Roxborough
Manayunk
Wissahickon
Historical
Society

Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society provides history and information on cemeteries and churchyards/graveyards in our area. However, we are not responsible for them. Please use this info to contact a local institution. Cemeteries & Churchyards CONTACTS: Vandalism/Crime - If you have witnessed a crime or see something that poses a danger, call 911. There isn't a cemetery or churchyard that will be upset about neighbors and residents helping keep our neighborhoods safe. Homeless - The homeless can be found throughout the year sleeping or camping out almost anywhere in the 21st Ward. Police ask that you do not approach or attempt to chase them off -- you should contact the 5th District Police instead. Burial Info - Always check Findagrave.com first . More info will be posted for each cemetery/churchyard when ready. Um, Cemetery or Churchyard? OR Roxborough Baptist Churchyard Use the RMWHS map below to determine if an issue you have witnessed and wish to report is in Leverington Cemetery or the old Roxborough Baptist Churchyard (owned by Epic Church). Then notify the appropriate contacts. Leverington Cemetery Memorial Day 2021 Click/tap on a spot on the map to magnify it. Some browsers/devices work better than others. These are 2 separate properties with 2 different owners but there is no visible, physical border between them. The burial spaces run nearly seamlessly against each other. Determining where one property ends and the other starts can be tricky. If you can't decide, contact both property owners AFTER you report the emergency to the police. Leverington Cemetery* Vandalism & Other Crimes Call 911 immediately After you call 911, alert Leverington Cemetery and include the date and details you reported to 911. Homeless in Leverington Cemetery Report it to 5th District Police 215-686-3050 After you call the 5th, alert Leverington Cemetery and include the date and details you reported it. *The owners of the Leverington Cemetery are unable to update their website with their new contact info. The RMWHS form provided sends your note directly to the owner -- we do not get involved. Epic Church/Baptist Churchyard Vandalism & Other Crimes Call 911 immediately Then inform Epic Church at 215-525-9193 Homeless in the old Baptist Churchyard Report it to 5th District Police 215-686-3050 Then inform Epic Church at 215-525-9193 Neighbors & witnesses must contact the police & property owners directly. RMWHS cannot address issues or report issues for you. Thank you for being a good neighbor.

Contact the Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society via mail or our online form. We are closed in Summer & Winter Closed Nov 15-Feb 15 Our volunteer archivist is on vacation. All research requests must wait. If you are a member of the press or have a truly urgent matter, put URGENT in the subject line of the form below. Have a safe & happy holiday season. CONTACT US Research Notice Privacy & Use - Your personal information will be protected in accordance with the RMWHS Privacy Policy. However, the research done by our volunteer archivists/genealogists is property of RMWHS and may be shared/discussed with other RMWHS members, visiting students, researchers, etc., at the discretion of RMWHS archivists/genealogists. Credit, Citation, & Copyright - You may also share/discuss the results of the research RMWHS provides but any credits, citations, and/or copyright notes on any materials we provided to you must remain intact, including third-party citations. Contact us if you have questions. Image Requests - We are happy to work with you to find the images you need. However, to avoid the RMWHS Image Collection being misused, everyone will need to sign a Photo Usage Agreement . This includes but is not limited to: RMWHS members, students, teachers, researchers, non profit organizations, businesses, press, etc. (Learn more.) RMWHS and its volunteer archivist and researchers reserve the right to decline any requests that would unduly tax our volunteers' time or are beyond the scope of RMWHS mission and/or resources. Donations for our efforts are very appreciated. Our volunteers work without pay and all monies donated will be used for continued preservation of the Archive and expanding/enhancing our efforts to share our history with the community. As of Nov. 1, 2025 we have a 2 month backlog of requests -- complete form to get in the queue. We will not share your personal contact information beyond the RMWHS team member or fulfillment partner that needs to address your inquiry or research request. RMWHS Privacy Policy. Full Name Email Phone Subject Your message Upload File Upload supported file (Max 15MB) Have an image or item you need identified? Making a digital donation? Sharing an old news clip? Something else? Upload it here and please explain any details we need to know in your message above. Thanks! Select all that apply: * Required This is feedback only - no response is necessary. Please send me membership info. Please contact me about making a donation. I would like research assistance. I have read the Research Notice and accept the terms. Submit Thank you for your interest in RMWHS

Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society strives to preserve and promote local history, art, and culture. RMWHS a 501(c)(3) charity organization -- volunteer-run & donation funded. RMWHS Archive located at the Roxborough Free Library in Philadelphia, PA. Who Ya Gonna Call? Local Churchyards & Cemeteries: Emergencies & Information RMWHS offers details on who to contact if you witness a crime, want to report homeless activities, or seek burial records for a local churchyard or cemetery. FYI - RMWHS has provided a way to reach Leverington Cemetery. Read more ... WE NEED YOU - Join RMWHS and volunteer! We have projects big and small -- and you can choose how you help. Please consider joining. We need more hands to help with everything -- including: admin, events, preservation, genealogy & property research, and more. All Aboard!!! RMWHS needs images of local ... Trains/Trolleys (inside or out) Tracks/Rails Tickets/Tokens Stations/Stops Maps/Schedules An old family photo of someone taking a train or trolley ride Just about anything! Please Donate or Lend Your Photos to RMWHS If you have a photograph, old map, schedule, etc., we'd love to see it. You can donate photos & items or lend them to us and we'll scan and return them to you. Sharing your images with RMWHS will help with historical research, education & promotion, web articles, etc. Before the train tracks on Cresson were elevated, the tracks crossed Green Lane before continuing toward Main Street. Donating or lending us your old train/trolley/track/station images can help us provide more items like this! Contact Us About Donations RMWHS Treasures & Community Projects Presentation This video shares some of RMWHS new treasures and resources publicly for the first time and current community support efforts. Presentation includes: A very brief intro about RMWHS Historic books, maps, & deeds from the Leverington Cemetery - include some surprises and a mystery map. Antique and vintage bottles pulled from the Schuylkill as part of the Manayunk Canal Revitalization & Lock 68 rebuild efforts - all have been donated to RMWHS. Historic photos from the Hattal-Taylor VFW Museum that our president is helping to index, scan, restore, and research ... and her request for the public to help with identification of soldiers. And a bit about donations from Andorra (Manatawna) Church and Roxborough Baptist Church. Watch Replay ~27 mins You can help. Become a member & volunteer. $10 students/$20 individuals/$30 families Donate Old Photos -- Physically or Digitally Discovering an old photo like this one waiting for us in our email is the delight of an archivist's day -- and even more so when it's this undeniably cute. RMWHS thanks Ken Gilbert and family for the donation which was added to the RMWHS Archive Image Collection to preserve it for the future. If you have a photo (or a stack of photos) you think we should see, have, know about, contact us. We love digital or printed photos as well as slides, negatives, etc. We can scan most images and return the originals if need be. Local Landmark Featured in Mini Documentary The Epic Church and it's re-imagining of the former Roxborough Baptist Church building is featured in a new mini documentary by Joe Porter of Innovatory Films and now available for viewing . The ~5 min film includes interviews with RMWHS's own Linda Marie Bell, who grew up in the Roxborough Baptist church and served on their Board of Trustees, and Epic Church's Pastor Jake Rainwater. The completed film segment captures a lovely little piece of our local history and evolving community. Visuals include historic photos as well as drone footage outside of the church and cemeteries/neighborhood. And despite the fog — or maybe because of it — some of the aerial shots of the church, cemetery, and neighborhoods have an ethereal quality. The footage highlights the sanctuary with its gorgeous windows and gracefully curved pews and illustrates the care Epic took to preserve them and incorporate them into the revitalized building. Screenshots below are property of Innovatory Films. BELOW - Historic Roxborough Baptist Church images provided for film. Click to expand image. Watch Film Now >>>>> RMWHS & the community owe a great