Inside Fair Hill Burial Ground

Tour 2: Inside the Fairhill Burial Ground 1703

Enter through Cambria gate up the cobblestone path.

See the signs with Lucretia Mott, white Quaker minister, and Robert Purvis, black businessman

These great leaders of abolition and early women’s rights movements are buried here with their families.

Text: George Fox, the founder of Quakerism visited the US once and left this land to Philadelphia Quakers for a Meetinghouse, a burying ground, a playground for children of the town to play and to grow simples (medicinal herbs)

See map of the burial ground laid out in 1854, with grave locations

• Lucretia and James Mott, white Quaker abolitionists and early women’s rights leaders E
• Robert and Harriet Purvis, black abolitionists and early women's rights leaders E
• Mary Ann and Thomas M’Clintock - organizers of the Seneca Falls Conference on the rights of Women E
• Anna Jeanes - Quaker donor who gave Booker T Washington $1million to start schools for black students in deep south

The Jeanes Supervisors set up a network of schools that became the first public schools for black children.

Edward Parrish - founding president of Swarthmore College, sent by President Grant to make peace in Indian territories.

See arboretum of great shade trees, including William Penn American Elm, Swamp White Oak, Sycamores, Linden

See vault on lower path where bodies were stored in winter when ground was frozen

See history garden by the Indiana fence, with crops grown by succeeding cultures:

Lenni Lenape, English Quakers, German Mennonites, African Americans, Caribbean Hispanics

See picnic table with benches from 1900 Philadelphia Yearly Meeting -

This is where the Youth Garden Interns meet in summer to work in gardens and farm stand.

Rest yourself, Friend, on the benches.

Imagine this Fair Hill in 1703 with the little stream Gunner’s Run running down Indiana Ave. to Germantown This was forest and farmland

Half way between the towns of Philadelphia and Germantown a days ride on horseback. Here the Quakers built a little brick Meetinghouse that became a field hospital in the War of Independence 1776-1779

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Imagine the Purvises defying the vigilantes to shelter enslaved people on their way to Canada in 1840’s and 50’s

Imagine Lucretia and James traveling up and down the early Republic preaching against slavery and organizing resistance. 1830’s-50’s.

Imagine Lucretia and Mary Anne planning the Seneca Falls Conference on the Rights of Women with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and two others. Imagine that first convention with their Declaration of Sentiments “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men and women are created equal and endowed by the creator with certain inalienable rights. "1848

Imagine what we can do together today in Philadelphia to work for justice and bring more peace.