The overgrown property at 317 S. Centre St. in Pottsville, where a grand 19th-century brick home left uninhabitable by a fire sits, is being transformed into an urban green space this spring, thanks to the efforts of one small but mighty grassroots group.
For years, the home has sat empty atop a hill, which has been covered with weeds and trash. An adjacent stairwell up to a yard was overgrown with invasive plants and even some poison ivy.
Common Ground Community Gardeners, a group formed just last fall, has been preparing over the winter to change that.
Instead, they envision the hill as a “pollinator’s paradise,” chockful of native plants like chamomile and cornflowers, aster and milkweed. They envision the stairwell as a path up to a “pocket park.”
Work towards those goals began this spring, and the group hopes to complete the project within the season.
Patience and planning
Abby Weaver, owner of Pressed Coffee and Books on Mahantango Street, was one of folks who started Common Ground. With two little ones of her own, she wanted to see more parks and gardens, more greenery in general, in Pottsville.
Apt for an environmental group, Common Ground formed very organically — Weaver reached out to “Hemlock” Hannah Kulbitsky, an environmental educator at the Schuylkill Conservation District. Sue Reier with Schuylkill County Conservancy got involved, and with time, friends of friends expressed interest.
And so was born Common Ground with a goal of forging new third spaces and supporting urban community gardens in Pottsville. Now, the group has around seven consistent members.
Since around 2020, Weaver has owned the 317 S. Centre St. property. She felt the overlooked spot would be a fantastic first project for Common Ground, and offered the property up to become a public use space.
The process of transforming the hill into a swath of blooms began last fall, when the group covered the area with a large tarp to eliminate dead grass and weeds during the cold months.
That tarp was removed in March, allowing members to now rake away the old grass to create a fresh, blank canvas for perennial wildflower seeds to be spread.
“It’s going to take time, it’s not going to happen overnight,” Reier said.
A sign placed by Common Ground Community Gardeners discussing their garden projects. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
The properties on Centre Street across from Union Station being transformed into a community garden area this spring. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
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A sign placed by Common Ground Community Gardeners discussing their garden projects. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
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Planting native species is a central motif for the project. When first beginning to rehabilitate the site last fall, the group encountered many invasive species that had taken over the hill and stairwell: Garlic Mustard, English Ivy, Tree of Heaven and Poison Ivy.
Invasive plants and animals are organisms that don’t traditionally come from the local environment, and their introduction can harm local flora and fauna — think of Lantern Flies, for example.
“These plants didn’t ask to be here,” Kulbitsky said. “They were brought over mostly accidentally, or they escaped cultivation, so we just want to remove them to give the space for other things.”
So, centralizing native plants will not only pay homage to the natural land, but serve as an educational resource for locals to learn about what species grow naturally in their area.
Reier suggests iNaturalist, an app that helps users identify plants and learn about where in the world certain species grow, for those interested in learning more about the topic.
Common Ground is funding all of their tools and resources by themselves. All the plants and seeds have been accumulated organically, through foraging and propagating.
“Last year we talked about, ‘what do we all have to save from our gardens in order to do this in spring?” Weaver said.
Growing tomorrow’s meal
That old grass now being raked off the hill won’t go to waste — it will help fill the community garden beds the group is currently forming out of old, discarded bricks.
Head up the historic, metal stairs, located to the right of Black Rock Brewpub, and you’ll find a yard area, freshly cleared of overgrowth. Here is where Common Ground envisions the “pocket park,” a greenspace getaway that will feature a community garden of native, edible plants, like mountain mint, wild violet and strawberries.
Weaver says the plan is to have this project completed this season, too.
The historic stairwell leading to the future “pocket park,” next to the property at 317 S. Centre St. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
Brick outlines are forming where a community “pocket park” featuring edible plants will soon be. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
Brick outlines are forming where a community “pocket park” featuring edible plants will soon be. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
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The historic stairwell leading to the future “pocket park,” next to the property at 317 S. Centre St. (OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN/STAFF PHOTO)
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During the process of cleaning the stairwell and yard, Common Ground found a variety of non-natural items, too: pottery, glass and the like. Instead of tossing them in the trash, the group hopes to create some sort of mural out of the weathered pieces.
Both Reier and Kulbitsky are excited by the idea of a welcoming, urban greenspace soon being accessible to local residents. Such spaces, Reier says, are not only beautiful to look at, but they support mental health and strengthen a sense of togetherness in a community.
“We need to make it spread, we need people to see how beautiful this is gonna be,” Reier said. “It’s across from the bus station, people coming in from out of town, that might be the first green thing they see.”
Folks are reminded that they too can start a garden just like Common Ground’s in their own yard. For those only just developing their green thumbs, Kulbitsky recommends planting tomatoes, peppers and herbs as good, beginner-friendly options.
For more information about the grassroots group, visit @Common Ground Community Gardeners on Facebook.
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