Benjamin Rush State Park

 

Benjamin Rush State Park is located in the North East section of Philadelphia and is the only state park within the city boundary. The park provides the visitor with an area to enjoy the natural beauty of open spaces along with some Pennsylvania woodlands, places for study, recreation and the solace of gardening. The park offers much needed open space in this busy area. It is popular with hikers, bicyclers, birders and wildlife enthusiasts and is primarily used for passive day use activities. The park features one of the largest community gardens, a large area devoted to flying radio controlled model airplanes, multi-use trails that meander through open meadows and shady wooded areas.

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The state park is a mixture of open fields and woodlots in the northeast corner of Philadephia. Benjamin Rush has the world's largest community gardens called the Benjamin Rush Community Garden. It is located in the far northeastern reaches of Philadelphia. The area has been used for farming since the Comly Family farmed it in the early 1700's. The area has been used as a farm to support the Philadelphia State Hospital which was located across Roosevelt Boulevard prior to being decomissioned. It provides the opportunity for people of diverse backgrounds to garden together. Each gardner leases a garden plot to tend and contributes some volunteer hours to help run the garden. It provides a truly unique experience of gardening with the community, the feeling of contributing to something more and learning from each other.