Off The Beaten Path Tour of the Seventh Ward

Get a rich perspective on the people and places that populated the Seventh Ward around the time of Du Bois’ work

Hello! Welcome to the “Off the Beaten Path” Tour of the Seventh Ward. This tour aims to provide a guide that highlights key themes in the book ‘The Philadelphia Negro,’ a seminal sociological study conducted by W.E.B Du Bois at the end of the 19th century. The Seventh Ward refers to a previous ward division that was used during the study. It stretches from Spruce St to South St from North to South and from 6th St to 23rd St from East to West. At the time of Du Bois’ study, it was one of the most important neighborhoods for Black Philadelphians, with key institutions and people living in the community. Our tour will start outside of the Seventh Ward before moving into it, capturing some key locations that were just outside. As we will see today, the neighborhood has changed a lot throughout the 120+ years since the book was written, but the influence and history is still visible.

Some of the major themes we will explore include class and everyday life in the Seventh Ward. Further, I will point out places where the history in the Seventh Ward still exists and influences our world today. Throughout, I will aim to introduce Du Bois’ own words, drawn from the book, into the tour. In a way hopefully, it will be almost like he himself is giving you a tour!