plis sou chak kote.

Sis ak yon demi ekta Washington Square, youn nan senk pak kare orijinal planifikatè vil William Penn yo, te konn sèvi kòm yon kote pou rasanbleman pou Afriken lib ak esklav yo nan Filadèlfi.

Penn te deziyen kare a kòm yon Simityè kote anpil Afriken te antere. Anvan Lagè Revolisyonè a, jiska mil Afriken te konn rasanble nan sa yo te rele Kongo Square pou selebre fèt yo epi pwoteje rès moun yo te antere yo.

Yonn sou kat nan Montgomery County rakonte istwa byen koni sou kan lame kontinantal Washington te tabli pandan sezon fredi 1777-1778 la, yon fòs konba ki te gen ladan l anpil sòlda ak brigad Afriken Ameriken. Pak la Moniman Patriyòt Desandans Afriken Onore moun ki gen desandans Afriken ki te sèvi pandan kan Lame a nan Valley Forge.

Aprann sou kijan dè milye de Patriyòt ki gen koulè, ni moun Afriken lib ni moun Afriken esklav, te goumen pou libète nan Lagè Revolisyonè a. Eksplore siy entèpretatif nan sant vizitè pak la oswa pran yon Yon varyete tou pou eksplore zòn kanman ki gaye la a.

Sitiye andedan Parker Hall istorik la, yon sit USO ki pa ofisyèl pou sòlda Afriken Ameriken yo ak fanmi yo pandan Dezyèm Gè Mondyal la, Mize Veteran Aces yo Onore veteran nwa ak minorite yo.

Òganize anba deviz “Chak jou se Jou Veteran,” mize Germantown lan prezante ekspozisyon ak souvni ki dedye pou sipòte, edike, sèvi ak selebre kontribisyon veteran minorite yo ki souvan neglije. Veteran Afriken Ameriken Egzibisyon an prezante yon koleksyon atifak ak foto kaptivan ki byen chwazi, ki soti nan Dezyèm Gè Mondyal la.

Enskri pou yon gid pwofesyonèl Vizit nan mize a oswa achte aksè pou yon vizit vityèl pou eksplore sit la.

Apre li te chita vid pandan 40 an, kay istorik “Boone Farm” nan Langhorne la te revitalize epi transfòme an Mize Afriken Ameriken Bucks County.

Bati anviwon 1716, bilding lan se youn nan kay ki pi ansyen ki toujou egziste nan Bucks County, yon kote kote Afriken lib ak esklav te viv. Sit la te akeyi tou moun k ap kouri soti nan Sid pandan Gwo Migrasyon an.

Mize a gen gwo ekspozisyon modèn ak entèaktif ki gaye nan tout sèt chanm bilding lan. Tikè obligatwa pou vizite. Kontakte nou anvan ou vini pou òganize vizit gide ak gid. 

Fonde an 1976, Yon tèt twa twa (AAMP) te louvri pandan Bikentenè Etazini kòm premye enstitisyon yon gwo vil te bati pou prezève, entèprete ak ekspoze eritaj ak kilti Afriken Ameriken yo.

Egzibisyon pèmanan mize a — Libète Audasye: Afriken Ameriken nan Filadèlfi 1776-1876 — pran yon gade fre ak odasye sou istwa moun ki soti nan desandans Afriken Ozetazini ak enpak yo ki pa t jwenn rekonesans nan fondasyon nasyon an. AAMP wotasyon ekspozisyon regilyèman epi li òganize tou yon ekspozisyon sou entènèt sou prizon masiv ki rele Fè jistis.

Fondatè mize a, Vashti DuBois, te kòmanse Mize Fi De Koulè nan sa ki te kay li nan Germantown nan, kòm yon mize memwa pou onore “ti fi koulè ‘òdinè’ ki soti nan desandans Afriken an.”

Objektif la: rasanble atifak ki reprezante eksperyans lavi tifi ak fanm nwa yo. Ekspozisyon espas la pa toujou gen atifak istorik, men yo toujou rete fidèl ak istwa.

Aprann plis sou kreyasyon mize a. nan epizòd sa a de Love + Grit, Podcast Vizite Filadèlfi a.

La Mize Sal Ponpye a Montre atizay ak syans konba dife pandan twa dènye syèk yo.

