Unveiling of Historical Marker
Published on April 25, 2025
Historic Marker Unveiled at Riverview House / Cleveland Farm in Drexel Hill
Friday, April 25, 2025 – Mayor Edward Brown, alongside students and staff from Holy Child Academy in Drexel Hill, unveiled the new Riverview House / Cleveland Farm Underground Railroad Historic Marker, recognizing the site’s vital role in the fight for freedom.
📍 475 Shadeland Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA – This location marks the second stop on the Upper Darby Underground Railroad Tour, and was once the birthplace of Thomas Garrett, a famed abolitionist who aided over 2,700 enslaved people, including members of Harriet Tubman’s family, in their escape to freedom.
Before the unveiling, Holy Child Academy students participated in a historical presentation delivered by Scott Alberts, Upper Darby Township’s CED Program Manager, exploring the powerful legacy of the Riverview House and its connection to the Underground Railroad.
In addition to Mayor Brown several other township officials attended the commemoration. CAO, Crandall Jones, Director of Community & Economic Development, Rita LaRue, as well as U.D. Councilwoman Danyelle Blackwell and PA House of Representatives, 164th District Chief of Staff, Cintia Isles.
Created in 2021 under the leadership of former Mayor Barbarann Keffer and the Upper Darby Historic Commission, the Underground Railroad Walking Tour offers a self-guided journey through several key historic sites.
For more information on the Upper Darby Underground Railroad please visit www.upperdarby.org/UndergroundRailroadWalkingTour. Stops include:
Garrett House / Thornfield – 3218 Garrett Road
Riverview House / Holy Child Academy – 475 Shadeland Avenue
Riverview Farm / Museum at Arlington Cemetery – 2900 State Road
Hoodland / Sellers Library – 76 S. State Road
Former Site of Howard House (Now Pica’s Restaurant) – 7803 West Chester Pike
Sellers Hall – 150 Hampden Road
Friends Cemetery – 236 Powell Lane
History of the Riverview House/ Cleveland Farm (Holy Child Academy)
Thomas Garrett was born at Riverview House on August 21, 1789, to his parents Thomas Garrett Sr. and Sarah Price. In 1790 the house was enlarged and a date stone with “G T S 1790” was inserted by the Garretts. The house, torn down in 1969, was located in the playground area of Holy Child Academy, on the back and left side property area. In 1822 Thomas Garrett Jr., his wife Mary Sharpless, and children would move to the slave state of Delaware where from his new home in Wilmington he would help approximately 2,700 people to freedom in the north, including members of Harriet Tubman’s family.
Thomas Garrett Jr. would forward freedom seekers to his friends and relatives. In Upper Darby, this included Edward Garrett and his wife, Abigail Sellers (daughter of George and Ann Ash Sellers, owners of Sellers Hall). They inherited Riverview House and about 140 acres in 1839. In an 1858 letter from Thomas Garrett to Philadelphia abolitionist and Underground Railroad stationmaster William Still he states, “a color’d woman and 7 children was taken to my brother Edwards in Upper Darby” This was Ann Maria Jackson and her children.
The year 1858 was a monumental one in the lives of Ann Maria Jackson and her family. In that year, she bravely took destiny into her own hands and escaped from her Maryland enslaver. With her, she took seven of her nine children, ranging from two to about sixteen years old. William Still helped the family on their way north to Canada. In his book, The Underground Railroad, Still remarked how unusual it was to see a woman with so many young children taking such a risk in making a bid for their freedom.
