Heritage West is a community-informed archaeological project created with the goal of using archaeology to highlight the stories of individuals who lived in the Black Bottom neighborhood of West Philadelphia from the 19th century to the present. Through the Heritage West Project, we strive to highlight the love, community, and humanity of the Black Bottom neighborhood and recognize the violence of its destruction. Heritage West seeks to bring together the Penn and West Philadelphia communities in uncovering lost stories and uplifting the voices of the thriving Black community that was extinguished through racist practices under the guise of urban renewal. Current excavations focus on the 3500 block of Lancaster Avenue, which has been home to community centers, art spaces, theaters, and residences for over 200 years. Until recently, the space that is now the Community Education Center parking lot was home to at least seven residences, including some of the original West Philadelphia homes built in the 1840s. The remains of these homes lay just a few feet below the surface, yet many stories of the people who once lived in them have been forgotten. Heritage West uses the archaeology of the underground ruins of the structures and the analysis of artifacts left behind by former residents to recover some of these histories.

Additional information can be found by visiting the project’s website at https://www.heritagewestphl.org/ or by following along on Instagram and Facebook.