Philadelphia’s historic Johnson House prepares for Juneteenth Festival

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The historic Johnson House is preparing for its Juneteenth celebration this weekend.

We’ll show you why there’s no better place to celebrate the end of slavery than along Germantown Avenue.

Where its tangible history is ever present.

Monday our country celebrates Juneteenth celebrating the end of slavery.

Friday in Germantown the 17th annual Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival will take place hosted by the Johnson House.

Nestled in the heart of Germantown the Johnson House looks like many other homes built in the 1700s, that line Germantown Avenue but the weight of its history is profoundly heavy.

“You are sitting in a house where escaping enslaved Africans found a place of solace,” Cornelia Swinson, the executive director of the Johnson House said. “This is an Underground Railroad station recognized as a national historic landmark.”

The Johnson’s played a pivotal role in helping at least 80 enslaved Africans on their journey to freedom.

“It is a home of a Quaker family who chose to fight against slavery quietly but specifically,” Swinson said. “They called themselves infidel abolitionists that was their name for themselves.”

The home still bears its original structure same doors wooden benches crawl spaces and hidden stairwells that lead to ledges where the enslaved were hidden.

The remnants of shackles and chains are constant reminders of the bondage left behind by escaping slaves.

Swinson is preparing for Juneteenth celebrations at the house and along Germantown Avenue.

She says there’s no more fitting place to celebrate the end of slavery than along this stretch where its tangible history is ever present.

“It was called the great road. We feel that authenticity when you experience Juneteenth here in Germantown you’re experiencing what it was like in that period of time,” Swinson said. “It was about rights. The struggle for freedom is never over.”

The Johnson House Historic Site is open to visitors all year round for people to learn more about its rich history.

The Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival begins around noon along Germantown Avenue.