In the Sunday Gazette I read that Barack Obama campaigned in Philadelphia Saturday stopping in four different neighborhoods. Though the Gazette didn't identify Germantown they did say he stopped at Vernon Park. This brought back some memories since Vernon Park was just a short walk from my office and from where we lived. When we needed to do some banking or use some of the other businesses on Chelten Ave. it often meant a walk through Vernon Park. Depending on the time of day there were usually a few guys playing chess, a few guys sleeping, a few guys passed out, the occasional homeless guy rummaging through the garbage cans looking for food, but generally there were folks there just hanging out. Most probably didn't notice or pay too much attention to the large statue placed in the park to commemorate the first thirteen German families to emigrate to North America and to settle what became the Germantown neighborhood.
The story also took me back to 1983, the 300th anniversay of the first permanent German settlement in America. The local historic houses in Germantown had planned a number of activities to remember the anniversary but most of these hadn't met with much success. Some of that was because since the 1950's Germantown had become a predominately African-American community and many Germans or German descendents weren't all that excited about spending time in Germantown.
During the summer we were told President Regean wanted to commemorate the anniversary in some way and that he hoped to schedule some time in Philadelphia including a possible stop in Germantown. Some of the cynics among us figured he might be using the anniversary to pressure the Germans to accept the deployment of Pershing and Cruise missles to "aid their protection from the Soviet Union.
Anyway, a large state level banquet was planned at a Center City hotel and some of us in the historical community were led to believe Regean would visit Germantown. If I remember correctly some suggestions were made of sites the President and the German Chancellor should see including the statue in Vernon Park. The Secret Service began to check into security. I don't think it took long for the Secret Service to decide "it was too dangerous for the President to visit Germantown." We were told it was because security would be difficult to ensure in an outdoor setting, but most of the Germantown folks assumed it was because of racism. The Secret Service just didn't want Regean or any other President going into a predominately black neighborhood. It was all rather irritating
So it was refresing to see Obama visit Germantown and to make a stop at Vernon Park. It is an example of the the change in perspective an Obama presidency might bring, as I doubt McCain or too many other white politicians will be making stops in places like Vernon Park in the middle of Germantown.
