Exploring Philadelphia

2006-05-01T22:31:54-04:00

Specialized tours of the Philadelphia area by a long-time local resident

Tourist Walk in Olde Philadelphia

2007-05-04T21:55:35-04:00

You've seen the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

Come now on a tour of the city the Founding Brothers lived in, a smaller city than today which they knew intimately. Their Colonial Philadelphia can be seen in a day's walk through the center of town.

Arch Street: from Sixth to Second

2007-05-04T22:02:59-04:00

When the large meeting house at Fourth and Arch was built, many Quakers moved their houses to the area. At that time, "North of Market" implied the Quaker region of town.

Free Quaker Meetinghouse

2006-06-26T15:25:26-04:00

It's only open a few days each year, but the red brick building at 5th and Arch was the meeting house for those few Quakers, including Betsy Ross, who fought for the Revolution. The Park Service has made a beautiful restoration, which deserves to be seen by more people.

North of Market

2006-06-26T14:39:16-04:00

This old local expression originally pointed to where the Quakers live on Arch Street, but over the centuries has taken on a lot of less flattering associations.

Betsy Ross on Hard Times

2006-06-26T14:16:15-04:00

The famous Revolutionary seamstress lived long into the 19th Century, apparently outliving her savings. A useful tale, perhaps, for Social Security reform.

The Revolutionary Origins of The Methodist Church

1994-08-11T16:58:17-04:00

The Wesley brothers converted so many Americans to the Anglican church, they couldn't ordain enough ministers. Reluctantly, Americans were allowed to ordain their own ministers. When the Revolution was over, they had drifted into a new Protestant denomination.

Christ Church and Elfreths Alley

2006-06-26T15:40:45-04:00

Two of our oldest and most charming tourist attractions are just across the street from each other.

Two Hotheads May Have Destroyed an Empire

2006-11-01T19:55:17-05:00

Charles Townshend and William Bradford were separated by an ocean, and surely never met. But if any two people can be said to have deliberately provoked the American Revolution, these two must be considered.

Philadelphia Reflections forum

2008-05-07T11:38:20-04:00

An interactive addition to this group of articles

Up Market Street
to Sixth and Walnut

2007-05-04T22:12:48-04:00

Millions of eye patients have been asked to read the passage from Franklin's autobiography, "I walked up Market Street, etc." which is universally printed on eye-test cards. Here's your chance to do it.

Venturi's Franklin Museum in Franklin Court

2007-04-21T17:50:39-04:00

For several decades there has been a splendid museum of Franklin's personal life, hidden within the famous block where he once lived. Children love it.

Armonica, Momentarily Mesmerizing

2007-04-21T18:33:36-04:00

The armonica was a musical instrument invented by Ben Franklin, who else. Beethoven and Mozart wrote music for it. It made people sick and may even have killed someone.

Joseph Priestley, Shaker and Mover

2006-06-26T14:05:08-04:00

The father of the science of chemistry was also the founder of the Unitarian Church.

Alexander Hamilton, Celebrity

2006-09-01T14:05:53-04:00

He had the kind of taudry private life and flashy public behavior that Philadelphia will only tolerate in aristocrats, sometimes.

Carpenters Hall

2006-06-21T14:21:56-04:00

Carpenter's Hall now seems a little place, and it was chopped up into still smaller rooms at the time of the Continental CongressBut nevertheless it was the biggest rentable place in the largest town in the colonies, so 53 delegates crowded in and did their work.

American Philosophical Society

2004-05-26T16:58:17-04:00

Charles Wilson Peale started his museum of curiosities here, and then moved it to the second floor of Independence Hall, where he painted the famous portrait of himself holding up the curtain.

Franklin Declares Independence a Year Early

2006-12-13T14:01:09-05:00

Franklin made no secret of his goal of national independence, at least a year before the Continental Congress voted and Thomas Jefferson composed his rather rambling declaration.

What Happened in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776?

1994-07-28T16:58:17-04:00

There were about 30,000 residents, just a small town, but it was the second largest city in the English-speaking world. Aside from wagons, there were thirty wheeled vehicles. But this is where decisions were made.

Hamilton and Madison

2006-09-01T19:30:18-04:00

Two of the main authors of the Federalist Papers -- and hence of the Constitution -- ultimately proved to be acting on entirely different sets of principles, aiming for widely different goals.

Andrew Hamilton (1676-1741)

2007-03-16T20:07:11-04:00

The original Philadelphia Lawyer, Andrew Hamilton gets confused with Alexander Hamilton, no relation. Judged from his life accomplishments, Andrew was one of the most influential people in pre-Revolutionary America.

French Philadelphia

2006-06-26T15:38:16-04:00

The French and the English fought for centuries; colonies seeking independence played one against the other. Our cooking, clothing and architecture went French when we favored France; traces of many periods still reflect that fact.

The Richest Men in America

2006-06-26T15:17:28-04:00

In ten minutes, you can walk between the Society Hill homes of Robert Morris, William Bingham, Stephan Girard, and Nicholas Biddle.