thanks to Linda Marie Bell for sharing her time and stories for the making of this film. Through her personal memories, Linda adds a great warmth and brings the history of this beloved landmark to life. Congratulations to Pastor Jake Rainwater & the Epic Church. And thank you for adding a new chapter to the history of the landmark and our community. PhillyVoice Interviews RMWHS on 1304 Steps of Roxborough, Manayunk, & Wissahickon In case you missed it, Michael Tannenbaum of PhillyVoice did a story on the 1304 steps of our area as the rebuild of a local wall and set of steps stirred up their interest. It's a quick read with some great old and new photos ... shines a spotlight on the RMWHS interactive map! Story & resources it references: 'Footpath highway': 1,304 steps in Roxborough and Manayunk have linked communities and generations (PhillyVoice) 1304 Steps Overview, Poster, & Interactive Map (RMWHS) Step back in time: 1304 Steps to 1880s (RMWHS) Thanks to RMWHS members Chip Roller and Virginia Buchanan for their participation in the interview. RMWHS Channel now on YouTube Original videos created by RMWHS will be posted on YouTube as they become available. There is no schedule. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to be notified when something new becomes available. RMWHS only posts what we create. NOW AVAILABLE: Our first video takes you on a bike ride along the towpath from Shawmont Station to Lock St., featuring historic sites on the Schuylkill River and Manayunk Canal. The ~9 min video provides you with views of the waterways, murals, bridges, historic buildings, and more. RMWHS gets many inquiries from across the U.S. for the history along this 2.4 mile stretch and we thought those that can't visit it in person, might like to see it. YouTube.com/@RMWHS (Be sure to subscribe.) Want to help create content? Join RMWHS! Green Lane Bridge Rehabilitation Project While construction on the Green Lane Bridge is not scheduled to start until 2030, now is the time to learn about it, ask questions, and provide your input. For more, visit www.greenlanebridgerehab.com Photo by Michael Zosa 2024 DONATIONS REQUESTED RMWHS preserves local yearbooks, class photos , and school publications wit hin the 21st Ward. Our collection is used for genealogical and local history research ... and we need more to support our efforts. Yearbooks. Photos. Publications. School magazines. Athletic memorbilia Any School. Any Year. Any Condition. Contact us . Memorials of the 21st Ward RMWHS has launched a new web section -- Memorials of the 21st Ward -- which provides a listing of the 8 memorials within our area and includes a photo gallery of each. Each memorial page will be expanded in the months and years to come as images and newspapers clippings (both new and historic) are added. If you would like to contribute an image or information for any of the memorials, please contact us . Also, if we have missed a public memorial within the Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon area, please let us know. Each of the memorials is open to the public and all visitors (including service animals) are welcome. We remind all visitors to be respectful not only to the memorial and grounds, but of the others who may be there remembering loved ones lost, for whom these special places were created to honor. Explore the Memorials of the 21st Ward. RMWHS thanks all who have served. RMWHS Note Cards To share a bit of local history and raise funds to help support our preservation and outreach activities, RMWHS is offer a set of 8 note cards for $10. The back of each card features facts or info about the photo or its significance. Each note card set contains 8 envelopes and 2 copies of each of the following 4 images: American Stores Co on Green Lane Empress Theater on Main Street Historic Staircase Between Rox & Mynk Henry Avenue Bridge & Wissahickon Creek Each note card is approximately 4.25 x 5.5 inches, was printed on a high quality not card stock to ensure a clear image, and is blank inside. If you are interested in getting note cards, look for the RMWHS tent at the next community event or send us an email if you don't want to wait to get them -- we'll let you know were you can pick them up!

The Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society's website was launched in December 2020 and built to extend our group's presence beyond the meetings at Journey's Way and the Archive nestled in the Roxborough branch of the Philadelphia Free Library. (as of May 8, 2024) Web Visitors from Near & Far While Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society is a small organization located within Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we've got web visitors from across the U.S. and around the world. Want to Contribute? If you would like to contribute images, or content, or have ideas for the RMWHS website, please contact us . CANADA British Columbia New Brunswick Ontario Quebec MEXICO CENTRAL AMERICA Guatemala SOUTH AMERICA Brazil CARIBBEAN Cayman Islands EUROPE England France Greece Ireland Italy Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Russia Scotland Serbi a Sweden Ukraine AFRICA Kenya Togo MIDDLE EAST Isreal ASIA Bangladesh China India Indonesia Japan Philip pines Thailand Vietnam AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND VISITORS FROM 48 STATES (+DC) ... so far Alabama Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Mississippi Montana Missouri Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington DC Wisconsin Wyoming (We've yet to have visitors from Alaska and Nebraska.)

Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society strives to preserve and promote local history, art, and culture. RMWHS a 501(c)(3) charity organization -- volunteer-run & donation funded. RMWHS Archive located at the Roxborough Free Library in Philadelphia, PA. Images of Our Neighborhoods 2023 Yearbook Yearbook Project 2022 Year book The following images were donated by members of the community, visitors, former residents, and those who have roots in the area. These images are now a part of the RMWHS digital image collection. Share your local photos with us - send photos to rmwhsarchvies@gmail.com with your name and the location/event/subject of image (if it's not obvious). Mouse over any image below for details / Click on an image to enlarge

​​The Archive is located within the Roxborough branch of the Philadelphia Free Library at 6245 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19128. Street parking only. Admission to the RMWHS Archive is free -- but it is open by appointment only. Please contact us to make an appointment. Archive is Open for Research by Appointment Only The Archive is open at the discretion of the archivists. No food, drink, or pets are permitted All children must be accompanied by adult Visitor Limit - Due to limited space, the Archive can only accommodate 2 visitors at a time. Masks - Our volunteer may ask you to wear a mask in the Archive. It is a small, tight room and there is little personal space. Please understand our volunteers give time, energy, and skills to help the public and a request to mask up keeps them safe and it is a small kindness you can pay them if they ask. Thank you! No Wheelchair Access - While the main Library entrance is wheelchair accessible, the Archive is not. Location & Parking - The RMWHS Archive is inside the Roxborough branch of the Philadelphia Free Library located at 6245 Ridge Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19128. Free street parking is available -- Hermitage Street recommended. Donations for our efforts are appreciated and will be used to digitize, preserve, expand, and improve our collection.

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RMWHS Blog ... Manayunk Welcome Center Opens Manayunk Welcome Center opens at 106 Grape Street -- a special RMWHS display is featured. Public is welcome! 1876 Centennial Exhibition - No Small Feat Recent donation to RMWHS inspires a look at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition -- a colossal undertaking even by present day standards. Sylvia Myers Receives Citation from the Commonwealth of PA For her decades of service to the community, Sylvia Myers was presented with a citation from PA House of Reps. You Rocked Our World! Since our website launched in December 2019, we've had thousands of visitors from more cities, states, and countries than we ever... 2022 Independence Day Parade The Independence Day Parade of Churches is an annual tradition started in 1831 by Samuel Lawson. This year, nearly 20 members of the... Memorial Day 2022: Remembering the Words of John A. Logan A history of Memorial Day and the words of General John A. Logan Thanks to everyone who visited RMWHS at Roxtoberfest 2021! RMWHS participated in the 2021 Roxtoberfest event sponsored by Roxborough Development Corp Hurricane Ida vs The Great Freshet of 1869 The wake of Hurricane Ida still could not beat the Great Freshet of 1869 in death, destruction, and flooding. Maps -- A Snapshot of History If a photo can say 1,000 words -- how many can a map say? Perhaps not as many as a photo? Perhaps a great deal more? Happy 4th of July In 1831, Samuel Lawson, a Sunday School teacher, held an Independence Day parade that became a local tradition that continues today. Memorial Day 2021 at Leverington Cemetery This photo tribute can be downloaded/printed Step back in time: 1304 Steps to 1880s Today, more than a dozen stairways adorn the areas of steep terrain within Roxborough, Manayunk, and Wissahickon. Remembering Harry A. Olson RMWHS member and historical activist Harry A. Olson passed away at the age of 96. His contribution to area history is remembered. Capture, Preserve, & Restore -- Oh My! A few extra minutes spent during the digitization process of RMWHS images reveals what was nearly lost. RDC Celebrates Local History with a Visit to RMWHS "What many might not realize is that Roxborough is a neighborhood with a deep, colonial history...