May 14th, 2020

May 14th is History Day during Love Your Park at Home

lemon hill

Thursday, May 14th is History Day during Love Your Park @ Home! Here are all the things you can learn, share, and do to celebrate history in Philly parks.

5 14 history day lyp at home

LEARN: About 6 Historic Houses in 6 minutes

Join John Sigmund, Fairmount Park Conservancy Historic House Coordinator, and Justina Barrett, Philadelphia Museum of Art Site Manager, in a whirlwind bicycle tour of six historic properties situated in beautiful Fairmount Park. In just one minute per house, learn unique facts about these historic homes!

Watch video

SHARE: Your own historic photos of your Philly park

woodford mansion 1900 2

Woodford Mansion, 1900.

Share your favorite photos of Philadelphia park history! This can be historic photos of your neighborhood park, or a more recent photo of a fun day spent in your favorite secret park spot. #loveyourpark

DO: Enjoy a virtual Park History Happy Hour at 5pm

Grab a beer (or a stein of ye olde meade) and join John John Sigmund, Fairmount Park Historic House Coordinator, and other park historians as they kick back, relax, and spin some of their favorite Philadelphia park tales.

Join the virtual Happy Hour

BONUS: You're invited to a special webinar "Making history: The power of parks during COVID-19"

How will the COVID-19 pandemic shape the future of our urban parks?

On Thursday, May 14 from 12-1pm, join us for a conversation about resilience and the future of civic spaces with three leading park advocates:

Carol Coletta, President and CEO, Memphis River Parks
Maura McCarthy, Executive Director, Fairmount Park Conservancy, Host
Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commissioner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Register for free

BONUS: Enjoy these free coloring pages of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park!

Bring some color to these beautiful black-and-white sketches of the Historic Houses of Fairmount Park! These coloring pages are available to download for free – you can even draw your own Historic House! Share your creations by tagging us on social media at #loveyourpark. 

Download free coloring pages

Upcoming Love Your Park @ Home Events

fdr planting 2025

FDR Park Community Planting

November 3rd at 9:00am
1500 Pattison Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19148

Join Fairmount Park for a volunteer workday at FDR Park Meadow Lake on Tuesday, November 3rd from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The area around the lagoon was recently cleared of invasive species, and we need your help planting more native trees & shrubs. We will be planting a combination of native trees that will be established over the winter and provide benefits to the wildlife around the lake.

Learn More
boone park

Boone Park Stewardship

November 7th at 9:00am

Join us on first Saturdays of the month to help care for Boone Park! Volunteers will work together to remove invasive species, pick up trash and provide minor site maintenance. All supplies will be provided but bringing your own gloves and water bottles is encouraged. Be a part of the effort of improving and maintaining this great piece of our community- hope to see you there!

Learn More
2025 east fairmount park planting

Community Planting at Cobbs Creek Park

November 7th at 9:00am
700 Cobbs Creek Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19143

Join Fairmount Park Conservancy on Saturday, November 7th, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM for a volunteer workday at Cobbs Creek Park!

Learn More