Byberry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Byberry is a place name in
Northeast Philadelphia that can have several references.
Byberry is a neighborhood in the far northeast section of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally it was incorporated as the Township of Byberry and was the northeasternmost
municipality of
Philadelphia County before the City and County consolidated in
1854. Byberry had a strong
abolitionist presence and may have been an original stop on the
Underground Railroad. Today, the area occupied by the township is mostly synonymous with the neighborhood of
Somerton: as neighborhoods, Byberry and Somerton tend to overlap.
Byberry can also refer to Byberry Road, an often-congested traffic artery that connects to
Roosevelt Boulevard (
US-1) and the unfinished Woodhaven Road Expressway (
PA-63).
A township in the extreme northeastern part of the
County of Philadelphia; bounded on the east and northeast by
Poquessing Creek and
Bucks County; on the northwest by
Montgomery County; and on the west and southwest by the
Township of Moreland.
Its greatest length was estimated at 5 miles (8 km); its greatest breadth, 2 1/2 miles (4 km); area, 4.700 acres (19 km²). It was settled by a few
Swedes previous to the year 1675, and in that year by four brothers who were all young and single men. They had arrived at
Newcastle from
England early in that year, and, having prospected the land in the neighborhood of the
Delaware River, chose the country near
Poquessing Creek, and settled there.
They gave to it the name
Byberry, in honor of their native town, near
Bristol, in England.
They were joined after the arrival of the ship Welcome in 1682, by Giles and Joseph Knight, John Carver, John Heart, Richard Collett and their families, and others. Byberry was the birthplace of
Benjamin Rush, a signer of the
Declaration of Independence.
The township was established at a very early date after the coming of
William Penn. It contained very few villages at the time of consolidation, and was the most rural of all the townships of Philadelphia County. Byberry Crossroads, once called Plumbsock, and Knightsville, were the principal villages.
The name "Byberry" is mainly used to refer to the former
Philadelphia State Hospital, an infamous
mental institution off of
Roosevelt Boulevard in Byberry that was shut down in
1990. The abandoned hospital has become a target for vandals and the subject of some
urban legends. Plans were stalled for many years due to the fear of
Asbestos insulation being transferred to the surrounding communities. However on
June 14,
2006 work began on a new 130 acre joint residential and commercial development. The
Arbors at Eagle Pointe will consist of 396 residential units in the form of single family homes,
townhouses, and
condominiums built by the
Westrum Development Company on 55 acres. Up to 750,000 square feet of commercial space will built by
Brandywhine Realty Truston the adjoining 50 acres and will be called the
Officies at Eagle Pointe. The remaining 25 acres will be used as open space between existing homes behind the former hospital and the new development.
*
CHRONOLOGY OF THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY OF PHILADELPHIA, 1683-1854Information courtesy of ushistory.org*
Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854 By Rudolph J. Walther - excerpted from the book at the ushistory.org website
