{"id":4111,"date":"2018-08-24T15:19:41","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T15:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media-archive.blackartinamerica.com\/?p=4111"},"modified":"2018-08-24T15:19:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T15:19:41","slug":"10-black-history-sites-you-dont-want-to-miss-in-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthexhibitions.org\/media-archive\/?p=4111","title":{"rendered":"10 Black History Sites You Don\u2019t Want to Miss in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

10 Black History Sites<\/span> You Don\u2019t Want<\/span> to Miss in Philadelphia<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

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\"\"As the Black Art in America Fine Art Show in Philadelphia<\/span><\/strong> at the Belmont Mansion and Underground Railroad Museum approaches, those attending will certainly want to explore the host site for its historic value. While the fine art show will provide a good amount of culture, Philadelphia is a city full of black history and culture. Pennsylvania was the first free state north of the Mason Dixon line and is home to many Underground Railroad stops. In fact, every county in Pennsylvania claims to have an Underground Railroad site. In addition to these sites, the city and its surrounding areas has maintained sites of black cultural significance for generations. Not only will the Belmont Mansion and Underground Railroad Museum, satisfy intellectual cravings, stepping out into the city will round out a weekend filled with cultural significance. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Belmont Mansion and Underground Railroad Museum<\/b><\/p>\n

This residence was home to abolitionist Judge Richard Peters who is known to have bought slaves in order to free them. As a stop on the Underground Railroad, those in residence here aided in the freedom of runaway slaves. The house itself has changed ownership over the years, but it maintains 18<\/span>th<\/span> and 19<\/span>th<\/span> century charm. It is located in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. There are docent-led or individual tours available to view artifacts and hear narratives about this historic site.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"The Colored Girls Museum<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The museum collects and preserves artifacts concerning the experience and history of colored girls. It was a home and has since been transformed into a museum. Founder of The Colored Girls Museum, Vashti DuBois, along with curator Michael Clemmons and Associate Director\/Performance Curator Ian Friday will be on hand at the BAIA talks to talk \u201cCreating Sanctuary with Art as a Transformative and Healing Experience.\u201d_<\/span>Although closed for the summer, The Colored Girls Museum will reopen in September. So, be sure to check their website for current exhibitions. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The President\u2019s House in Philadelphia<\/b><\/p>\n

This excavated structure is the partial frame of what used to be George Washington and John Adam\u2019s residences when they were presidents, and Philadelphia was still the capital of the United States. The house was the presidents\u2019 residence from 1790-1800 until Washington D.C. became the capital and the White House was built. The house was gutted in 1832. What remains of the house today are some side walls and the foundation. When George Washington lived in the house, he had nine slaves on his staff, two of whom escaped. The site commemorates the lives of the nine slaves who lived there in an exhibition called \u201cFreedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church<\/b><\/p>\n

\"RelatedMother Bethel was founded in 1794 by a former slave after the church where he had been preaching decided to segregate blacks and whites. He received financial assistance from Dr. Benjamin Rush and George Washington to buy the land. The church was a major pillar in the community. As well as being a stop on the Underground Railroad, the congregation helped newly freed slaves migrate to Philadelphia after the Emancipation Proclamation. As a voice in the community, the congregation protested the formation of the American Colonization Society that wanted to send free blacks in the United States to Sierra Leone in 1817.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Historic Seventh Ward<\/b><\/p>\n

\"ImageThe Seventh Ward Philadelphia is where a majority of African Americans lived regardless of economic status. \u00a0W.E.B. DuBois lived in Philadelphia for eight months during 1896 to study the neighborhood known for taverns, brothels, loud music, and crime. DuBois served as a sort of census taker traveling around the neighborhood asking questions about education, employment, health, family life, and household arrangements. He produced <\/span>The Philadelphia Negro<\/span><\/i> a volume of text studying blacks in the Seventh Ward. Today, on Sixth and Smith streets is a mural of DuBois on the side of the historically African American engine fire house.<\/span><\/p>\n

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African American Museum in Philadelphia<\/b><\/p>\n

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On view at the African American Museum in September are a special exhibit \u201cCotton: The Soft, Dangerous, Beauty of the Past,\u201d the permanent Civic Center Museum Collection of 400 African artifact, and the Jack T. Franklin Photography Collection. The \u201cCotton\u201d exhibit is comprised of 35 large scale photographs, installations, and an altarpiece by Philadelphia-based artist John Dewell. The permanent collection includes African weapons, tools, ceremonial objects, textiles, household goods and musical instruments. The Jack T. Franklin Collection holds over 500,000 negatives and photographs of local events of social and political nature happening in Philadelphia\u2019s African American Community.<\/span><\/p>\n

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