Many have tried before, but I guess it takes special charisma to fulfill the task. For decades many more very committed people persisted on recognizing Penn Treaty Park as a historic place. And for decades nothing happened.
There are times when we discover that life’s circumstances are not always what we might wish them to be. There are moments in our lives when things do not go as planned. Yet we cannot allow those unpredictable obstacles hold us back from putting our efforts into choosing a path to work towards direction of our goals.
And this Saturday, we’ll have a chance to meet some of those amazing people, a very special individuals.
Thanks to them, and their persistence and countless efforts at last, Pent Treaty Park has been recognized by Philadelphia Historical Commission and placed on the Registrar of Philadelphia Historic Places.
At Last - Recognition of Penn Treaty Park
Penn Treaty Museum is proud to host a Celebration to recognize the listing of Penn Treaty Park on the Registrar of Philadelphia Historic Places.
Saturday, May 12, 2012 @ 12 Noon at Penn Treaty Park -Delaware and Columbia Ave.
Music -Kensington Creative and Performing Arts(CAPA) High School-Drum Line
Presentations:
New Kensington CDC
Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Barbara Morehead, Friends of Penn Treaty Park
The collection of the Penn Treaty Museum will be open to the public 1-3 PM immediately after the ceremony.
The Galleries at The Gershman Y 401 S. Broad st. Philadelphia, Pa 19147
“Corporeal” & “Trail of Hope”
RECEPTION: – THURSDAY, JANUARY- 19, from 6-8pm
January 6 – February 19, 2012
Alumni artists from The Center for Emerging Visual Artists:
Maria Anasazi, Susan Benarcik, Ava Blitz, Brooke Hine, and Leslie Speicher
Photographs of an amazing walk to Olkahoma: Peter Prusinowski
a.k.a., Image Whisperer
It has been almost a full month since I completed the Trail of Hope. I am still having a difficult time adjusting. My mind keeps rewinding back to memories of walking and the Trail in general. Recently I worked on organizing all of the photographs I took along the way. It was wonderful revisiting the many different sites of the Trail.
Since I have been back in Philadelphia, I’ve taken a few walks down to Penn Treaty Park. It was a great feeling to be able to walk on those grounds which helped build inspiration and origins for the Trail. It will always remain a very special park to me as well as generations of Fishtown residents who frequent the historic riverside area.
The community is making great strides in preserving and maintaining the park. Last evening, the Friends of Penn Treaty Park hosted the 6th annual “Champagne in the Park” event. Residents and friends gathered to enjoy champagne and share in each other’s company while financially supporting the maintenance of Penn Treaty Park. I attended the event and enjoyed talking and connecting with the wonderful people who want to support this special piece of history any way they can.
In the continuing tradition of fostering community, the Fishtown Neighbors Association will be hosting the 4th annual RiverCity Festival on Saturday, October 1st from 12pm to 5pm at Penn Treaty Park. The event will feature local food, beer, vendors and family activities.
It is important to recognize that the values of Penn’s Treaty of Love, Peace, and Amity still radiate throughout the Philadelphia area today.
In the late summer and fall of 1811, William Henry Harrison, then Governor of the Indiana Territory, organized a military expedition against the increasing menace of the federation of Indian tribes being formed by the Shawnee twin brothers and chiefs, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, also known as the Prophet.
Harrison met with representatives of the Prophet on November 6, 1811 when he arrived at Prophetstown. He presented demands in the name of his government. Harrison set up his encampment on a ridge about a mile northwest of Prophet’s Town. Fearing a surprise attack by the cunning Prophet’s forces, General Harrison placed his troops in battle formation and instructed his men to sleep fully clothed to be ready for attack.
On November 7, 1811, early in the morning, the camp was indeed attacked by the Prophet. After an epic battle, Harrison and his army defeated the Prophet’s Indian confederation at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The defeat pretty much ended the Indian wars in the Midwest.
Battle Ground was consolidated in 1867 with the Town of Harrisonville. The governments of both towns decided to name the consolidation Battle Ground. The Town of Battle Ground was named for the Battle of Tippecanoe and the Town of Harrisonville was named after William Henry Harrison.
In most of our lives, we find it very difficult to unite our mind and spirit to find inner peace and harmony. We underestimate the sheer power of our minds. It is our minds which are very powerful and our attitudes which can change how we view our world.
Great American photographer, Ansel Adams created the Zone System to perfect his work, specifically, his black and white photography. This method can easily be applied to our daily living situations. Adams would study a scene and visualize the final print. The scene would be characterized by a series of zones numbered 0 through 10. Each zone represented a different shade of grey, with 0 being black and 10 being white.
Since I’ve encountered so many rainy days along the Trail, I’ve noticed it wasn’t always the same grey all of the time. Some days it was a lighter grey and others it was a darker grey. You too can notice these things. You too can visualize a situation in front of you and find the tools to make your visualization a concrete actuality.
Developing peace within ourselves will produce creativity as well as peaceful thought and action. If we can find a way to visualize the beauty in each shade of grey we encounter in our own lives, that realization will bring us energy. At times we see horrible, painful and unfair things but upon reflection upon our own personal world, all of those obstacles can be overcome and one can gain strength from even the most desperate of circumstances.
