Newkirk Viaduct Monument Explained

Monument Name:	Newkirk Viaduct Monument
Coordinates:	39.94°N -75.2063°W
Location:	West Philadelphia
Designer:	Thomas Ustick Walter
Type:	obelisk
Material:	white marble
Complete:	1839
Dedicated To:	Matthew Newkirk
Extra:	Moved from original location sometime after 1927.^[1] Moved to current location in 2016.^[2]

The Newkirk Viaduct Monument (also, Newkirk Monument) is a 15feet white marble obelisk in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was installed in 1839 to mark the completion of the Newkirk Viaduct, the first permanent railroad bridge over the Schuylkill River. It is inscribed with the names of 51 railroad builders and executives, among other information.

Designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, a future Architect of the Capitol, the monument was erected by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad to mark its completion of a bridge across the Schuylkill River and the first railroad line south from Philadelphia. The monument originally sat about from the riverbank. Between 1927 and 1930, it was moved about further inland, where it sat for decades by the main line that became Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. In 2016, it was moved to its present location, about from the river's edge at the north end of the Bartram's Mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail.

History

The monument commemorates the 1838 completion of the Newkirk Viaduct, also called the Gray's Ferry Bridge, over the Schuylkill River. The bridge completed the first direct rail line between Philadelphia and Baltimore, Maryland - tracks that closely paralleled the King's Highway, the main land route to the southern states.

On August 14, 1838, the PW&B board of directors decided to name the bridge after company president Matthew Newkirk (1794–1868), a Philadelphia business and civic leader, and to commission a monument at its west end. (Earlier in the year, the company gave Newkirk a silver plate worth $1,000 ($ today) to reward him for arranging the merger of four railroads that together built the Philadelphia-Baltimore line.)^[3]

Designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, who would go on to design the dome of the U.S. Capitol, the white marble monument consists of seven pieces of carved stone held together simply by weight and friction — not reinforced, for example, with metal pins. The uppermost piece, a 7feet obelisk, weighs about, while the 5feet base and other pieces weigh a rough total of . The obelisk and base are inscribed with the names of 51 men,^[4] including senior officials of the four railroads and various employees who helped build the bridge and rail line.^[5]

The monument was installed along the western approach to the bridge and surrounded by a low iron fence. An 1895 account describes its location as "on a high bank in the angle formed by the junction of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and the Chester Branch of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway just below the western end of the Gray's Ferry Bridge."^[6] It sat about from the Schuylkill River, at 39.93975 north latitude, 75.20830 west longitude.^[7]

In 1872, the PW&B built a new mainline west of the Viaduct. It leased its old line to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, which built a small railyard, surrounding the monument.^[1]

After a half-century, the monument had fallen into obscurity, except perhaps to vandals. "Surrounding the structure is an iron fence to protect it from vandalism, but it has, nevertheless, been a frequent target for irresponsible hoodlums," the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote in 1896.^[8] In 1900, the Philadelphia Record wrote of the monument: "On account of its inaccessibility and the dense foliage, it is scarcely ever seen."^[9]

Ca. 1920s move

By January 1926, the Pennsylvania Railroad was making plans to move the monument "because of the additional yard facilities which are required at that point. The understanding is that it will be placed on the present site of the Gray's Ferry Station. The engineering department of the Pennsylvania Railroad has the matter in charge."^[10]

The monument was indeed moved to the site of the now-demolished station on the north side of the 1872 mainline just northeast of the 49th Street Bridge, at 39.939492 north latitude, 75.210633 west longitude.^[11] It was moved sometime between May 1927, when an aerial photo shows it still in its original location,^[12] and September 1930, when the Philadelphia Inquirer ran a letter describing the monument in its new site.^[13] (In 1939, a retired Pennsylvania Railroad employee—perhaps having forgotten the actual year of the move—told the Delaware County Daily Times that the monument had been moved in late 1917 to make way for the "Hog Island Railroad"—formally, the 60th Street Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad—and that three of Newkirk's daughters had been asked their permission for the move.^[14])

