This fall, students walking along Lancaster Walk may notice an unusual sight on campus: archaeologists digging beneath the ground in search of a neighborhood that no longer appears on Philadelphia’s maps.
The excavation is part of Heritage West: The West Philadelphia Community Archaeology Project, a collaboration between Penn Anthropology, the Penn Museum, the Black Bottom Tribe Association, HopePHL, the Community Education Center, students, and other community members. The project is currently excavating at the Community Education Center on Lancaster Avenue and along Lancaster Walk on Drexel University’s campus.
The project focuses on Black Bottom, a predominantly Black West Philadelphia neighborhood that once stretched from 33rd to 40th streets between Lancaster Avenue and Market Street. During the early 20th century, it was home to families, businesses, and numerous community businesses, but was demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s…