DOCSLIB.ORG

High Street, from Ninth Street, Philadelphia"

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
High Street, from Ninth Street, Philadelphia Lu Ann De Cunzo AN HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION OF WILLIAM BIRCH'S PRINT "HIGH STREET, FROM NINTH STREET, PHILADELPHIA" PHILADELPHIA printmaking reached its apogee in 1800 with the appearance of The City of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylva- nia, North America; as it appeared in the year 1800 consisting of 28 Plates Drawn and Engraved by W Birch and Son, Published by W. Birch: Springland Cot, near Neshaminy Bridge on the Bristol Road, Pennsylvania, December 31, 1800. In the centuries prior to the advent of modern mass communication, prints circulated widely. An art expres- sion with universal appeal, the print served the dual purpose of entertaining and informing people pictorially of the world around them.' Today such prints are also historical documents. Supplemented by written records, these graphic representations can increase our understanding of the buildings, people and neighborhoods depicted. In this study information gathered from numerous sources provide insights into Philadelphia life in 1800 as well as the Birch print's meaning. William Birch had arrived in Philadelphia in 1794, having appren- ticed with a goldsmith in London and subsequently decided on a career as a painter of miniatures in enamel.2 So impressed was he with the city, he set out to produce a pictorial album of the city and its life; his medium, naturally, the print. In an Introduction to the volume, Birch states his aim thus: The ground on which it [Philadelphia] stands, was, less than a century ago, in a state of wild nature; covered with wood and inhabited by Indians. It has in this short time been raised as it were by magic powers, to the eminence of an opulent city, famous for its trade and commerce, crowded in its port with vessels of its own 109 110 PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY production and visited by others from all parts of the world . .. Its plan was laid out by William Penn and was confirmed by charter, on the 25th day of October, 1701. This work will stand as a memorial of its progress for the first century; the buildings, of any consequence, are generally included, and the street scenes all accurate as they now stand; the choice of subjects are those that give the most general idea of the town ... 3 Beginning in 1797, Birch examined the entire built-up portion of the city for subjects for his views. After deciding on the number of plates required, he actively began work, with his son Thomas, in 1798. Most of the plates were engraved in 1799, a few more in 1800. On the last day of that year, the first edition, consisting of twenty eight views, was published.' One of the few plates showing a strictly residential vista is Plate 12 of the first and second editions, "High Street, from Ninth Street." As were all of the views, it is printed from an engraved copper plate measuring 11 by 13 inches onto paper 151/2 by 18/2. Wishing to memorialize the city, it is no surprise that William Birch chose to depict Philadelphia's primary religious, commercial, and civic buildings in his views. For what reason, then, did he also include this view of a residential neighborhood along High Street? Does the block merely serve as the backdrop for a genre scene-a street teeming with the life and business activity characteristic of the city? In part, but there is more to it. Birch did not enlarge the figures to a scale suggesting the intent they serve as the focal point of the view. Also, as will be shown, special care was taken to accurately portray this block of High Street between Eighth and Ninth Streets; accurately enough, indeed, to permit the identification of individual dwellings. For the dwellings, their owners and occupants, as well as the figures and activities depicted, have significance. They impose another dimension on the print as artistic expression-that of cultural document. In this view as in those of Christ Church and the State House, though more subtly and symbolically, William Birch is celebrating Philadelphia. The physical and political expansion of the city accompanied its selection as the national capital in 1790. By the turn of the century, Philadelphia was well established as a cultural, financial, and commer- cial center of the new nation. New commercial structures, churches, and fine homes appeared in the next decades, and the population grew apace. According to John F. Watson, 28,522 persons resided in the city HIGH STREET ill in 1790, 41,223 in 1800, and 53,722 by 1810. Between 1802 and 1804, 1122 new houses had been constructed in Philadelphia.' Beginning during