"Under their own vine and fig tree": African American Owned Public Spaces on Philadelphia's Main Line

Railroad suburbs, which stretched out along commuter rail lines, represented one of the earliest forms of suburban development in the United States. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, developers marketed these districts to white elites as stylish retreats from crowded cities. However, a dominant image of wealth and whiteness has masked the internal diversity of railroad suburbs and the varied communities that took shape within them. This paper draws on a case study of African American institutions of the 1920s and 1930s on Philadelphia's Main Line, one of the best-known groups of railroad suburbs, to expand understandings of race, identity, and community formation in early American suburbs.

African Americans began migrating to the Main Line in the 1890s to find positions in domestic service. As their numbers grew, African Americans settled in modest homes and neighborhoods on the Main Line and harnessed their resources to construct or purchase buildings that would serve as public spaces. African-American- owned buildings like club halls and churches emerged as anchors of community life, hosting gatherings that ranged from political rallies to social events. These sites also provided public spaces that allowed African Americans to develop and sustain local and regional networks.

Ownership of these spaces took on particular significance within the context of the Main Line where many African Americans rented their homes. Collective ownership of buildings allowed African Americans the opportunity to shape their physical space in a way they did not always have the opportunity to in their homes. In addition, these structures stood as physical testaments to the achievements of African Americans on the Main Line. Through its study of African American owned sites on the Main Line, this study probes larger questions about diversity in suburban spaces and the significance of the built environment in community formation.