Philadelphia Tribune - Index

Philadelphia Tribune - Summer Sojourner 2008 - Index

HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
1300 Locust St.
(215) 732-6200
Hours: Tues., Thurs., Fri. & Sat., 10 a.m.
to 4:45 p.m.; Wed., 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
Admission: $6, students $3.
The society contains numerous documents
relating to African-American history
and the anti-slavery movement. It also
houses several documents by William
Still, one of the most successful African
Americans in Philadelphia’s history and
author of The Underground Railroad.
INDEPENDENCE HALL
Chestnut St., between 5th and 6th sts.
Hours: Guided tours daily.
Admission: Free.
It is the nation’s most historic square
mile. The U.S. Constitution was written
and adopted here. Independence Hall
draws millions of visitors from around the
globe year-round. It was originally built as
the Pennsylvania State House. Free tickets
are available at the Independence
Visitors Center information desk.
JAMES BLAND GRAVE
Merion Memorial Park
Bryn Mawr Avenue
Bryn Mawr, Pa.
(610) 664-6699
Hours: Mon.-Sat., 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Admission: Free.
James Bland, an African-American
songwriter and minstrel performer, was
born a free man in New York in 1854.
His father was one of America’s first
Black college graduates, receiving his
degree from Howard University. Bland
is credited with composing over 600
songs. Despite his notoriety here and
abroad, he died penniless in Philadelphia
in 1911. His gravesite was
unknown for decades until the American
Society of Composers, Authors and
Performers rediscovered it, erecting a
tombstone in his honor.
JAMES FORTEN HOME &
HISTORICAL MARKER
336 Lombard St.
Hours: Daily, until sunset.
Making Our Mark — Listings
Admission: Free.
A marker in remembrance of the
Revolutionary War’s gunpowder boy
stands outside his former residence.
Forten was a successful businessman,
political activist and respected member
of the 18th century Free African Society.
He was a major organizer of the
first Black convention in Philadelphia
held in 1830.
JOHN W. COLTRANE HOME &
HISTORICAL MARKER
1511 N. 33rd St.
(215) 763-1118
Hours for marker: Daily, until sunset.
Hours for Coltrane Home: By appointment
and only during the summer.
Admission for marker: Free; for home,
donations are appreciated.
Coltrane, a
North Carolinabornsaxophonist,
took the world
by storm with his
musical career.
Although liver
cancer cut short
the life of this
musical pioneer,
Coltrane’s legacy
is remembered
John
Coltrane
Home
and preserved in a historical marker
planted outside his former home and
through the John W. Coltrane Society,
established in 1984.
JOHNSON HOUSE
6306 Germantown Ave.
(215) 438-1768
Hours: Tours by appointment.
Admission: Adults, $3; children under
12, $1.50.
Johnson House
SOJOURNER SUMMER 2008
10
This was the former home of Quaker
abolitionists Samuel and Jeanett Johnson.
The attic and basement of this home
served as hiding places for slaves traveling
the Underground Railroad. Such abolitionist
activists like Harriet Tubman
and William Still participated in meetings
held in the home. Today, the
house/museum is a National Historic
Landmark and is also registered with the
National Park Service.
LePERISTYLE HAITIAN SANCTUARY
5629 N. Warnock St.
(215) 548-2118
Established in 1989 as the first
Voodoo Sanctuary in America, LePeristyle
is home to African spirituality, alternative
healing and the National African
Religious Congress. It also trains
priests(esses) in Haitian voodoo.
LIBERTY BELL
6th & Market streets
(215) 597-8974
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Admission: Free.
America’s most recognizable icon
holds little connection to African Americans
and their struggle. Its name was
derived in 1839 by an anti-slavery society
called “The Friends of Freedom.”
LIBRARY COMPANY
OF PHILADELPHIA
1314 Locust St.
(215) 546-3181
Hours: Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.
Admission: Free; To use print and
photograph collection call curator to
schedule an appointment, 546-
8229.
Founded by Benjamin Franklin in
1731, it is the nation’s first cultural institution.
It provides a complete and thorough
collection of rare books, manuscripts
and prints.
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
Lincoln, Pa.
(610) 932-8300
Hours: Mon-Fri., 8 a.m-4:30 p.m.;
closed 12 p.m.-1 p.m.
Admission: Free.