For the next eight decades, the monument sat all but abandoned, in disrepair, and nearly forgotten, though it was visible to passengers traveling Amtrak's Northeast Corridor or SEPTA Regional Rail trains on the Airport Line and the Wilmington/Newark Line.^[15]

2016 move

In 2013, interest in the Newkirk Monument was rekindled by a pair of articles written by Bradley Peniston for Hidden City Philadelphia, a local organization concerned with the built environment. The articles explored the monument's significance and suggested it be moved to a more visible site. Over the next few years, the idea was embraced and brought to fruition by a host of public and private entities, including Amtrak, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, landscape architects Andropogon Associates, planners PennPraxis, conservators Materials Conservation, and movers with the George Young Company. On November 17–18, 2016, the monument was moved to a new concrete pad along the under-construction "Bartram's Mile" section of the Schuylkill River Trail.

Inscription

As transcribed by Wilson, the four sides of the monument and its base are inscribed as follows:

Obelisk
PHILADELPHIA WILMINGTON AND BALTIMORE RAILROAD COMPANY President MATTHEW NEWKIRK Vice President JACOB J COHEN JR Directors Philadelphia. Matthew Newkirk, John Hemphill, John Connel,^[16] Wm. D. Lewis.Wilmington. James Canby, James Price, David C. Wilson, James A. Bayard, William Chandler.Baltimore. J.J. Cohen Jr., Chas. F. Mayer, John McKim Jr.,^[17] James Swan, W.A. Patterson.Delaware. Thomas Smith.Chester. Solicitor, Samuel Edwards. Secretary, JAMES WILSON WALLACE, WILLIAM P. BROBSON, Ass't. Treasurer, ALLAN THOMSON. AUBRY H. SMITH,^[18]  Ass't.	BALTIMORE AND PORT DEPOSIT RAILROAD COMPANY President LEWIS BRANTZ Directors Philadelphia. Matthew Newkirk. New York. Roswell L. Colt. Maryland. Chas. F. Mayer, J.J. Cohen Jr.,^[19] John B. Howell, C.W. Karthouse, Fred'k Dawson, Henry Thomson, John C. Morton. Secretary and Treasurer, CHARLES H WINDER. Engineer, BENJAMIN H LATROBE. Assistant Engineer, HENRY R HAZELHURST.^[20]	DELAWARE AND MARYLAND RAILROAD COMPANY. President, MATTHEW NEWKIRK. Directors: Wilmington. James Canby, James Price, Edward Tatnell,^[21] Henry Whitely, Wm. Chandler, David Wilson, Mahlon Betts. Elkton. James Sewall, Josh. Richardson, Greenb'y Purnell, Secretary, Wm. P. Brobson. Treasurer, Allan Thomson. Engineer, WILLIAM STRICKLAND. Assistant Engineer, JAMES P. STABLER.	WILMINGTON AND SUSQUEHANNA RAILROAD COMPANY. President, JAMES CANBY. Directors Philadelphia. Matthew Newkirk, John Hemphill, Stephen Baldwin, Samuel Jaudon. Elkton. James Sewall.Baltimore. J.J. Cohen Jr.Wilmington, David C. Wilson, James Price, William Chandler, Edward Tatnell, Joseph C. Gilpin, Mahlon Betts, Henry Whitely, Jas. A. Bayard. Secretary, WILLIAM P BROBSON. Treasurer, ALLAN THOMSON. Engineer, WILLIAM STRICKLAND. Assistant Engineer, JC TRAUTWINE.
Base
THE PHILADELPHIA WILMINGTON AND BALTIMORE RAILROAD COMPANY Formed A.D. 1838 by the Union of the several charters obtained from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Work commenced July 4, 1835. Completed December 25, 1838. Cost $4,000,000.	Railroad Contractors: William Slater, John Ahern, Beers & Hyde, Kennedy Lonergan Superintendents: Charles Lombaert, George Craig, Alfred Crawford^[22]	NEWKIRK VIADUCT Samuel H. Kneass, Engineer. Alexander and Charles Provost, Stone Masons. Uziel H. French, Bridge Carpenter.	NEWKIRK VIADUCT Commenced July 4, 1837. Completed December 25, 1838. S.H. Kneass, Engineer. Railroad from Philadelphia to Wilmington. Herman J. Lombaert, Asst. Eng'r.^[23]

