Riverbend's Roots
Riverbend’s story spans centuries of history, shaped by the people who lived on, worked, preserved, and cared for this land.
Riverbend’s Roots
Riverbend and its surroundings have a rich and varied history. In the 16th and 17th century, the local residents were Lenape Native Americans who were part of a loose confederation of the Algonquin Nation. Known as the Unami Tribe, these Lenape established their “summer station” in the curve of the Schuylkill River that gives Riverbend its namesake. The last written record of Native American activity in the vicinity of Riverbend was an encampment at Black Rocks in 1740.
From its inclusion in the 1682 William Penn land grant of 5,000 acres to British settler Joshua Holland, Riverbend was eventually transferred to Welsh Quaker Morris Llewellyn, Sr., a farmer with huge land holdings called “Indian Fields.” Bryn Mawr, Gladwyne, and Bala Cynwyd reflect this period of Welsh influence. At this time, Spring Mill Road was said to lead to a ford and later to a ferry crossing the Schuylkill River and eventually joining up with Spring Mill Road on the Conshohocken side. Although remnants of the old road are still visible on Riverbend's property, access to the river was cut off by the 1950’s construction of the Schuylkill Expressway.
Many visitors are curious about the lovely dry masonry stone walls that intersect both Riverbend and surrounding property. To discover their origins, one must look back to the Civil War era in 1864, when the United States army leased land from local farmers to establish “Camp Discharge.” This camp, whose sentry house still stands at the entrance of Sentry Lane, housed soldiers released from southern prison camps before they returned to civilian life. One way they employed their time was in the construction of the many stone walls around Riverbend.
Post-Civil War Era History
In the post-Civil War era of America’s Industrial Revolution, the land surrounding Riverbend caught the eye of Conshohocken’s leading steel and iron manufacturer, Alan Wood Jr., whose 300 acres of “Woodmont Farms” came to include the fantastic Woodmont Estate. In 1884, Alan Wood, Jr.’s younger brother, Howard, acquired the adjacent 92-acre farm including “Camp Discharge,” gradually amassing almost 400 acres, including the future site of Riverbend. In December of 1974, Howard’s grandchildren, Alice Grey Wood Read, Phoebe Wood Conger and Howard Wood III, in their desire to preserve some of the open space that defined so much of their family history, set aside 26 acres in memory of their parents, thus creating Riverbend Refuge a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The first environmental education programs began less than a year later in September 1975. Four acres was eventually added to the original 26, thus creating the 30-acre preserve we now call Riverbend Environmental Education Center.
1980's Brings Riverbend
In the 1980's, Riverbend continued to evolve structurally and programmatically. Riverbend Refuge was changed to Riverbend Environmental Education Center and classroom space was added to the barn. Our summer camp program was instituted and school field trip programs continued to expand. Program and funding diversification led to an increased need for office capability; thus, from 1998-1999, our barn underwent a complete renovation, enabling Riverbend to better serve more children and families.
In 2004, Riverbend completed a Master Site Development Plan to guide our course of site and habitat improvements and also received a 5 year pledge ($100,000 annually) to help fund those projects from The Ed Snider Foundation. Thus, in 2005 Riverbend’s signature building, a 1923 Sears Roebuck Catalog Barn building was named The Snider Barn in recognition of our largest benefactor to date. In 2009, Riverbend completed a master site plan to determine in greater detail the focus of improvements in our core 10-acre area. In 2015, Riverbend installed the Aquaponics Greenhouse. In 2020, Riverbend weathered the covid-19 pandemic, closing school programs for two years, although summer camp never ceased operations. During this time, maintenance was deferred to save costs. In 2023, Riverbend completed an architectural study to identify key improvements to the Snider Barn and nature preserve that will position Riverbend to sustain its vital environmental education mission for years to come.
