Holmesburg is a neighborhood in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia. It is bordered by Holme Avenue to the west, Academy Road to the north, the Delaware River to the east, and Sheffield Avenue to the south. Holmesburg is named for Thomas Holme, William Penn's friend and surveyor, who drew the first map of Philadelphia. Before European settlers were present, Holmesburg was originally home to the Native American Lenape population. Spear tips of the Lenape have been discovered over the years in Holmesburg’s very own Pennypack Park.  Highways that are now cement and asphalt, were originally soft dirt roads used to travel and commute by both Natives and eventually English colonizers. In 1683 Penn was able to purchase from the Indians the land between the Pennypack and Neshaminy Creeks including the land where Holmesburg now stands. Over the next three-hundred years, civilization radically changed the face of this land and in time the ancient woodland trail of the Native American People became the busy urban highway we know as Frankford Avenue. The shallow fall line of Pennypack Creek was a prime transportation route for the Lenape Indians. Europrean settlers transformed the area into a major river commerce route, which led to the development of the historical King’s Highway Bridge, one of the oldest bridges in the nation still in use. Holmesburg is also the location of the historic Pennypack Theater, built in 1929 by acclaimed architect William Harold Lee. Today, Holmesburg is still a flourishing community expecting new renovations and a sports complex in the fall 2011.

www.holmesburg.com

friends of pennypack park