Depatman Ponpye Philly pa t entegre sou baz ras jiskaske 15 ane apre li te fonde. Kidonk, anplis vizite bèl kamyon ponpye antik ki sou plas la, envite yo ka aprann plis sou istwa ak eritaj sèvis ponpye nwa yo nan vil la, enkli segregasyon fòse nan konpayi ki te konpoze sèlman de nwa yo. Motè #11 (gade anba).

Pwofite antre gratis lè w vizite mize a pandan lè l ouvè, soti madi rive samdi, de 10 è nan maten rive 4 è nan aprèmidi.

La Mize Esklavaj: Pou Nou Pa Janm bliye (LWFSM) gen dè santèn atik otantik sou esklavaj nan koleksyon mize li, ansanm ak yon gwo rezèv dokiman istorik. Se sèl mize nan kalite sa a nan Philadelphia; ekspozisyon chenn, chen, fouèt ak fè mak li yo vize montre reyalite trajik esklavaj la.

Enstitisyon Germantown nan genyen tou manifè bato, siy vann piblik, bil vant ak yon varyete objè Jim Crow ki te segrege ak estereyotipe Afriken Ameriken yo. LWFSM la ouvè pou vizit sèlman sou randevou, epi li mennen atifak yo sou wout pou Egzibisyon k ap vwayaje.

Rakonte istwa Lagè Revolisyonè a atravè temwayaj pèsonèl, Yonn pou nèf li gen plizyè ekspozisyon ak atifak ki dokimante eksperyans Afriken Ameriken yo pandan epòk ajite nan premye tan Amerik la.

Vizite ki genyen prim Jwenn Libète Ekspozisyon pou aprann istwa gason ak fanm ki te esklav nan Vijini, oswa wè atifak ra tankou yon kopi orijinal nan powèm Phillis Wheatley yo. Anplis ekspozisyon yo, mize a te fè patenarya ak Ancestry pou pèmèt aksè a plis pase 200 dokiman nan koleksyon li a. Achiv Patriyòt de Koulè.

Ou ka eksplore tou Fondatè Nwa yo: Fanmi Forten Philadelphia a kòm yon ekspozisyon sou entènèt.

Nan National Constitution Center (NCC), atifak ak ekspozisyon yo ilistre moman konstitisyonèl enpòtan nan lit pou egalite pou Afriken Ameriken yo, enkli ka kle nan Tribinal Siprèm nan ak batay pou amannman ki tabli dwa pou tout moun.

Pa rate ekspozisyon pèmanan sant la., Gè Sivil ak Rekonstriksyon: Batay pou Libète ak Egalite, premye nan nasyon an ki eksplore amannman ki te mete fen nan esklavaj. Ou ka eksplore tou Tout ekspozisyon an vityèlman.

La Mize Libète Nasyonal prezante istwa ki la pou toutan sou batay mondyal pou libète.

La Ewo ki soti toupatou nan mond lan Galri a mete an valè moun remakab ki soti nan tout domèn lavi ak epòk, ki te travay pou pwoteje ak avanse libète. Avèk plizyè galri ak yon pwogram regilye evènman ak aktivite, mize a ankouraje dyalòg epi pouse vizitè yo patisipe nan konvèsasyon ki gen sans sou kesyon ki gen rapò ak libète ak egalite.

Epitou sou plas la: yon kopi egzak Liberty Bell, ki salye tout vizitè ki antre.

Plis pase 150 ane, 762 Ri Martin nan Graduate Hospital Se te kay fanmi Marian Anderson, yon ikòn dwa sivil ak youn nan chantèz ki te pi selebre nan 20yèm syèk la.

Anderson Fè listwa an 1939 lè li te chante devan Lincoln Memorial la devan yon odyans 75,000 fanatik apre yo te refize l antre nan Constitution Hall — youn nan konsè anplennè ki pi selèb nan listwa Amerik.

Jodi a, kay ranje twa etaj la sèvi kòm Mize Nasyonal Marian Anderson, pou onore kontralto a ak evènman espesyal, konsè ak objè istorik — tankou disk, wòb, foto ak vyolon li te renmen anpil la. Enskripsyon avanse pou tou se obligatwa.