Wilson's transcription contains several errors; for example, it misspells the last names of Henry Hazlehurst, Edward Tatnall,^[24] and Charles and Alexander Provest.

External links

• "Newkirk Monument," Schuylkill Banks Development Corporation, May 5, 2017.
• Photos of the 2016 move, via Flickr.
• Web site: I Wanna Know . . 2002-05-01 . Kelly . Sara . 2009-06-06.
• Web site: Wrong Side Of The Tracks: Newkirk Viaduct Monument In Photos . Hidden City Philadelphia . March 13, 2013 . March 15, 2013 . Maule . Bradley.
• Peniston, Bradley (August 26, 2015). Video: "Where Did the Newkirk Monument Originally Stand?"
• Web site: Newkirk Viaduct Monument . Society for Industrial Archaeology Car Barn Tours . Spivak . Joel . phillytrolley.org . 2009-06-06.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Who Moved The Newkirk Viaduct Monument? . Hidden City Philadelphia . March 13, 2013 . March 15, 2013 . Peniston . Bradley . March 17, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130317170109/http://hiddencityphila.org/2013/03/who-moved-the-newkirk-viaduct-monument/ . live .
2. News: A Moving Monument . Maule . Bradley . Hidden City Daily . Hidden City Philadelphia . Philadelphia . December 6, 2016 . December 6, 2016 . December 12, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161212052801/http://hiddencityphila.org/2016/12/a-moving-monument/ . live .
3. Web site: 1838 (June 2004 Edition) . The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society . PRR CHRONOLOGY . June 2004 . 23 July 2013 . 2 . 14 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014022630/http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1838%20June%2004.wd.pdf . live .
4. News: The Monument Men . Peniston . Bradley . July 9, 2014 . Hidden City Daily . January 26, 2018 . September 30, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190930203637/https://hiddencityphila.org/2014/07/the-monument-men/ . live .
5. Book: Dare, Charles P. . Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore railroad guide: containing a description of the scenery, rivers, towns, villages, and objects of interest along the line of road; including historical sketches, legends . Fitzgibbon & Van Ness . 1856 . 1 . 115 . 2023-11-30 . 2023-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231101161212/https://books.google.com/books?id=UVINb9tPkooC&pg=PA115 . live .
6. Book: Wilson, William Bender . History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company with Plan of Organization, Portraits of Officials and Biographical Sketches . 1 . Henry T. Coates & Company . 1895 . Philadelphia . 296–299 . November 25, 2012 . November 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231101161211/https://books.google.com/books?id=qj9N-eWi71YC&pg=PA296 . live .
7. News: 2015-09-04 . Where Did the Newkirk Monument Originally Stand? . en-US . Friends of the Newkirk Monument . 2018-01-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190209232935/http://www.newkirkmonument.org/blog/where-did-the-newkirk-monument-originally-stand/ . February 9, 2019.
8. News: 23 February 1896 . Forgotten Monuments of this City . 25 . Philadelphia Inquirer . 28 March 2022 . 28 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220328141305/https://www.newspapers.com/image/168373076/?terms=newkirk%20monument%20philadelphia&match=1 . live .
9. News: City's Fine New Bridge . August 12, 1900 . Philadelphia Record . September 25, 2013 . Philadelphia . 15 . April 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220405151408/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PQ5UAAAAIBAJ&dq=newkirk%20viaduct&pg=3631%2C2349405 . live .
10. Web site: 23 Jan 1926, Page 6 - The News Journal at Newspapers.com . 2022-04-30 . Newspapers.com . en . 2022-04-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220430043420/http://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=100743064&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE2MTEzMjAxNywiaWF0IjoxNjUxMjkyNTI3LCJleHAiOjE2NTEzNzg5Mjd9.oyfcV_SLcoZyqFnrBADV3NO_uV9q6eGGgJEbAWopMfM . live .
