Newkirk Viaduct Monument facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Newkirk Viaduct Monument

2018 photo
Coordinates	39°56′24″N 75°12′23″W / 39.9400°N 75.2063°W / 39.9400; -75.2063
Location	West Philadelphia
Designer	Thomas Ustick Walter
Type	obelisk
Material	white marble
Width	5 feet (1.5 m)
Height	14 feet (4.3 m)
Completion date	1839
Dedicated to	Matthew Newkirk
Moved from original location sometime after 1927. Moved to current location in 2016.

The Newkirk Viaduct Monument is a tall, white stone pillar, called an obelisk. It stands about 14 feet (4.3 meters) high and is made of white marble. You can find it in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was put in place in 1839. The monument has the names of 51 people who helped build railroads and bridges.

A famous architect named Thomas Ustick Walter designed the monument. He later designed the dome of the U.S. Capitol building. The monument was built by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad company. It marked the completion of a bridge across the Schuylkill River and the first railroad line going south from Philadelphia.

The monument has been moved a few times. It was first near the river. Later, it was moved further inland. In 2016, it was moved again to its current spot. This new spot is closer to the river, at the start of the Bartram's Mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail.

Building the Railroad and Bridge

The monument celebrates the completion of the Newkirk Viaduct in 1838. This bridge was also known as the Gray's Ferry Bridge. It crossed the Schuylkill River. The bridge helped complete the first direct train line between Philadelphia and Baltimore, Maryland. This new train line followed a path similar to an old main road called the King's Highway.

Naming the Bridge and Monument

On August 14, 1838, the railroad company decided to name the bridge after their president, Matthew Newkirk. He was an important business and community leader in Philadelphia. They also decided to build a monument at the west end of the bridge. Earlier that year, the company had given Newkirk a special silver plate. It was worth a lot of money at the time. This was to thank him for bringing together four different railroad companies. These companies worked together to build the Philadelphia-Baltimore line.

How the Monument Was Built

Thomas Ustick Walter designed the monument. It is made of seven pieces of carved white marble. These pieces are held together by their own weight and by friction. There are no metal pins or other supports inside. The top part, which is the obelisk, is about 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall. It weighs around 6,000 pounds (2,700 kg). The base and other parts weigh about 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) in total. The obelisk and its base have the names of 51 men carved into them. These men included important leaders from the four railroad companies and many workers who helped build the bridge and train line.

Where the Monument Has Been

The monument was first placed near the western side of the bridge. It was surrounded by a short iron fence. In 1895, people described its location as being on a high bank. It was where two train lines met, just below the west end of the Gray's Ferry Bridge. It sat about 700 feet (210 meters) from the Schuylkill River.

In 1872, the railroad company built a new main train line. They then let the Reading Railroad use the old line. This old line was made bigger into a small train yard. By 1900, an article mentioned the monument. It said that it was "scarcely ever seen" because it was hard to get to and hidden by many trees.

Later Moves

Some years later, the monument was moved to a spot along the new 1872 train line. No one knows exactly why or when this move happened. In 1939, a newspaper reported that the monument was moved in late 1917. This was to make room for the Hog Island Railroad. The newspaper said that three of Newkirk's daughters were asked if the monument could be moved. However, an aerial photo from 1927 shows it was still in its original spot then.

The monument was then placed near where the Gray's Ferry Station used to be. For over 80 years, it was mostly forgotten and in bad shape. But train passengers on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor or SEPTA Regional Rail trains could still see it.

Moving It in 2016

In 2013, people became interested in the Newkirk Monument again. Two articles by Bradley Peniston for Hidden City Philadelphia, a local group, brought attention to it. The articles explained how important the monument was. They also suggested moving it to a place where more people could see it.

Over the next few years, many groups worked together to make this happen. These included Amtrak, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation. On November 17–18, 2016, the monument was moved. It now sits on a new concrete base along the "Bartram's Mile" section of the Schuylkill River Trail. This part of the trail was still being built at the time.

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  1856 Drawing

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  In 2009

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  Monument as seen from tracks in 2009

What the Monument Says

The four sides of the monument and its base have words carved into them. Here is what they say:

See also

In Spanish: Monumento del viaducto de Newkirk para niños