The point is to concentrate and visualize our unique destinations. Just as Ansel Adams visualized the final product of a scene. Life has given us infinitive choices and it is up to us to educate ourselves on what will work to help us achieve the best possible life. We have our own power to create peace, to share grace and understanding, to define our own personal freedom and to heal the wounds of the past. It is with this vision in mind that will take you in the direction of your own heart.
Our choices and thoughts make us how we feel so next time it rains “feel” those rain drops and see how the shades of grey change and at the end of it all there will be a rainbow.
Zoar was founded by German religious dissenters called the Society of Separatists of Zoar in 1817. It was a communal society, with many German-style structures that have been restored and are part of the Zoar Village State Memorial. There are presently ten restored buildings.
The Separatists, or Zoarites, emigrated from the kingdom of Württemberg in southwestern Germany due to religious oppression from the Lutheran church. Leading among their group were some natives of Rottenacker on the Danube. Having separated from the established church, their theology was based in part on the writings of Jakob Böhme. They did not practice baptism or confirmation and did not celebrate religious holidays except for the Sabbath. A central flower garden in Zoar is based on the Book of Revelation with a towering tree in the middle representing Christ and other elements surrounding it representing other allegorical elements.
The leader of the society was named Joseph Bimeler (also known as Joseph Bäumler or Bäumeler, born 1778), a pipemaker from Ulm. His charismatic leadership carried the village through a number of crises.
An early event critical to the success of the colony was the digging of the Ohio and Erie Canal. The Zoarites had purchased 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land sight unseen and used loans to pay for it. The loans were to be paid off by 1830. The Society struggled for many years to determine what products and services they could produce in their village to pay off the loans. The state of Ohio required some of the Zoarite land to be used as a right of way and offered the Zoarites an opportunity to assist in digging the canals for money. The state gave them a choice of digging it themselves for pay or having the state pay others to dig the canal. The Zoarites then spent several years in the 1820s digging the canal and thus were able to pay off their loans on time with much money to spare.
Bimeler’s death on August 31, 1853 led to a slow decline in the cohesion of the village. By 1898, the village voted to disband the communal society and the property was divided among the remaining residents.
Nestled in the heartbreak and poverty of South Camden, New Jersey, sits the Scared Heart Church. It serves as a beacon of light, welcoming all persons from near and far to come inside its doors and experience the power of hope. For 35 years, a humble yet well known priest strives each day to provide peace and hope to those in need. He is innovative, compassionate, and committed to spreading God’s love to the otherwise forgotten, abandoned and hopeless.
Father Michael Doyle felt committed to peace from a young age. He has always been a positive influence to others through thought, word, and most importantly, action. Fr. Doyle aims to spread the message of hope throughout Camden, NJ, encouraging everyone to have faith that tomorrow will be a better day and despite the most horrid conditions, people can still create their own destiny.
Fr. Doyle is a champion of peace. He has dedicated his life to Camden’s deteriorating neighborhoods. He founded “The Heart of Camden,” which is a program that transforms abandoned houses into suitable dwelling places and sells them to residents. As of January 2011, the parish had rehabilitated 200 neighborhood homes. Additionally, the Sacred Heart Church functions as a soup kitchen each weekend, feeding hundreds of families in need.
While visiting Camden with my good friend, John Connors, I was privileged to be introduced to Fr. Doyle. I was moved by his compassion for others and inspired by his steadfast determination to transform the area house by house, family by family, and person by person. In our brief conversation, Fr. Doyle instilled a sense of hope within my heart just by describing the people his parish served and the mission he carries out with such humility.
From the schools to the parish and out in the violent and broken neighborhoods, Fr. Doyle is a living beacon for hope and peace. For these many reasons, Father Michael Doyle is truly a silent hero.
Today marks the one month anniversary of the Trail of Hope. I find it hard to believe that it has already been a month of walking, traveling, and journeying along this inspiring Trail! I am very close to having covered almost 500 miles thus far.
The past month has been nothing short of exciting, challenging and an experience of a lifetime. I’ve encountered all different types of weather from torrential rain, to snow, to some intermittent sunshine. Sometimes I think to myself that I should have counted how many days and nights it has rained along the trail. It is the rain that has been the most difficult to maneuver in. It can be distracting. When it is pouring rain, I have to pay attention to the road, the cars and what is right in front of me and rarely have time to reflect and think. I’m hopeful the April showers will pass and I’ll be able to enjoy sunny days along the Trail as I venture though Ohio.
In addition to the challenging rain, I feel accomplished having mastered the climbing and descending of the many mountains. At times it was hard when I traveled 30 miles of peaks and valleys but I feel incredible for having made it through!
Looking back, it was great to pass through and visit so many historical places in Pennsylvania. These places moved me in many different ways. I have enjoyed seeing variety of diverse landscapes and encountering different walks of life. I have come to treasure the brief and assorted interactions I’ve had with people along the way.
I’m also really happy I’ve had the opportunity to photograph different things from road signs to landscapes and even the rainy parts of the Trail. I’m looking forward to the many photographic opportunities that will come my way in the future.
Physically and mentally I feel great. My spirit is still strong and eager to continue along the journey. I’m excited for what is to come!
