The King's Highway | Holmesburg Tour
Overview
You are about to take a journey down America's oldest road "The King's Highway." This self-guided tour will take you through the historic village of Holmesburg and provide you with the rich history of the buildings and points of interest along the highway. If you have seen the Award Winning Documentary Film The King's Highway on WHYY-PBS, Amazon Video, or iTunes, then get ready to see everything in person!
About Your Guide
Jason is the director behind the award winning documentary "The King's Highway" about the highway that connected the American colonies. Join him on a tour to discover and preserve historic places in Northeast Philadelphia along America's oldest road!
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Guide Points
Stonyhurst
This 1880 stone mansion was once commissioned and owned by the Honorable George Castor, a merchant tailor and granite quarry owner from Hol…
The King's Highway Bridge
This bridge was built in 1697 at the request of William Penn so that he could travel from his house at Pennsbury Manor to the city without …
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
Established by All Saints’ Torresdale in 1858. The church has a beautiful campus and is absolutely stunning inside, some of the stained gla…
Holmesburg Methodist Church
Built in 1874, in 1905, the boiler exploded and destroyed most of the church. Miraculously, it was rebuilt within six months.
Lewis-Pattison House & Wesley House
These attached houses were built circa 1805 by Frances Lewis. The Wesley House side was originally a general store with a connecting doorwa…
The Peale House
Dr. James Burd Peale, grandson of artist Charles Wilson Peale, lived here from 1873 to 1881. The house stayed in the Peale family until the…
Insectarium Museum & Butterfly Pavilion
Built in 1929 when the Penypack / Holme Theater replaced the Washington House across the street, the Charles P McMenamy American Legion Pos…
Greentree Hotel
Built in 1799, the Greentree Hotel was one of the earliest hotels in Holmesburg. It was owned by Humphrey Waterman who was an early proprie…
Holmesburg’s Athenaeum
Holmesburg’s Athenaeum was built in 1850 and used as a meeting place and as the 1st library of Holmesburg set up by the trustees of Lower D…
The Washington House
Circa 1773, the founder of Holmesburg, John Holme built his residence here. It became a tavern soon after. General Washington is thought to…
Box Grove Mansion
Thomas and Rebecca had one child, George Washington Holme, who was born May 8th, 1789 at Box Grove. Although Thomas was primarily a farmer,…
Sidewalk Reviews
The stops were very out of order on the app, and it was very hard to find the destinations because the directions didn’t work because we were at the wrong place for the directions that followed. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable tour.
Jul 23, 2019
My wife and I had a wonderful time exploring the history of Holmesburg! We have a newfound appreciation for the Kings Highway. Thank you.
Apr 16, 2018
Apr 5, 2018
Mar 30, 2018
Mar 29, 2018
About Sidewalk
The app navigates people through a neighborhood walk using GPS turn-by-turn directions, rich imagery and storytelling.