Charles Peterson and Amity Buttons

2006-06-23T16:01:40-04:00

Most of our really historic buildings have an ivory button nailed to the newell post, and there is only word of mouth to explain why. America's most famous preservation architect tried very hard to document some proof and couldn't.

Stephen Girard 1750-1831

2006-06-20T11:23:00-04:00

Stephen Girard was blind in one eye and never went to school. But he was a successful sea captain, then a successful merchant, then a successful banker. In the last year of his life, he grasped the essence of the Industrial Revolution, made a successful plan for the next century, and wrote a truly remarkable will.

Jewelers Row

2006-06-26T14:43:03-04:00

It makes an interesting study in the economics of marketing to visit the collection of dozens of jeweler shops all crowded into a couple of blocks.

Sixth and Walnut
over to Broad and Sansom

2007-05-04T22:22:50-04:00

In 1751, the Pennsylvania Hospital at 8th and Spruce was 'way out in the country. Now it is in the center of a city, but the area still remains dominated by medical institutions.

Curtis: Fainting Spells

2006-06-21T14:30:02-04:00

A publishing house employs myriads of young women. They faint a lot.

Mayors and Limos

2006-06-26T14:43:46-04:00

Mayors sometimes want to be noticed riding around, and sometimes want to be invisible. They have been both.

Washington Square

2006-06-26T15:35:07-04:00

All five of William Penn's city squares have a proud and colorful history . Washington Square, however, tops them all. It's had prisons, fish ponds, cemeteries, mansions and skyscrapers.

The First and Oldest Hospital in America

2006-06-23T17:25:07-04:00

The history of American medicine is the history of the Pennsylvania Hospital.

Dr. Cadwalader's Hat

2006-06-21T12:55:31-04:00

Sometimes it's hard for others to understand what makes Quakers tick.

Musical Fund Hall

2002-09-19T16:58:17-04:00

The Musical Fund started as a musician pension scheme, but its hall was used for many historic events. The musicians union has agitated Locust Street ever since; the Musical Fund Society still meets; William Strickland's building now contains condominiums.

Eakins and Doctors

2006-12-27T20:11:58-05:00

Philadelphia's art world joined its medical world in reacting fiercely to Jefferson Medical College's sale of the best painting by the best artist of Philadelphia's Nineteenth century.

Larger Clubs

1994-08-18T16:58:17-04:00

No longer exclusively all-male (or, occasionally, all-female), the downtown club is changing its role but remains a social center of considerable importance.

Henry George, Single Tax

2006-06-26T14:11:59-04:00

The Henry George idea of a single tax still lives on in a school run in his old house on Eleventh Street.

The Kimmel Center: Comments On The Economics of Music

2006-06-26T13:42:32-04:00

Philadelphia needs more than one concert hall, but two of them may be more music than we can manage.

Rail Station at Broad and Washington

1997-11-13T16:58:17-05:00

Philadelphia was the place where one railroad ended and another began.

Philadelphia in 1976: Legionaire's Disease

2000-05-25T16:58:17-04:00

Philadelphia's ambitious Bicentennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence was ruined by an epidemic of a new disease that seemed to focus on tourists.

The Center of Town

2006-06-26T15:31:42-04:00

The designs of the city squares, that of City Hall in particular, follow the "diamond" pattern characteristic of the Scotch Irish, who were keen real estate speculators.

Billy Penn's Hat

2006-06-26T15:36:49-04:00

There was a gentleman's agreement not to build higher than the top of City Hall, but business is business.

Exploring Philadelphia

Exploring Philadelphia

Tourist Walk in Olde Philadelphia

Arch Street: from Sixth to Second

Free Quaker Meetinghouse

North of Market

Betsy Ross on Hard Times

The Revolutionary Origins of The Methodist Church

Christ Church and Elfreths Alley

Two Hotheads May Have Destroyed an Empire

Philadelphia Reflections forum

Up Market Street to Sixth and Walnut

Venturi's Franklin Museum in Franklin Court

Armonica, Momentarily Mesmerizing

Joseph Priestley, Shaker and Mover

Alexander Hamilton, Celebrity

Carpenters Hall

American Philosophical Society

Franklin Declares Independence a Year Early

What Happened in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776?

Hamilton and Madison

Andrew Hamilton (1676-1741)

French Philadelphia

The Richest Men in America

Charles Peterson and Amity Buttons

Stephen Girard 1750-1831

Jewelers Row

Sixth and Walnut over to Broad and Sansom

Curtis: Fainting Spells

Mayors and Limos

Washington Square

The First and Oldest Hospital in America

Dr. Cadwalader's Hat

Musical Fund Hall

Eakins and Doctors

Larger Clubs

Henry George, Single Tax

The Kimmel Center: Comments On The Economics of Music

Rail Station at Broad and Washington

Philadelphia in 1976: Legionaire's Disease

The Center of Town

Billy Penn's Hat

Up Market Street
to Sixth and Walnut

Sixth and Walnut
over to Broad and Sansom