Bethel Burial Ground facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bethel Burial Ground
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Southwest corner of Weccacoe Playground, which covers the burial ground
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | 405-425 Queen St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 0.28 acres (0.11 ha) |
| Built | 1810 |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000734 |
| Added to NRHP | January 6, 2016 |
The Bethel Burial Ground is a special historic cemetery in south Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It lies beneath part of the Weccacoe Playground. This playground is found between Queen, S. Lawrence, Catherine, and S. Liethgow Streets. The burial ground was about 100 feet square. It is located under the southwest corner of the playground we see today.
The Story of Bethel Burial Ground
Burials started here in 1810. The land was bought by Reverend Richard Allen. He was the founder of the Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. This church is about half a mile north of the burial ground. Reverend Allen wanted a resting place for African-Americans.
Records show that 1,716 burials took place here before 1830. The site is about 0.28 acres (0.11 ha) in size. After 1842, a lot of soil was added to the site. This allowed new graves to be placed on top of older ones. Experts believe that between 3,000 and 5,000 people were buried here in total.
Burials stopped in 1864. After that, the site was not cared for. From 1869 to 1873, a sugar company used the land. They stored wagons and other equipment there. This caused more damage to the site. The Bethel Church sold the property in 1889. By 1900, the area had become a park. It was known as Weccacoe Square back then.
Recent digs have helped us learn more. They confirmed the size of the cemetery. They also found many grave shafts, which are the holes where graves were dug. Layers of added soil were also found. One gravestone was discovered. It read: "Amelia Brown, 1819, Aged 26 years - Whosoever live and believeth in me, though we [sic] be dead, yet shall we [sic] live."
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Park pavilion, looking west. The burial ground lies behind the pavilion.
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East side of Weccacoe Playground, looking north.
Weccacoe Playground Today
Weccacoe Playground is located on the 400 block of Catharine Street. The playground itself was built in 1910. As you now know, part of this park was built over the Bethel Burial Ground.
The park offers many fun things to do. It has a recreation center for activities. There is also a tennis court for sports. Kids can enjoy the playground area. During hot weather, there is a water play area too.