11. Web site: BridgeReports.com 49TH STREET over AMTRAK(NY-WASH BRANCH), Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania . 2022-04-30 . bridgereports.com . 2022-09-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220923205223/https://bridgereports.com/1476976 . live .
12. Web site: 1927-07-05 . Van Sciver Schuylkill Plant . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200909191752/https://digital.hagley.org/islandora/object/islandora:2013290 . 2020-09-09 . 2020-09-09 . Hagley Digital Archives.
13. News: 1930-09-17 . Penna Railroad Monument . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220430030728/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83473080/penna-railroad-monument/ . 2022-04-30 . 2022-04-30 . The Philadelphia Inquirer . 12.
14. Web site: 10 Apr 1939 . Newkirk Shaft at Grays Ferry / Delaware County Daily Times . 2020-09-09 . Newspapers.com . 8 . en . 2022-04-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220430043210/https://www.newspapers.com/image/?clipping_id=6025507 . live .
15. Web site: Do You Wanna Know More? . . 2002-05-08 . Baer . Christopher . https://web.archive.org/web/20120222071004/http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/38349389.html?page=2&comments=1&showAll= . 2009-06-06 . 2012-02-22.
16. The spelling of the last name seems to be in error; it should be "Connell". News: Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad Company . January 21, 1837 . American Railroad Journal and Advocate for Internal Improvements . 18 August 2013 . Minor . D. K. . Schaeffer . George C. . New York . 34 . 1 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231101161213/https://books.google.com/books?id=lOg6AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA34 . live .
17. Web site: Jr John McKim b. 28 Mar 1766 Baltimore, Independent Cities, Maryland, USA d. 16 Jan 1842: JHBL Genealogy. latrobefamily.com. 15 October 2019. 30 September 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190930204003/https://latrobefamily.com/getperson.php?personID=I5911&tree=mytree. live.
18. Misspelled; it is spelled "Aubrey". Book: Annual Report of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Rail Road, 1838–40 . Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Rail Road Company . 1838–40 . Philadelphia . 2023-11-30 . 2023-11-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231101184837/https://books.google.com/books?id=IIYpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP4 . live .
19. Cohen briefly served as B&PD president in 1838 after Brantz died. On Feb. 20, after the railroad mergers, he became PW&B vice president. Web site: 1838 (June 2004 Edition) . The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society . PRR CHRONOLOGY . June 2004 . 23 July 2013 . 2 . 14 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014022630/http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1838%20June%2004.wd.pdf . live .
20. The last name is misspelled. It is "Hazlehurst". JHBL Family Genealogy
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22. Appointed Superintendent of Transportation for the Baltimore and Port Deposite on Jan. 26, 1837.Web site: 1837 (June 2004 Edition) . The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society . PRR CHRONOLOGY . June 2004 . 21 March 2014 . 14 October 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014022115/http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1837%20June%2004.wd.pdf . live .
23. Son of superintendent Charles Lombaert. Later the assistant to Pennsylvania Railroad chief engineer Herman Haupt and ultimately a vice president of the PRR.
24. A corrected version is given in this article: Web site: The Monument Men . Peniston . Bradley . July 9, 2014 . hiddencityphila.org . Hidden City Philadelphia . Philadelphia . May 26, 2017 . May 7, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170507150257/http://hiddencityphila.org/2014/07/the-monument-men/ . live .