Our History

Awbury Arboretum’s history reflects a blend of cultural heritage, landscape design, and a commitment to public service. In 1852, Henry Cope, a Quaker shipping merchant, civic leader, and abolitionist, purchased the estate as a summer retreat for his family. They named it after Avebury, England, their ancestral village. Over time, the Cope-Haines family transitioned Awbury into a year-round residence.

Between 1860 and the 1920s, they constructed various Victorian and Colonial Revival houses. Today, most of these homes remain privately owned, except for the Francis Cope House (1860-62), which serves as the Arboretum’s headquarters. With the addition of the Carriage House.

During the 19th century, the family collaborated with renowned horticulturalist William Saunders to design Awbury’s landscape in the English garden tradition. Saunders, celebrated for his work on the National Cemetery at Gettysburg and the Capitol grounds in Washington, DC, helped create sweeping vistas framed by clusters of trees and shrubs interwoven with open spaces. These design elements continue to provide striking visual contrasts and highlight the Arboretum’s natural beauty.

In 1916, Cope family members founded Awbury Arboretum to preserve this greenspace for public enjoyment and education. Decades later in 1984, they established the Awbury Arboretum Association as a nonprofit organization to advance the Arboretum’s mission of community service through educational programs.

Awbury Arboretum spans 56 acres in the Germantown neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia, making it the largest remaining open space in this part of the city.

Awbury occupies land that was once the ancestral home of the Lenni-Lenape people. By the 1850s, when Henry Cope purchased the property, it had become farmland due to the displacement of the Lenape after the alleged sale of their land to William Penn. Although the Cope family did not enslave or transport enslaved individuals, they profited from trading goods like cotton, tobacco, and turpentine, which were products of enslaved labor.

Despite benefiting from white privilege, the Copes sought to address societal injustices by supporting abolitionist causes. Their donation of land for Awbury Arboretum embodied their vision of fostering community connections and offering the “quiet enjoyment of nature.” As stewards of this legacy, we must actively work to create a more equitable society, both as an institution and as individuals.

The Awbury Arboretum Archives collects and preserves materials such as photographs, records, books, maps, site plans, prints, oral histories, and artifacts related to:

1. Awbury’s landscape and buildings

2. The Cope family’s history at Awbury

3. Life at Awbury since the mid-19th century

4. City Parks Association records

5. The history of Quakerism and Germantown

The Archives is open to the public for free by appointment. Contact us via phone or email to schedule a visit with our archivist.

Awbury Arboretum and many of the houses and outbuildings associated with the extended Cope family and their estate was recognized as a National Historic District in 2001 and an Historic District by the Philadelphia Historical Commission in 2011.