Yon Moniman Istorik Nasyonal deziyen, Kay ak Mize Paul Robeson se Lwès Filadèlfi Rezidans kote gwo entelektyèl ak konbatan pou libète Paul Robeson te viv pandan 10 dènye ane lavi li (1966 rive 1976) avèk sè li, Marian R. Forsythe.

Robeson te gen anpil wòl — entelektyèl, jwè foutbòl pwofesyonèl, avoka, chantè, aktè ak aktivis dwa moun — epi ekspozisyon mize a detaye eritaj rich li nan dwa sivil atravè anrejistreman mizik, fim, foto, koupe jounal, zèv atistik, afich sinema ak fenèt vitrail espektakilè.

Gen vizit gide nan atraksyon an ki disponib pandan tout ane a. Sou randevou.

Julian Abele, premye Afriken Ameriken ki gradye nan Inivèsite Pennsylvania ak yon diplòm bakaloreya nan achitekti, te jwe yon wòl kle nan konsepsyon de nan bilding ki pi ikonik nan Philly: the Philadelphia Museum of Art ak Bibliyotèk Piblik Filadèlfi a Bibliyotèk Santral Parkway yon branch, toulede ki chita sou Pakwèy Benjamin Franklin.

Achitèk ki fèt nan Philadelphia a te desine aparans Beaux-Arts renome nan bilding prensipal bibliyotèk la ki te louvri an 1927, epi li te kreye teras ekstèn mize atizay la, ki gen ladan sa ki renome atravè lemond. mach eskalye devan ki te vin selèb nan fim 1976 la Wòchi.

Sekretè George Washington, jij abolisyonis Richard Peters te souvan resevwa prezidan an ak lòt Pè Fondatè yo nan pwopriyete Belmont Mansion li a. Peters ta vin tounen yon opozan Lwa sou Esklav Fugitif la epi li ta pran desizyon jidisyè ki ta etabli presedan.

Mansyon Belmont la te konsève epi transfòme an Fairmount Pak’la Mize Chemen de Fè Anba Tè, kote vizitè yo ka wè atik istorik epi tande naratif sou istwa sit la, enkli sa ki gen rapò ak Kònelya Wells, yon fanm Afriken Ameriken lib ki te rete la epi ki te ede lòt moun k ap chèche libète.

Mize a ouvè soti madi rive jedi. Tikè yo obligatwa.

Eksperyans atizay ak istwa Eritaj Rekipere: Yon Omaj pou 7yèm Ward la Onore lavi — ak istwa ki mwens konnen — rezidan Nwa nan ansyen 7yèm Ward Filadèlfi a nan 19yèm syèk la. Yon pati enpòtan nan Chemen Fè Anba Tè a ak Gwo Migrasyon an, 7yèm Ward la te lakay ansyen 15,000 rezidan nwa, pami yo te gen Octavius V. Catto ak W.E.B. Du Bois.

Eritaj Rekipere’la Bwouchi pou vizit gide pa ou Mennen ou nan venkat kay, moniman ak enstitisyon ki gen enpòtans istorik atravè sa ki kounye a rele Society Hill epi Washington Square West.

Katye ki ozalantou a Ri Sid Li chaje ak sit istwa Nwa. Istwa Moun Nwa sou South Street: Yon Vizit Gide Ou Poukont Ou, ki soti nan òganizasyon biznis South Street Headhouse District la, mennen ou atravè arè istorik ansanm ak kote remakab ki pi modèn.

Vizite ponpye tout-nwa #11 la epi Legliz Manman Bethel A.M.E., mache desann Avni Rasin yo, wè mi penti ki onore skateboarder Roger Browne ak fanm nwa yo nan Philly Boutik Dezyèm Men pou SIDA, epi fè pi bon imitasyon Boyz II Men ou lè w rive nan kote ikonik gwoup la Motawnfi Videyo mizik.

Wòl Ameriken nwa yo nan fondasyon nasyon an souvan pa diskite. Tounen mache yo soti nan Vwayaj Nwa yo Objektif la se edike lòt moun sou istwa rich sa a.

Sou Tounen Orijinal Istwa Nwa nan Old City, w ap mache nan tras premye Afriken Ameriken yo, moun ki te esklav, mèt esklav ak abolisyonis yo. Tou Seventh Ward la mennen ou sou lari katye ki te yon fwa epikentè kilti Nwa nan Philadelphia.

Pran yon randevou pou yon vizit pandan jou lasemèn yo., Achte yon tikè pou yon toune wikenn oswa tcheke Tou odyo anliy lan.

La Sant Chemen de Fè Anba Tè Kennett ofri Vizit gide an otobis, vizite sit dokimante Chemen Anba Tè a, kay istorik abolisyonis lokal yo ak Sal Reyinyon Kwaker kote Afriken Ameriken yo te konekte ak kominote lafwa yo nan tout zòn Kennett Square la.

Tou yo dire de èdtan ak kenz minit soti mas rive oktòb, chak twazyèm dimanch nan mwa a (sòf si gen lòt avètisman), a 1è nan apremidi, depa nan Kennett Heritage Center. Tcheke sit entènèt la pou achte tikè oswa pou jwenn plis enfòmasyon sou òganize yon tou prive.

Apwopriye pou fanmi (epi gratis!) Ban Rakonte Istwa Yon Nasyon Karakteristik: istwa reyèl rakonte pa oratè pwofesyonèl (e pafwa an kostim) nan divès kote. Distri Istorik Filadèlfi.

Yo rakonte yo nan jis twa a senk minit chak, istwa sa yo raple detay sou kèk nan premye sitwayen nasyon nou an, ki byen konnen ak sa yo ki pa twò konnen, ki te fòme istwa Amerik. Yo gen ladan Frederick Douglass, Ona Judge (yon fanm esklav ki te sove kite kay George Washington nan Philadelphia) ak Caroline LeCount, ki te reyisi jwenn dwa pou tout moun monte nan tramway Philadelphia yo.

Ban yo ouvè Sou kèk jou chwazi soti nan Memorial Day rive nan Labor Day. Vizitè ki eksplore chak ban ka touche yon sipriz espesyal nan Franklin Square ki tou pre.

Sou Tou Istorik Afriken Ameriken Philadelphia, ou bay yon van oswa yon bis epi w chèche gid ou a, ki mennen gwoup ou a nan yon ekskursyon alantou kèk nan sit ki pi enpòtan nan Philadelphia, kote l ap konsantre sou pèsonalite ak istwa Afriken Ameriken yo.

Nan tou a, ki fèt sou mezi pou gwoup ou a, ou ka vizite kote tankou Liberty Bell, Kay Prezidan an, Philadelphia Museum of Art (ak Julian Abele's Wòchi Etap yo), Mize Afriken Ameriken an, rezidans Marian Anderson, arè sou Chemen Fè Anba Tè a e menm estidyo lejandè Gamble ak Huff yo.

Jounal prensipal Filadèlfi a, Enkwirè Filadèlfi, te òganize plizyè tou mache sou istwa Nwa atravè vil la. Ou ka koute odyo oswa li pandan w ap mache sou tou oto-gide yo.

• Tou kont esklavaj: Premye moun ki te abite Filadèlfi te patisipe anpil nan mouvman abolisyonis la, epi chemen Chemenn Fè Anba Tè a te pase nan vil la, ede moun ki te esklav jwenn libète isit la oswa kontinye nò pou ale Kanada. Enkwirè a de gratis pou kont ou Tou a pye kont esklavaj — youn atravè Old City epi Society Hill ak yon lòt tou nan Nòdwès Filadèlfi — ki mennen w nan sit istorik kont esklavaj tankou Kay Henry Minton, kote Frederick Douglass te asiste reyinyon epi kote yo di John Brown te rete pandan l t ap sou wout pou l atake Harpers Ferry.
• Tou Makè Istorik Istwa Moun Nwa: Anpil nan istwa rich Nwa Philadelphia a ap viv atravè istwa sou moman enpòtan ki enplike kominote Nwa a. San mize oswa atraksyon pou revize moman sa yo, yo pito te onore atravè Makè istorik pèmanan ki ede prezève eritaj sa yo atravè vil la. Enkwirè a Otonòm Vizit Gid Makè Istorik Istwa Moun Nwa Kat la ede w navige nan vil la epi aprann plis sou moman istorik sa yo.

An 1792, Evèk Absalom Jones te fonde Legliz Episkopal Afriken Sen Toma, premye legliz Episkopal Nwa nan nasyon an (toupre kote jodi a Washington Square), ak yon kongregasyon ki te fòme ak manm Sosyete Afriken Lib la, ke Jones te fonde tou.

