Northern Liberties

The River Wardneighborhood of Northern Liberties has a proud tradition of hard work andinnovation. Annexed by the city in 1854,the borough became part of the booming manufacturing center of lower North Philadelphia.Its mills and factories were powered by immigrants from across Europe and thelargest community of free African Americans in the city—though the history ofthis diverse community was marred by the anti-Irish Catholic Nativist Riots of1844. Local historian Harry Kyriakodis traces300 years of history in Northern Liberties from the earliest stories of WilliamPenn and the Lenni-Lenape to the destruction of much of the original cityscape in 1960s to its subsequent rebirth as an eclectic and vibrant neighborhood. Join Kyriakodis as he unearths the untold historyof this remarkable community.