Newkirk Monument
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Newkirk Monument is a historic site in Pennsylvania, at a modelled elevation of 8 m. Diamond Rock Hill stands 188 m to the west-northwest, 19 miles off. The nearest named place is Bartram's North, a park 0.1 miles away. Blue Route passes 6.9 miles off. 27 named summits stand within 25 miles.
Erected 1839 by the Philadelphia, Baltimore & Washington Railroad to mark the first railroad between its eponymous cities. Designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, later the Architect of the [U.S.] Capitol
The story
The Newkirk Viaduct Monument (also, Newkirk Monument) is a 15-foot (4.6 m) white marble obelisk in the West Philadelphia neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was installed in 1839 to mark the completion of the Newkirk Viaduct, the first permanent railroad bridge over the Schuylkill River. It is inscribed with the names of 51 railroad builders and executives, among other information. Designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, a future Architect of the Capitol, the monument was erected by the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad to mark its completion of a bridge across the Schuylkill River and the first railroad line south from Philadelphia. The monument originally sat about 700 feet (210 m) from the riverbank. Between 1927 and 1930, it was moved about 600 feet (180 m) further inland, where it sat for decades by the main line that became Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. In 2016, it was moved to its present location, about 100 feet (30 m) from the river's edge at the north end of the Bartram's Mile section of the Schuylkill River Trail.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1838.
Wikidata Q12063987, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Height
- 14'
What to expect
How to reach it
- 6.9 mi off the Blue Route
- 20.8 mi off the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway, National
- 21.1 mi off the Exton Bypass
- 23.2 mi off the Bayshore Heritage Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Hawk Point · 25 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Bartram's North: 0.1 mi
- 47th & Grays Ferry Park: 0.2 mi
- Grays Ferry Crescent Trail Park: 0.2 mi
- 48th & Woodland Playground: 0.3 mi
- Stinger Park: 0.5 mi
- Grays Ferry Bridge Community Garden: 0.2 mi
- The Woodlands Community Garden: 0.5 mi
- Lower Mill Creek Garden: 0.6 mi
- Martin Community Garden: 0.6 mi
- Chester Ave Community Garden: 0.6 mi
- Hamilton Mansion: 0.4 mi
- Marvin Samson Center for the History of Pharmacy: 0.5 mi
- Institute of Contemporary Art: 1.1 mi
- Paul Robeson House & Museum: 1.4 mi
- Tiberino Museum: 1.6 mi
- Dickens and Little Nell: 0.6 mi
- Six Triangles: 0.8 mi
- Charles Curtis Harrison: 0.8 mi
- Pyramid: 0.9 mi
- Reverend George Whitefield: 0.9 mi
- Gettysburg Stone: 0.7 mi
- Benjamin Franklin (on a bench): 1.0 mi
- Columns and Capital from Amman Jordan: 1.1 mi
- Walter Golaski: 1.4 mi
- Major General John Fulton Reynolds: 1.6 mi
- American Bandstand: 1.3 mi
- The Universal Sphere: 2.2 mi
- One Liberty Observation Deck: 2.2 mi
- Rocky Steps: 2.2 mi
- WildWorks Ropes Course: 2.4 mi
- Centennial Arboretum: 3.1 mi
- Cadwalader Tract: 5.5 mi
- Marple Conservation Area: 6.9 mi
- Williamson Road Site: 7.7 mi
- Black Rock Road Site: 8.0 mi
- Picnic Grove: 1.2 mi
- Picnic Area #1: 1.5 mi
- Picnic Area #2: 1.5 mi
- Bird Lake Picnic Area: 2.1 mi
- Picnic Area 5: 3.4 mi
- Fairmount: 2.2 mi
- Lemon Hill: 2.4 mi
- Georges Hill: 3.2 mi
- Chestnut Hill: 9.6 mi
- Sugarloaf Hill: 9.9 mi
- Historical "Ancient Indian Spring": 6.0 mi
- West Branch Trout Creek Spring: 13.7 mi
- Magnesium Spring: 24.5 mi
- Sulphur Spring: 24.6 mi
- Yellow Spring: 24.7 mi
- King of Prussia Service Plaza: 13.5 mi
- Wawa Truck Stop: 14.4 mi
- Deepwater Rest Area: 22.6 mi
- Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse: 6.6 mi
- Monkey Rock: 12.9 mi
- Darling: 14.2 mi
- Washington Lake Beach: 15.0 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Newkirk Monument. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond Rock Hill | WNW 301° | 188 m | 18.6 mi |
| Mount Misery | NW 306° | 176 m | 17.5 mi |
| Ebright Azimuth | WSW 247° | 137 m | 18.1 mi |
| Chestnut Hill | N 360° | 136 m | 9.6 mi |
| Hunting Hill | W 276° | 125 m | 13.0 mi |
| Osborne Hill | W 267° | 113 m | 21.3 mi |
| Militia Hill | N 353° | 104 m | 12.5 mi |
| Camp Hill | N 2° | 104 m | 13.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:05 | 18:37 | 19:13 |
| June solstice | 05:33 | 19:53 | 20:34 |
| September equinox | 06:49 | 18:24 | 19:00 |
| December solstice | 07:20 | 15:57 | 16:40 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Jun, Aug–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 35 | 37 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 80 | 78 | 72 | 60 | 49 | 40 |
| Precip in | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Phila Franklin Inst, 2 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial siteOpenStreetMap element node/2249204474
Day trips start here
- Philadelphia/Center City West · 2 mi
- Philadelphia/South · 2 mi
- Philadelphia/West · 2 mi
- Lansdowne · 3 mi
- Philadelphia · 3 mi
- Philadelphia/Center City East · 3 mi
Take the scenic way to Newkirk Monument.
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