Anna Thomas Jeanes (1822-1907)
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A Quaker activist passionate about public health and education, Jeanes set up a bequest to fund a facility that became Jeanes Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center. She also financed the Jeanes Foundation, or Negro Rural School Fund, and appointed Booker T. Washington a trustee. The fund supported the training of black teachers, known as Jeanes Supervisors, who provided southern black youth with academic and vocational education.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Anna Thomas Jeanes was a Philadelphia Quaker who used her wealth to answer some of her era's hardest problems. Her bequest founded the institutions that became Jeanes Hospital and Fox Chase Cancer Center, while her Jeanes Foundation — the Negro Rural School Fund — poured money into education for Black children in the segregated South. She named Booker T. Washington a trustee, and the fund trained the traveling Black teachers known as Jeanes Supervisors.
Why it matters
Jeanes's philanthropy strengthened both public health and Black education at a time of deep inequality, seeding institutions and a corps of teachers whose influence reached across the South.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Betsy Ross House8.6 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center8.6 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery8.6 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Muse Gallery8.7 mi away · 52 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Larry Becker Contemporary Art8.7 mi away · 43 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- African American Museum in Philadelphia8.7 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle6.5 mi away
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir8.2 mi away
- Philly Gun Range8.2 mi away · North Percy Street
- Elfreth's Alley8.6 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge8.6 mi away
- U.S. Mint at Philadelphia Tour8.7 mi away
Food & drink
- Independence Mall Cafe8.8 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- 3J's Cafe8.8 mi away · 317 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Bubble Tea Room8.8 mi away · 319 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- PrimoHoagies8.8 mi away · 304 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fork8.8 mi away · 306 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Menagerie Coffee8.8 mi away · 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia E - Penns Landing8.5 mi away · 100 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia8.7 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District8.7 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center8.7 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia8.7 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Penn's View Hotel8.7 mi away · 14 North Front Street, Philadelphia
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Related people
- · Anna Thomas Jeanes
- · Booker T. Washington
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Anthony Benezet (1713-1784)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2016
In the crowded streets of colonial Philadelphia, a mild-mannered Quaker schoolteacher named Anthony Benezet quietly became one of the most influential abolitionists of his age. From this home he taught free and enslaved Black children in the 1750s and 60s, and in 1754 opened one of the era's earliest schools for girls—radical acts in a city where slavery was still ordinary. His tracts against the slave trade crossed the Atlantic, shaping antislavery thinkers in Britain and America alike.
Lucretia C. Mott
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Near here stood "Roadside," the home of Lucretia Mott (1793–1880), a Quaker minister whose moral force helped drive some of the century's great reform movements. A tireless abolitionist, she helped organize the 1848 Seneca Falls convention and championed women's rights, temperance, and peace. Her faith and eloquence made her a leader when few women spoke publicly at all.
John S. Trower (1849-1911)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2021
John S. Trower built one of the most successful catering businesses of his day here in Philadelphia, becoming one of the wealthiest African Americans of the late nineteenth century. He turned his success into service, founding the Downingtown Industrial & Agricultural School and a building-and-loan association to help Black families become homeowners. A devout man, he gave generously to Baptist charities throughout his life.
Ora Washington (1899-1971)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2004
For nearly a decade Ora Washington reigned over Black women's tennis, claiming eight national singles titles from the American Tennis Association between 1929 and 1937. When she wasn't dominating the court she starred for the Philadelphia Tribunes, one of the era's great women's basketball teams, and she coached and competed here at the YWCA. Barred by segregation from the mainstream circuits, she built her legend within the parallel world of Black athletics.