Bethel Burying Ground

Celebrating Philadelphia's seminal Free Black Community

Underneath Weccacoe Square, at the corner of Queen and Lawrence Streets, rest three to five thousand souls, each a member of Philadelphia’s seminal free Black community. For the first half of the 19th century, this land provided consecrated ground for legal burial, as the Black population was excluded from interment in city limits. Most of the people buried here were everyday people of very modest means that otherwise may not have appeared in historical records.However, the Bethel Burying Ground Memorial Project offers a critical opportunity to commemorate their lives and tell the story of Black self determination in Philadelphia.

Studio Zewde’s design proposal resurrects the design intent of the original Bethel AME burial ground in three key ways. First, the design creates a new, planted hedge and preserves the mature trees that border the space. Second, a line of water encircling the burial ground represents the unifying force between life and death, a concept inherent to many Black theological traditions. Lastly, the consecrated ground peels up to form a large, welcoming bench, orienting views and encouraging all to dwell here. Inscriptions across the plaza, water, and benches tell the stories of the souls resting here, and of Black Philadelphia.