Germantown Industrial Village, 1690-1890

Historic Germantown is proud to present, as a part of our 26 Tours in 2026, "Germantown Industrial Village, 1690-1890" walking tour on Saturday June 6th from 1-3pm, hosted by Historic Rittenhousetown.

This hike explores the home of the groundbreaking early industry of Rittenhousetown, which is both a historic former industrial village and a preserve full of scenes of natural beauty.

Historic Rittenhousetown is the site of the first paper mill in North America and scene of industrial development for the next 200 years. Our walk begins at the site of Rittenhousetown's late-17th century mills and follows Paper Mill Run past the ruins of the later industrial mills in the area, continuing on to the Wissahickon Creek. We will follow some of the early roads (now foot trails) that allowed raw materials from Philadelphia and Roxborough to reach the area, and finished goods to make the trip to Philadelphia and Germantown. Along the way, we’ll note the amazing geology and plant and bird life of the Rittenhousetown environs.

Before the hike, walkers will be provided with a set of digitized historic images related to our hike, which can be viewed during or after the event.

Tour Leader: Steve Jones

Meeting Point: Historic Rittenhousetown Office, white building next to small parking lot.