Today, the church’s traditions of outreach and spirited worship continue in West Philadelphia’s Overbrook Farms neighborhood. Tours of the historic building and its archival collection are available with advance request.

Bonus fact: Bishop Jones was a direct ancestor of architect Julian Abele, a key designer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Parkway Central Library (see above).

Philadelphia’s Quaker founder, William Penn, deeded the historic Kay Reyinyon Zanmi Arch Street and Burial Ground in Old City to the Society of Friends in 1682. The congregation featured several outspoken abolitionists. (You can hear more about them in this podcast.) In 1779, the Quakers who worshipped at the society voted to expel any member who refused to free his slaves.

You can visit the museum at the meeting house and take a self-guided tour of the grounds and historic worship space for free, but donations are encouraged.

Legliz Kris la — where Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Betsy Ross were congregants — also holds significance in the history of slavery and abolition in Philadelphia.

Over its early history, the church ordained Absalom Jones (see above) as the nation’s first African American Episcopalian priest, baptized a quarter of free and enslaved Africans in Philadelphia, helped establish a permanent school for enslaved children, and was a key site where enslaved Philadelphians were able to receive baptisms, hold weddings and attend funerals.

The historic site opens for tours of the church and nearby burial ground daily, with walk-ins welcome.

North Philly’s George W. South Memorial Church of the Advocate has a deep history of community involvement and social justice activism. The National Historic Landmark — known for its striking Gothic Revival architecture — serves as a memorial to civic leader George W. South.

Visit the 14 stunning murals inside representing Black history in America. The murals — each based on a bible passage — depict scenes of slavery, emancipation and the Civil Rights Movement.

The site of several significant activism rallies also made history as the first Episcopal church in the world to ordain women priests. Visit the church by appointment only.

La Legliz Metodis Ini Sen Jòj Istorik (HSG), the oldest Methodist church in continuous use in the nation dating back to 1769, welcomed Black worshippers and licensed Richard Allen and Absalom Jones as its first African American Methodist lay preachers.

In 1787, a dispute over segregated seating policies led to a permanent walkout and the creation of both the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (see above) and Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church (see below). See portraits, items of worship, manuscripts and other artifacts on display in the HSG Museum & Archives or make an appointment to take a tour.

Known as the mother church of the nation’s first Black denomination, Mother Bethel Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church sits on the oldest parcel of land in Philadelphia continuously owned by African Americans. Bishop Richard Allen founded the church in 1794.

Today, Mother Bethel remains open as an archives, a museum and an active church in Society Hill. The onsite Richard Allen Museum houses the tomb of the first Bishop of the A.M.E. Church and church artifacts from the 1600s.

Visit the museum during open hours on weekends or make a weekday appointment.

Philadelphia Association for Public Art offers a robust database to help you navigate visits to public art sculptures and memorials across the city. You can sort art entries thematically, including these highlights:

