The John Johnson House, 6306 Germantown Ave., is a National Historic Landmark, significant for its role in the anti-slavery movement and the Underground Railroad. It is one of the many historic landmark signs Burd photographed in his walks from beginning to end of every major street in the city over two years.

by Frank Burd

I’ve just never been one for exercise. I admire my friends who still go to gyms and health clubs to work out. I’ve tried. I go two or three times, then I quit. It’s just not for me. All my life I got my exercise from playing sports when I was younger and later, from being a teacher who rarely sat down in the classroom. I liked to move with a purpose.

I used to run. I got into it again in my 30s for a few months but couldn’t keep it up. Two years ago, my son invited me to join him in a Turkey Run when I visited him in Kansas City. You could walk or run, and I did a little of each. I spent a month getting into shape for that one, but I did it to share the experience with him rather than for exercise.

I have a friend who is almost 70 herself (as I am) who runs several miles four of five times a week. “I’m not going very fast,” she says, “but all my parts are still moving, and they say it’s a good way to stave off dementia.”

She’s right, but I needed some motivation of my own to get the body underway. That motivation came in a bizarre manner. The week after my youngest moved out to live with friends in Fishtown, my father died (at the age of 101). I was lonely. I needed something. And so I took my camera to the top of Chestnut Hill on Germantown Avenue with the intention of photographing the street. My motivation was taking pictures. And I walked. I didn’t try to do the whole avenue in a day. I walked a piece, then took the 23 bus back to my car. I came back another day and walked more of the avenue. In the end, I walked the entire length in three outings. And as I walked, I discovered so much! Exercise was the by-product.

I saw cemeteries dating from the Revolution and before. I passed many historical markers. One marked the October 4, 1777, Battle of Germantown, where General George Washington lost some 70 soldiers before retreating. I learned about William Allen, one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. He helped to establish Pennsylvania Hospital, the Academy and College of Philadelphia (U. of Pa.) as well as assisting in the construction of the State House (Independence Hall). Mt. Airy is named after his estate, and Allens Lane is named in his honor.

Another marker announced that in 1688, the first protest against slavery took place at the home of Tunes Kunders. It was written by German Quakers and signed by Daniel Pastorius himself. Trekking down the Avenue, I got my own look at some of the marvelous murals from the Philadelphia Mural Project. In addition are the many public schools that have created their own murals on school walls. And the sculpture, whether in small parks commemorating historical events or on the sides of dozens of churches, are breathtaking.

I saw brightly painted stores around a four-block stretch near Lehigh Avenue. I saw different sorts of restaurants and markets. And yes, I also saw dilapidated buildings falling down. And I recorded them all in my camera and occasionally in the little notebook I carried.

Sometimes I was stopped on the street and asked what I was photographing. As I explain my walks to people, they are enthusiastic and even recommend things to see. Sometimes they say, “You want to take my picture?” When I do, I take their email addresses and mail the photos to them.

In the two years since I started my walks, I’ve walked Germantown, Ridge, Frankford, Allegheny, Girard, Passyunk, Erie, Baltimore, Haverford, Lehigh, Cecil B. Moore and Lancaster Avenues, from end-to-end. I’ve walked Broad, 5th, Front, 2nd, Market, South, Spring Garden, Levick, Main and Rhawn Streets in their entirety. Each time I finish, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

I am at a point in life where I don’t want to accumulate more stuff. In fact, I am trying to get rid of things. But my mind is still sharp. It still wants to learn and grow. Sadly, my memory for new things is not as strong as it once was. With my camera and notebook, I create and experience for myself the words and images that take up little new space. If my friend is right (and my therapist says she is), I am also keeping dementia at bay. In fact, as I accumulate new memories and save them, I also feel vital. One more thing. I also get plenty of fresh air and exercise without thinking about it. I love it.

Frank Burd is a Chestnut Hill area resident and former public school teacher who now writes for several area newspapers. This article is reprinted, with permission, from Milestones, the monthly publication of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging.