Let's continue our journey northward through the Wissahickon Valley (for part one of our adventure, click here).
Dipping in and out of the valley are numerous hiking and walking trails. Some linger close to the Wissahickon Creek while others climb hundreds of feet over rocky terrain, narrow passages, and up to dizzying heights with spectacular views of the park.
It's along one of these higher trails that we find the Toleration Statue fixed atop Mom Rinker's Rock, just north of the Walnut Lane Bridge. The statue, depicting a Quaker overlooking the valley, is inscribed with the word "Toleration." A pleasant message on a pleasant statue hidden away deep in a forest. It is a solid hike, though, with nice photo-op possibilities.
But for those in the know, this rocky outcrop is connected to an often overlooked slice of American history. Legend says that during the Revolutionary War, a woman named Molly "Mom" or "Ma" Rinker would sit on the rocks knitting. From this vantage she could easily see British encampments who paid her little or no attention. After all, she was just an elderly woman with some yarn. As the story goes, though, she was collecting information about the British movements and knitting the messages into yarn balls. She would drop those yarn balls into the valley where they were collected by spies who would deliver them to George Washington and his army.
There are further amendments to this legend by folks who thought it would be more interesting if Rinker was also some type of witch, but the original legend is already exciting enough without a supernatural element.
Let's move on.
A few more miles up the valley is a mysterious landmark that locals have embraced as the perfect swimming hole and Summer hangout: The Devil's Pool.
Legends of the Devil's Pool are old and debatable. Some sources claim that the Lenape attribute sacred legends to water. Early English settlers preformed religious ceremonies there and they are probably responsible for the name given to the area. When I was younger I heard an oft repeated story that the pool had no discernible bottom and potentially dropped all the way to Hell, hence the name (there is most definitely a bottom).
In reality, the Devil's Pool is where the Cresheim Creek meets the Wissahickon Creek, but the abundance of stones at this juncture creates this beautiful natural feature.
If you hike straight through the Pool, you will be going between water and rocks, so make sure your boots are water proof. There are drier passes a little farther up on Cresheim Creek, but it's much more fun to go through the Devil's Pool itself. On the rocks separating it from the Wissahickon many hikers build stone markers and it's great for viewing the Wissahickon up close.
A short hike from the Devil's Pool will take you to the Valley Green Inn, an old roadhouse still in operation (and the site of my wedding). There are restrooms beside the building open for hikers and park users, and in warmer months they operate a small snack stand. It's a lovely site to take a little rest before continuing to what I feel is one of the toughest climbs in the whole park.
The statue of Tedyuscung is one of the most popular spots for hikers to find. A fifteen foot tall limestones statue, it sits high above the valley. If you are hiking from the direction of Valley Green and Cresheim Creek, the trail that leads you to Tedyuscung is steep and if you've been hiking for awhile I would recommend you take a short break before you climb.
The statue is, well, not accurate in any way to the Lenape leader it's named after. The people who commissioned it were less interested with facts than they were with myths. It builds up the false narrative that the Lenape were cool with being driven from this region. It's not great.
As a hiking destination, it's a good spot to take in the view and enjoy some lunch. The statue is on the edge of a large rocky outcropping (the valley had been a quarry at various times in its history) and these rocks make for a cool place to take a break.
While there are many more sites in the Wissahickon to mention, I'll leave it to your exploration to find them (it's worth the adventure). So, I'll end this post here at the park's famous covered bridge.
The Thomas Mill Bridge was built to move materials to and from one of the many, many mills that once occupied the Wissahickon Valley. What makes it special it that it is a covered bridge preserved in a major city. How often do you find something so rustic in a place so urban?
Anyway, it's gorgeous and a perfect accent on that Autumn ambience you Fall hikers are searching for.
I hope you've enjoyed this abbreviated tour of the Wissahickon. Like I said, there is so, so much more to explore. (Click here for a more comprehensive list of the sites of the Wissahickon Valley). May you have many adventures in one of the greatest city parks in the world!
Further Reading:
Friends of the Wissahickon. (2022). Devil's Pool. https://fow.org/virtual-valley/trails-to-the-past/devils-pool/
Friends of the Wissahickon. (2022). Tedyuscung Statue. https://fow.org/virtual-valley/trails-to-the-past/tedyuscung-statue/
Friends of the Wissahickon. (2022). Trails to the Past. https://fow.org/virtual-valley/trails-to-the-past/
McCabe, B. (n.d.). Toleration Statue. Friends of the Wissahickon. https://fow.org/virtual-valley/trails-to-the-past/toleration-statue/
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