• Moniman pou tout lagè pou sòlda ak maren koulè: Located in the west park of Logan Circle, the Moniman pou tout lagè pou sòlda ak maren koulè monument honors African American servicemen from Pennsylvania who fought in conflicts from the Revolutionary War to World War I. The granite memorial rises more than 21 feet tall and features 10 figures, plus a central female representation of Justice. The sculpture set was dedicated in 1934 at its original site in Fairmount Park before moving to its current location facing the Pakwèy Benjamin Franklin.
• Engine Company #11 All-Black Firehouse Historical Marker & Mural: Organized in 1871, the Philadelphia Fire Department didn’t integrate until 1886 when it began employing a single African American firefighter at Engine Company #11 on Ri Sid. In 1923, Engine #11 became the city’s only all-Black firehouse, with a full complement of 20 Black firefighters (though still under a white captain, lieutenant and engineer), which remained in place until desegregation in 1952. A historical marker sits at the original firehouse at 10th and South, and the mural Kartaj Kouraj honoring the history of Engine #11 can be seen on the current firehouse (opened in 1976) at 6th and South.
• Negro League Memorial: A former wooden stadium on the edge of Fairmount Pak, 44th and Parkside Ballpark (formally Penmar Park) opened in 1903 and was home to the Negro Leagues’ Philadelphia Stars from 1936 until 1952 and held up to 10,000 patrons. Today, the site, which saw the likes of Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige grace its field, has become Philadelphia Stars Negro League Memorial Park, constructed in 2004, which features a historical marker, the seven-foot high Negro Leagues Memorial Statue ak Atizay Mural program’s Philadelphia Stars: a tribute to Negro League baseball collage mural.
• Memoryal Oktavyen V. Katto: In a city with more than 1,500 statues, the Memoryal Oktavyen V. Katto — formally Yon Rechèch pou Parite— in 2017 became Philadelphia’s first to honor a specific African American. Catto was a 19th-century civil rights crusader who led efforts to desegregate Philadelphia’s streetcars and fought for equal voting rights. On October 10, 1871, the first election day after the 15th Amendment guaranteed African American men the right to vote, he was shot and killed on South Street. Sculptor Branly Cadet created the 12-foot bronze memorial featuring Catto in a powerful stance walking toward a stainless steel ballot box.
• Whispering Bells: A Tribute to Crispus Attucks: Anchored outside the African American Museum of Philadelphia (see above), the sculpture Whispering Bells: A Tribute to Crispus Attucks honors the first American to die fighting for the nation’s independence from Britain. After escaping slavery, Attucks worked on a whaling ship and participated in a protest on March 5, 1770. British soldiers fired upon the protestors, killing Attucks and four others, memorialized in history as the Boston Massacre. The bells, designed by Reginald Beauchamp, only ring with the wind.

Founded in 1959, Hakim’s Bookstore and Gift Shop holds the title of oldest Black-owned bookstore on the East Coast and one of the oldest in the nation. With a collection devoted to Black studies and history, as well as children’s literature, biographies, memoirs and rare books from Black authors, the West Philadelphia bookseller has long been a gathering spot for activists, intellectuals, academics and community leaders.

Historian and scholar Dawud Hakim founded the shop, which remains a vital fixture in the community now under the leadership of Hakim’s daughter, Yvonne Blake.

New Freedom Theatre founder John E. Allen left his day job at Sun Oil to run the theater company he started in 1966 in a North Philadelphia storefront. The theater now holds the title of Pennsylvania’s oldest Black theatrical organization and one of the nation’s most honored Black professional theater companies.

New Freedom has staged productions from such celebrated African American playwrights as James Baldwin, Ossie Davis, Charles Fuller, Ntozake Shange, August Wilson and LeRoi Jones. Alumni include Amatè’s Leslie Odom Jr., Boyz II Men’s Wanya Morris, Living Single’s Erika Alexander and Tony and Emmy Award nominee Samm-Art Williams.

Founded in 1966 through the efforts of Philadelphia’s African American musicians’ union (Union Local No. 274 of the American Federation of Musicians), the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz & Performing Arts counted John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie among its members and played a significant role in the advancement of jazz in Philadelphia and the world.

In 1978, The Clef expanded its mission to include jazz performance, instruction and preservation, becoming the nation’s first facility constructed specifically as a jazz institution. If you’d like to catch a show, check out the list of upcoming live concerts on the website.

Established in 1884, Tribin Filadèlfi remains the oldest continuously published African American newspaper in the nation. Christopher J. Perry founded the paper, which also has a history of advocating for the social, political and economic advancement of African Americans in Philadelphia, such as helping end segregation in Philadelphia schools.

Known as the “Voice of the Black Community,” the paper (originally housed in the Jewelers’ Row district) has published from its offices in Graduate Hospital since 1912. Read about the paper’s history on a historical marker on the site.

Visitors can find a phenomenal selection of works by Black artists within permanent collections, special exhibitions and exciting shows at museums and galleries around Philadelphia to view works in media of all varieties including these highlights:

• Barnes Foundation: La Barnes Foundation, situated steps away from the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Benjamin Franklin Parkway has a robust array of African masks and art in its collection.
• Mural Arts Murals: Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program has a citywide map for users to create a self-curated tour of the numerous murals with Black history themes. Combining the Mural Arts map with the Association of Public Art’s map can provide days of public-art-filled walks and strolls.
• Brandywine Workshop and Archives: Since 1972, the Brandywine Workshop has been a national force in the development and understanding of American printmaking as a fine art form. The organization has sponsored the residencies of hundreds of domestic and international artists, in addition to ethnically diverse artists from around the region.