Manayunk Secrets Revealed

Did you know that the Green Lane Bridge opened in 1928 or that the Manayunk Canal debuted in 1819 and was once part of the much larger Schuylkill Canal? 

You would if you'd been at "The Secret History of Manayunk" in Sept 17.

The event, sponsored by and The Friends of Pretzel Park provided information, unique facts and some legends about the town.

"South Philly may have Geno's and Pats and Chestnut Hill may have beautiful stone homes, but it's flat," Thom Nichols, columnist and author Manayunk and Philadelphia Architecture said."A riverfront, hilltown spirit is much different, it's a little more daring."

Nichols, whose great uncle was the president of the Manayunk Business Association in the early 20th century, traced the town's roots back more than 100 years.

"In 1854 this place was a boom town," he said. "It was a golden time for the canal."

But the creation of the train hit Manayunk hard and in 1920 the industry, in what was once known as Flat Rock, came to a halt.

Rebounding, the $1 million Green Lane Bridge opened in the late 1920s and was said to be a symbol of everlasting friendship between Philadelphia and Montgomery County.

But just as the prosperity of the canal couldn't last forever, the relationship between Manayunk, in the city, and West Manayunk, in Montgomery County couldn't either.

In the 1950s West Manayunk became Belmont Hills because, Nichols said, leaders in Montgomery County believed nothing good ended in "yunk." They cited, he said, the words "drunk" and "skunk."

Following Nichols, Thomas Carroll, president of the Kelpius Society, gave a slightly different historical account of Manayunk and discussed the origins of legends like "The Wizard of the Wissahickon" and "The Hermit of the Ridge."

The names were given to Johannes Kelpius, the founder of the Kelpius Society who, after moving to America in 1694 settled in the Roxborough/Wissahickon area.

"They were dedicated to healing and creating an ideal Christian community," Carroll said, adding that although their intentions were good, the community was down to only two members by 1720. 

"These were highly educated people," he said, adding that he believes they set up the botanical gardens in the country.

In 1986 the society was re-formed and is focused on finding the original site of Kelpius' personal dwelling and researching the music of that period.

Although Hermit Cave, in the area of the society's original settlement, has been rumored to by the leader's private dwelling, Carroll said there has been no definitive evidence.

"We just don't know," he said, adding they may never know becuase there is a chance that it may be hidden under the Wissahickon Golf Course. "I don't know if they'd let us start digging there just yet."

Click here to check out the society's website.