Book release: The History of Penn Treaty Park

The History of Penn Treaty Park

Release of a new book by Kenneth W. Milano

In 1682 on the banks of the Delaware River, William Penn and a group of Indian chiefs met beneath the shade of a large elm tree. The resulting Treaty of Amity and Friendship paved the way for the founding of the Pennsylvania colony and became a universal symbol of religious and civil liberty. Despite its protection by sentinels over the years, the great elm was finally uprooted in an 1810 storm, making national headlines. In honor of Penn’s inspirational diplomacy, Kenneth Milano explores the frenzy of artists’ and historians’ interest in this historical landmark and chronicles the Penn Society’s efforts to memorialize the site through the construction of Penn Treaty Park.

Ken Milano is a life-long resident of Kensington with family roots in the neighborhood going back to the 1840s. He is an official tour guide of the Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods and one of three founders of the Kensington History Project, which researches, lectures, and publishes on the history of this historic neighborhood. His column “The Rest is History” has been published weekly since February 2006 by Star Newspapers and regularly appears in the Fishtown Star, Port Richmond Star, and the Northern Liberties Star.

Preserving Your History

The History Press, based in Charleston, South Carolina and Salem, Mass., brings a new way of thinking to history publishing by producing regional history titles by excellent historians and striving to make these books available to a wide audience.

ISBN: 978-1-59629-488-2 • Paperback • 128 pages • $19.99 • History • 2009