The Cobb’s Creek Park region was originally inhabited by Native Americans, primarily members of the Lenape tribe, who called the location “Karakung”. The land was utilized for its agricultural fertility, as well as the abundance of convenient fishing opportunities resulting from the surrounding tributaries. Around the mid-17th Century, Dutch, Swedish and English Quaker immigrants began settlement in the area, and worked to divert some of the streams to create man made millraces to support mills and plantation-style farms and drained the marshlands to create dry ground for pastures. The nation’s first water mill was constructed in Cobb’s Creek Park in 1634 by Swedish Governor Printz.

The Blue Bell Inn, located in Cobb’s Creek Park and built in 1766, is a site of great historical significance. During the Revolutionary Era, the Blue Bell Inn housed a number of Patriotic Army soldiers, including George Washington. It was also the location of a Revolutionary War battle in 1777, which followed the evacuation of Fort Mifflin. Although established in the mid-19th Century, historic Mount Moriah Cemetery also contains a connection to this time period as Betsy Ross was re-buried here to her permanent resting site. Today, Mount Moriah Cemetery is the largest cemetery in Pennsylvania.

The transformation of this region from dispersed farming plantations and local economic centers into a highly developed urban residential area began with the creation of the Mill Creek sewer system in the late 1800s. The creation of this sewer system increased the amount of habitable land, and subsequently quickly led to significant real estate growth. This was amplified by the creation of the Market-Frankford Elevated Train Line, or “El”, in 1908, which provided easy and affordable access to the city, desirable to commuters. The connectivity created by this public transportation helped expand the dense urbanization from central Philadelphia to the outer limits encompassed by Cobb’s Creek Park. This growth, combined with issues resulting from years of drainage of raw sewage into Cobb’s Creek, negatively impacted the park’s natural environment and resources.

Over the past twenty-five years, Cobb’s Creek Park has been the center of a number of revitalization projects aimed to restore a healthy, natural environment. In 1991, the Cobb’s Creek Community Environmental Education Center was established to help educate the public on the important role the environment has on daily life, as well as inspire volunteerism and community efforts to preserve the park’s natural habitats. An integrated watershed management was implemented by the Philadelphia Water Department in 2004 to help restore the natural resources and beneficial uses of Cobb’s Creek and surrounding tributaries. The Fairmount Park Commission has also used funding to create miles of biking and hiking trails throughout the park in efforts to enhance beneficial use of this important and vital area.