This collection consists of materials donated by Kay Sykora who, for over 18 years, served as the founding Director of the Manayunk Development Corporation. Ms. Sykora moved to becoming the Director of Destination Schuylkill River in 2006, dedicating her attention to the waterfront, regional trails, and watershed. She played a monumental role in projects related to the Schuylkill River trail, the Manayunk Towpath, the Manayunk Bridge, the Venice Island Recreation and Performance Center, as well as extensive greening and art projects within the community.

Manayunk plays a significant role in the histories of the Schuylkill Navigation System, the waterfront canal, and the city of Philadelphia. Originally part of Roxborough Township in Philadelphia County, Manayunk became the borough of Manayunk in 1840. Under the 1854 Act of Consolidation, the borough was merged with the entirety of Philadelphia County into the City of Philadelphia.

Manayunk’s early economic success as an industrial powerhouse can be attributed greatly to: 1) The Schuylkill Navigation System, a 108 mile waterway built between 1815 and 1828 as part a national movement to connect east coast cities with agricultural and mineral resources further inland. And 2) The completion of the 2-mile long Manayunk Canal in 1819, which created a safe, reliable thoroughfare for river boats, as well as provided manageable water-power for the would-be development of mills and factories on Venice Island and along the waterfront. The canal factored into the Manayunk Main Street Historic District’s designation onto the National Register of Historic Places and was independently designated onto the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.