A Philadelphia Story: Founders and Famous Families from the City of Brotherly Love
256
A Philadelphia Story: Founders and Famous Families from the City of Brotherly Love
256Hardcover
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
Overview
Founders and Famous Families: Philadelphia brings to life the founding families' histories, a history of lives lived large — truly the Who's Who (as well as the When and Where) of Philadelphia — that when considered together, made the City of Brotherly Love the great metropolis it is today.
From the first hospital to the first paper mill, Philadelphia was the keystone to our developing nation in its formative years. Philadelphia is also home of America's first zoo, the oldest art museum and art school in the country and the first African American Church in the United States.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781578605835 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Clerisy Press |
| Publication date: | 07/01/2018 |
| Pages: | 256 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
THE STORY OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA is a love story. “How’s that?” you might ask.
If you are a native Philadelphian or have lived in the city a long time, you totally know what I mean when I say that Philadelphia is all about love. You actually can feel that love every time you go out of town and return to see the skyline of our fair city glistening in the evening sunset. You can feel the warmth of the city when you walk along Kelly Drive and see fellow citizens out enjoying the day walking, biking, or running along the banks of the Schuylkill River. And you certainly feel a tinge of pride when you pass by historic Old City and witness throngs of visitors who have come to see where our nation was born.
If you are a visitor, however, you might think that Philadelphians, particularly Philadelphia sports fans, are a little harsh. You’ve probably heard the stories of sports fans going crazy and often even booing their own players. Philadelphians are nothing if not passionate—particularly about their sports teams. It’s really just a family affair. Philadelphians love their sports teams so much they feel they can trash the players and teams one minute and embrace them the next—just like you might do to your annoying little brother. You can trash him all you want, but no one else better say a bad word about your brother in your presence. We are fiercely protective of our city. Yo, you got a problem with that?
When you learn about Philadelphia’s history, you will realize that we are a scrappy city and, like any great American metropolis, we’ve had our ups and downs. But even when the city is down, it fights like hell to get back up. Because we love our city, warts and all.
Philadelphia’s founder, William Penn, started the love train back in 1644. He wanted to create a utopian society where people could practice the religion of their choice without fear of persecution. He called his beloved city Philadelphia, Greek for “City of Brotherly Love.” And people came in droves to live freely: By the time the first census was taken in 1790, Philadelphia proper—the area today known as Center City—boasted a population of more than 28,000 people.
But the population was not solely concentrated in the center of town. There were other municipalities nearby. In fact, early census data shows that Southwark, Northern Liberties, and Spring Garden were among the top 10 most populous places. However, the Act of Consolidation in 1854 unified all of those municipalities under the umbrella of Philadelphia, making the County of Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia one and the same. By 1850, Philadelphia’s population had climbed to more than 121,000, but consolidation expanded it to more than 500,000.
From its earliest manifestation, Philadelphia has always been a city of neighborhoods. Even though the Act of Consolidation technically unified all of Philadelphia County, neighborhoods retained their own character and still do to this day. Granted, neighborhoods have undergone changes throughout the years, but each of the more than 100 neighborhoods in Philadelphia has its own personality and traditions.
The first Philadelphians brought with them a love of innovation and a love of money. The “perennial Philadelphians,” as they have come to be known, were the movers and shakers of Philadelphia. The founders of the city helped create a government for our nation that would emerge from the confines of Independence Hall. The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were both penned in Philadelphia, establishing the foundation for our country’s freedom and democratic government.
The first families of the city created lasting legacies in nearly every facet of society, making Philadelphia a “city of firsts.” From the first hospital to the first biomedical research facility, Philadelphia established itself as the bedrock of our country’s medical community. To this day, Philadelphia is a vital medical education and research city. Philadelphia also set the standard for water cleanliness and delivery, being the first city to create a municipal water system that piped clean water throughout the city. And before Wall Street was the center of the financial universe, Philadelphia established the First Bank of the United States and was seen as the “cradle of American finance.”
Table of Contents
Author's Note vi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 The "Holy Experiment" 7
Chapter 2 To Your Health 20
Chapter 3 Law & Order; Colonial Intent 39
Chapter 4 Workshop of the World 57
Chapter 5 Railroad to Freedom 74
Chapter 6 Greene Countrie Towne 91
Chapter 7 Canvassing the City 105
Chapter 8 The Sound of Philadelphia 124
Chapter 9 Take Me Out to the Ballpark 137
Chapter 10 Cold Beer Here 148
Epilogue 157
Acknowledgments 159
Bibliography 160
Index 161
About the Author 166