Showcase | In-Person

Reckoning with Fossil Fuel in Philadelphia

Thursday
October 16, 2025
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Research Data & Digital Scholarship Exchange, Van Pelt Library, Main Floor
Organizer Penn Libraries
oil refinery in philadelphia

Fossil fuel history is part of climate history, and Philadelphia is significant to both. Join us for the launch of a website, “America’s First Petrochemical Corridor.” This public-facing digital history project covers two centuries of changing landscapes along the lower Schuylkill River, including the former South Philadelphia refinery complex, currently being redeveloped into the “Bellwether District.” After brief presentations, the event will turn to Q&A and conversation. Refreshments will be provided.

Event organized by the School of Arts & Sciences' Department of History and the Penn Libraries' Research Data & Digital Scholarship.

Speakers

Jared Farmer

Jared Farmer

School of Arts & Sciences Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History

Jared Farmer is the Walter H. Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is Chair of the Department of History. He is the author of five books, including Elderflora: A Modern History of Ancient Trees. Last spring, he co-taught a course, “Climate History,” with Michael E. Mann for the Robert K. Johnson Integrated Studies Program at Penn.