The Poquessing Trail of History & Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia Book Launch

At its monthly meeting on October 8, 2025, the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) featured a presentation "The Poquessing Trail of History" by director of the project, Jack McCarthy.

Preceding the main talk, Rich Armandi of APT corporate member Philly Town 76 discussed APT's new t-shirts celebrating the semiquincentennial. Winning designs were created by Daiv Barrios, Vance Lehmkuhl of APT corporate member American Vegan Center, and APT member Carla Stine.

Following that, APT member Charlene Mires introduced a special preview of the new landmark set of three books, Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century, produced by the team from The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. The books include Jack McCarthy’s essays on popular music and Philadelphia industries, among many other topics by hundreds of contributors.

The feature presentation with Jack McCarthy begins at 14:30. Jack McCarthy spoke about the Poquessing Trail of History, a project that highlights the rich history of the Byberry neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia by activating four historic sites along the Poquessing Creek Trail through public programming and historical interpretation and restoration.

The trail will highlight
(1) an interpretive representation of the c. 1690 Benjamin Rush birthplace house, which stood in Byberry until it was demolished in 1969;
(2) a memorial to the area’s original inhabitants, the Lenape;
(3) the 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
(4) Byberry Hall, built in 1847 by noted Black abolitionist Robert Purvis and others to host discussions of anti-slavery and other social issues.

The project is sponsored by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, with funding by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial.

Jack McCarthy is a longtime Philadelphia archivist and historian who has held leadership positions at several area historical institutions and directed a number of major archives and public history projects. He regularly writes, lectures, and gives tours on the history of Philadelphia music, industry, and Northeast Philadelphia. He is the author of In the Cradle of Industry and Liberty: A History of Manufacturing in Philadelphia, numerous articles for the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, and the forthcoming book, A Century of Music Under the Stars: A History of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and Robin Hood Dell, to be published by Temple University Press this November. He is currently directing the Poquessing Trail of History project, a multi-faceted initiative sponsored by the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

After his talk, newly certified guides received their pins and certificates; winners were selected for the raffle of a Greater Philadelphia book set and 3 semiquin t-shirts; and the president and other members gave announcements.