“Mapping the Black Main Line, 1900-1950”

Pennsylvania’s Main Line is known best as a bastion of “Old Money” wealth and stately mansions. However, little attention is given to its once- thriving independent Black communities, which are currently under threat from gentrification. My project, “Mapping the Black Main Line”, is a digital mapping initiative that uncovers the people, places, events, and institutions that shaped the Black communities on the Main Line from 1900 to 1950, and illustrates how these communities helped to shape the Main Line.

My project aims to provide an important counter-narrative to the prevailing historical accounts that depict the presence of Black communities on the Main Line as limited to roles of servitude for wealthy White families. While historical evidence indicates that some African Americans were employed as domestic workers on large estates, it also supports the existence of thriving, independent Black communities, particularly in Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford, that flourished along the Main Line corridor. This project reframes these Black communities as a central, agentic force in the development of the Main Line. Additionally, this project addresses issues of cultural erasure, as some of the places central to Black communities on the Main Line no longer exist or are at risk due to current and future development plans.

The history questions my project aims to answer include identifying lesser-known but significant Black Main Line residents who shaped their communities. What were some of the earliest social and cultural institutions formed by Main Line Black communities? How did Black communities financially thrive during their development? How did the Main Line’s Black communities contribute to major U.S. historical events, including the Great Depression, WWI, and WWII? What were some of the Black-owned businesses that contributed to the growth and sustainability of Black communities?

My research will utilize historical maps of residential and business districts, archival photographs, and newspaper records from historic Black churches and Main Line institutions.

I will focus on historical maps that depict residential, social, and business locations, as well as archival photos of Black Main Line people and places. This project will also include archival newspaper articles from the Main Line press and the Philadelphia Tribune. I also plan to incorporate secondary sources in my project. For the project design, I will use ArcGIS mapping software and Omeka, drawing on the Histories of the National Mall project (Brennan, 2015). 

The primary audiences for my project include Black communities on the Main Line and the broader Main Line, Philadelphia, and Delaware Valley regions. Educators and students in these areas are also considered primary users of the project. Secondary audiences will include tourists to the Philadelphia region, Pennsylvania history enthusiasts, and individuals interested in African American history. The project aims to reach these audiences through its design and mobile optimization, since there is no single physical location. Looking ahead, I am considering using augmented reality elements at some of the featured sites, which could, with the help of AI-generated tools, bring history to life during walking tours.