This path has had several names over the years: Pigs Alley, Meeting House Walk, Gingko Walk, and College Path. The land was deeded as a right-of-way to the Haverford School Association (Haverford College) on December 13, 1839. 

 

     The right-of-way agreement was signed by John Farnum of Philadelphia, who was the owner of the property on the southwesterly side, and by farmer Jonathan Miller of Haverford Township, who was the owner of the land on the northeasterly side. The Haverford School Association paid one dollar to be granted "forever" the "Right of Privilege of a Road or Passageway, free and uninterrupted, for Persons, Horses, Cattle Carts, and other Carriages." The agreement stipulates that “The Haverford School Association agrees to keep and maintain in Repair such Fences, Gates, and Bars along or across said Strip or Piece of Ground…as may be necessary for the protection against any Trespass thereon by Cattle, Swine or other Stock running at large." Thus, the college was granted the "Right, Authority, Power and Control.” to "prohibit and prevent all Person and Persons from using the same … except only by their allowance and express permission." (1).
 

     This right-of-way runs from Buck Lane to the end of the Railroad Avenue footbridge and measures 266 yards long and twenty feet wide. The deed recorded the length of this piece of land in "perches." A perch is a land measurement equal to 5½ yards.
 

      Many people believe the path was lined with chestnut trees. However, William Astifan, assistant director of the Haverford College Arboretum, ascertained the trees were in fact Linden trees. He specifically identified the trees as being the Cordata (little leaf) Linden tree. Astifan went on to say that there are a number of these linden trees currently growing on the Haverford College property near the parking lot closest to the footbridge. Between 1910 and 1915. Haverford College replaced the Linden trees with female Gingko trees.  It is not clear why these trees were chosen since they produce a yellow-orange colored fruit that has a very strong, putrid odor when stepped upon. These "fruits" are technically seeds and present themselves during the late summer and fall after the tree has lived for 20 to 30 years.

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     Also, during this timeframe, Haverford College replaced the boardwalk with massive flagstones. Each slab measured approximately 2" thick, and 4' 5" wide by 8' 5" long. it is believed that the boardwalk was replaced with flagstones. Each original flagstone measured approximately " thick and 4' 5" wide by 8' 5" long. 

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     During the 1980s, Haverford College replaced the broken and uneven slabs of slate with smaller flagstones on the Buck Lane end of the path. In 2008, the college removed even more of the original flagstones and paved the removed sections. When enough people voiced their displeasure about the paved areas, the college corrected its mistake and made the whole path flagstone again.

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     In the fall of 1984, Edwin Bonner, clerk of the Haverford Monthly Meeting, wrote to the maintenance department at Haverford College to request that snow be removed from the path and that it be swept from time to time so that people would not slip on the ginkgo fruit. In his request, Bonner referred to the path as the "Gingko Walk." 

      As far back as the late 1960s, I can remember the path being referred to as the "College Path." (2).

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Sources:

1.  The text in this paragraph was taken from a 'Tripartite Indenture" that was discovered in the mid-20th century among the title papers that belonged to Edgar C. Felton. Mr. Felton's property was located across from the college entrance at the corner of "Old Railroad Avenue and County Line Road" (Now Panmure Road). This document was found at Haverford College in the Quaker Collection.

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2. George Harding recalls the name of the path during the time he attended Friends School Haverford. George graduated in 1973.

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