Parking

Recently, I took a stroll from my home in South Philly up to Fishtown to visit Penn Treaty Park, which lies along the Delaware River at the intersection of Beach Street and Delaware Avenue. Penn Treaty features a lot of open green space (perfect for running around), a walkway, picnic tables, and playground equipment. As one of the city's only waterfront parks, Penn Treaty also offers one the chance to sit on the rocky shore of the Delaware and stare off across the river at New Jersey. The day I visited, I spent most of my time on the rocks, looking out at the river's water. That has to be the most relaxing thing ever.

The park is the site of the "Great Treaty" made between the Lenape and William Penn in 1683. The treaty was a spoken one and no physical record of it exists. However, the words spoken by Penn and Tamanend, the chief of the turtle clan of the Lenape, are impressively beautiful:
Penn: “We meet on the broad pathway of good faith and good-will; no advantage shall be taken on either side, but all shall be openness and love. We are the same as if one man’s body was to be divided into two parts; we are of one flesh and one blood.”
Tamanend: "We will live in love with William Penn and his children as long as the creeks and rivers run, and while the sun, moon, and stars endure.”

The treaty took place under a great elm tree and for years, that was the only commemorative marker for where the treaty took place. However, nature can be cruel, and a mighty storm tore the tree from the ground in 1810. In 1827, an obelisk was built to mark where the treaty had taken place. Eventually, the city acquired the land on which the park is located and, in 1893, built and dedicated Penn Treaty Park.

Over the last 100 plus years, the park (like so many others) has seen its ups and downs. Somewhere around 1910, there was discussion of building a station just above the park for incoming immigrants to land. However, sentiment was very much against such a station and it was eventually built over the river in New Jersey. In 1920, PECO installed a station just north of the park, in an old shipyard. They attempted to demolish the Penn Treaty pier but were met with opposition and were unsuccessful. In the 1960s, the construction of I-95 cut Penn Treaty off from the rest of the neighborhood (as it still does) and the park became a place for teenagers to go to drink and make out.

However, the community around the park remained committed to it and extensive renovations were planned in time for the bicentennial celebrations. There were plans for a museum, a parking lot, and bathroom facilities. The museum didn't get built, but there is a parking lot. At this time, the park was also expanded by five acres to the south. In 1982, almost 300 years after the original treaty, this new land was incorporated into the park.

Today, the Friends of Penn Treaty Park remains dedicated to maintaining the park. They host monthly clean-ups (on the 2nd Saturday of the month) as well as a champagne fundraiser annually. The park is a great place to go to get a bit of history about our great city as well as to relax and forget about the worries of the day.

Upcoming Events in Parks:

Open House at Fairmount Park Environmental Centers Learn about local wildlife, bird watch, and look at native fish in aquariums. Saturday 4/4, Wissahickon Environmental Center, 10AM-4PM and Pennypack Environmental Center, 9AM-3PM

Gardening: Fragrance In The Garden, Dickinson Square Park, Saturday 4/4. Learn how to plant nice smelling plants in a way that will uplift your garden.

Get Involved: Dickinson Square Park Clean Up (Saturday, 9AM).

Egg Hunt!: 7th Annual Fitler Square Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday 4/5, 3PM. BYOB (bring your own basket)

Get your veggies: Farmer's Markets: Fitler Square (Saturdays, 9AM-2PM); Clark Park (Saturdays, 10AM-1PM), Rittenhouse Square (Saturdays 10AM-2PM).

If you know of anything exciting happening in your local park in the near future, please e-mail amy@phillyist.com!

Image credit: Flickr user pwbaker.