Port Kennedy: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Valley Forge National Historical Park

Layton, Timothy; Sargent & Lloyd; Brown, Nancy

Port Kennedy is part of Valley Forge National Historical Park (NHP), which preserves and commemorates the site of the 1777–1778 winter encampment of the main body of the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington. The park is located in southeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It straddles the Schuylkill River and contains land in two counties (Chester and Montgomery) and five municipalities (Lower Providence, Schuylkill, Tredyffrin, Upper Merion, and West Norriton). Originally established as Pennsylvania’s first state park in 1893, the park has been managed by the National Park Service since 1976 and now encompasses approximately 3,452 acres. The land to the north of the Schuylkill River is generally referred to as the North Side and that to the south, as the South Side. Seventy-five percent of the park lies on the South Side, which is composed of three distinct landforms: the dolomite limestone valley, quartzite hills, and red sandstone and shale river terraces. The twin peaks known as Mounts Joy and Misery visually and physically anchor the west-central portion of the South Side. These two prominent landforms were important defensive elements of the Revolutionary War encampment, providing opportunities for long views across open areas and presenting challenging terrain to intruders. The North Side covers much of the southern half of the Perkiomen Peninsula formed by the confluence of Perkiomen Creek with the Schuylkill River, and its landform is characterized by a series of fertile river terraces formed on red sandstone and shale. The pastoral landscape of this area, with open fields surrounded by forest, encompasses several former multi-generational farms. The 386-acre Port Kennedy area corresponds to the eastern portion of the park along Route 23 between the Schuylkill River and County Line Road and between Route 422 and a line slightly east of the Patriots of African Descent Monument. The bands of limestone within the area enabled the development of a lime quarry and kiln business in this area in the mid-nineteenth century that supported the former village of Port Kennedy. A portion of the former village also lies outside the park to the east of Route 422. The Port Kennedy component landscape occupies a portion of the area that was used during the Revolutionary War-era encampment of the Continental Army as a parade ground. A handful of the features associated with the village, which no longer supports an active community, continue to exist in the northeastern portion of the component landscape. The existing landscape reflects past land uses; in evidence are the broad expanses of rolling fields, hedgerows, farm lanes, and residential clusters associated with the site’s agricultural heritage. These co-exist with numerous large depressions, structural ruins, road and rail line traces, and other ground disturbances that are linked to the area’s industrial past. Such land uses are also represented in two building complexes, anchored by the Georgian-style Mordecai Moore House built constructed in the 1750s and the Italianate-style Kennedy Mansion dating to 1852. Twentieth century park development has added another prominent layer to the landscape. Many of the quarries have been adaptively reused to site park facilities, while others have been filled to promote visitor safety. The park’s multipurpose trail, allées of trees along Route 23, parking facilities for visitors, and expanses of open meadows and mown grass convey a park-like character over much of the area. The component landscape area is also marked by landscape resources associated with current and historic primary transportation systems, including major roads and highways, rail lines, a train station, a defunct canal, and a bridge site associated with crossing the abutting Schuylkill River. Views from the area to surrounding adjacent areas include urban and suburban development outside the park, and various memorials and monuments, including the Washington Memorial Chapel, the 1901 Daughters of the Revolution Memorial, and the National Memorial Arch within the park.

Port Kennedy: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Valley Forge National Historical Park

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