the city's reign as state and national capital from 1790 to 1800, numerous guide books were published describing the city for visitors. This tradition continued into the nineteenth century. In 1811, the following description of a typical street scene in Philadelphia was recorded by James Mease in his Picture of Philadelphia: The improved parts of the city are paved with round stones, brought from the bed of the river at Trenton falls. The footways are paved with brick, and raised on a level with the highest part of the street, and defended from the approach of carriages by ranges of curbstones. The houses are generally roofed in cedar shingles, though slate is coming into use . .. The edges of the pavements are planted in many streets with Lombardy poplars, for the introduc- tion of which we are indebted to William Hamilton Esq. who brought them from England about the year 1784. They serve not only to ornament the city, but to promote public health by the circulation of air they produce, and the shade they afford during summer;-enough to overbalance the trifling tendency of the roots to force up the pavement and which has been offered as an argument against their propagation in the city . William Birch's view of "High Street from Ninth Street" depicts a street scene of 1798 to 1799 which exactly corresponds to Mease' description-the rows of brick houses, a cobblestone roadway and brick sidewalk, and the rows of Lombardy poplars. This scene, however, was not very old at the time Birch recorded it. Matthew Clarkson's Plan of the Improved Part of the City inscribed in 1762 shows the western terminus of the then settled portion of the city as just beyond Eighth Street. The majority of patents for the lots fronting on High between Eighth and Ninth Streets were not granted until the 1780s. By 1791, within a year of Philadelphia's establishment as the national capital, Jackson found seven buildings on the south side of the street,7 the north side being even more densely populated. Available in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, City Hall, are block plans for the city showing lot divisions. Changes in lot configurations through time, from the initial subdivision of the block, are visually documented, and present street numbers given to aid in locating particular lots. Figures 1 and 2 reproduce sections of these block plans for the north and south sides of High Street between Eighth and Ninth RANSTEAD STREET SS]55' to Eighth Street 135' to Ninth Street l . : s I . i I I I ,. I iI I I- ces 1p X r - ti- - o1 BUILD AGS a HOUSES O.\ I 272 274 276 278 280 282 284 286 - - A MARKET STREET MARKET STREET <-d 55' t. Eighth Stt..t 135' t. Ni.tb St-t I I I fI 2I I .1I 17 1 I 2 1 I Z .1I I I I it I I A I s 11 FILBERT STREET 114 PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY Streets. The lots shown in the plans are those on which the houses believed to be in Birch's view stood. The westernmost houses pictured were located about midway in the block, with the view receding to the east. Contemporary buildings have been drawn in where documented. Dotted lines represent estimated size and/or location. House numbers along High Street initially began at I at the Delaware River and ran west, odd numbers on the north side of the street, even numbers on the south side. This system was changed in the nineteenth century. City directories, published annually since 1791, sometimes listed residents block by block (for example: High Street Eighth Street to Ninth Street, North Side. 305 NAME, 307 NAME, etc.), thus facilitating correlation of the two systems. The houses to be presently considered are those numbered 272 to 284 (present 806 to 818) on the south side of High Street, and numbers 315 to 325 (present 811 to 821) on the north side. The architectural form of the Philadelphia house was limited by the narrow, deep city lots and large blocks. The narrow frontage encour- aged the development of back buildings and alleys to service them.' These back buildings, however, generally covered less than half of the open space of the lot, allowing small gardens and courtyards to be incorporated into the rear area of the lot. Ventilation and light were thus admitted to the back buildings9 and a trace of Penn's "greene countrie towne" preserved. This distinctive plan for using the narrow city lot, with some minor modifications, has continued into the twentieth century and indeed become an architectural symbol of the city.10 During the period Philadelphia served as national and state capital, the city experienced a building boom. The sense of national pride felt by the city's inhabitants was expressed in architecture through the medium of classical detail. Janson, in his Strangers in America wrote of Philadelphia in 1806, "The houses are well built, chiefly of red brick, and in general three stories high.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • View the Program Book
    PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2021 AWARDS ACHIEVEMENT PRESERVATION e join eas us pl in at br ing le e c 1996 2021 p y r e e e a c s rs n e a rv li ati o n al 2021 PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2021 PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARD HONOREES Your knowledge, commitment, and advocacy create a better future for our city. And best wishes to the Preservation Alliance as you celebrate 25 years of invaluable service to the Greater Philadelphia region. pmcpropertygroup.com 1 PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2021 WELCOME TO THE 2021 PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS HONORING THE INDIVIDUALS, ORGANIZATIONS, BUSINESSES, AND PROJECTS THROUGHOUT GREATER PHILADELPHIA THAT EXEMPLIFY OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Our Sponsors . 4 Executive Director’s Welcome . .. 6 Board of Directors . 8 Celebrating 25 Years: A Look Back . 9 Special Recognition Awards . 11 Advisory Committee. 11 James Biddle Award . 12 Board of Directors Award . 13 Rhoda and Permar Richards Award. 13 Economic Impact Award . 14 Preservation Education Awards . 14-15 John Andrew Gallery Community Action Awards . 15-16 Public Service Awards . 16-17 Young Friends of the Preservation Alliance Award . 17 AIA Philadelphia Henry J . Magaziner Award . .. 18 AIA Philadelphia Landmark Building Award . .. 18 Members of the Grand Jury . .. 19 Grand Jury Awards and Map . 20 In Memoriam . 46 Video by Mitlas Productions LLC | Graphic design by Peltz Creative Program editing by Fabien Communications 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRESERVATION ALLIANCE FOR GREATER PHILADELPHIA 2 3 PRESERVATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 2021 OUR SPONSORS ALABASTER PMC Property Group Brickstone IBEW Local Union 98 Post Brothers MARBLE A.
    [Show full text]
  • Litigating the Lash: Quaker Emancipator Robert Pleasants, the Law
    LITIGATING THE LASH: QUAKER EMANCIPATOR ROBERT PLEASANTS, THE LAW OF SLAVERY, AND THE MEANING OF MANUMISSION IN REVOLUTIONARY AND EARLY NATIONAL VIRGINIA By William Fernandez Hardin Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in History May, 2013 Nashville, Tennessee Approved: Richard J.M. Blackett David L. Carlton Daniel J. Sharfstein Daniel H. Usner Copyright © by William Fernandez Hardin All Rights Reserved To Jessica, for loving a grumpy man, and to Ainsley, for making him less grumpy. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the Virginia Historical Society and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library at Colonial Williamsburg for their support in the research of this dissertation—both collections proved invaluable and the staff helped a fledging graduate student navigate unfamiliar terrain. I would also like to thank the Folger Institute’s Center for the History of British Political Thought in Washington D.C. and my fellow participants in the “Changing Conceptions of Property” seminar for the opportunity to spend a summer discussing the relationship between English property law and colonial governance. I would also like to thank the Vanderbilt history department for its generous support. It has been a pleasure to learn the craft from such a distinguished group of historians. Professors Michael Bess, Bill Caferro, Katie Crawford, Dennis Dickerson, and Elizabeth Lunbeck, each—in vastly different ways—helped me discover new ways of considering the past and the people who lived there and I thank them for it. I would also like to thank the Vanderbilt Americanist Works-in-Progress Seminar for graciously allowing me to present my work and the invaluable comments and critiques provided.
    [Show full text]
  • Genealogical Sketch of the Descendants of Samuel Spencer Of
    C)\\vA CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 924 096 785 351 Cornell University Library The original of this bool< is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924096785351 In compliance with current copyright law, Cornell University Library produced this replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992 to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. 2003 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY : GENEALOGICAL SKETCH OF THE DESCENDANTS OF Samuel Spencer OF PENNSYLVANIA BY HOWARD M. JENKINS AUTHOR OF " HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS RELATING TO GWYNEDD," VOLUME ONE, "MEMORIAL HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA," ETC., ETC. |)l)Uabei|it)ia FERRIS & LEACH 29 North Seventh Street 1904 . CONTENTS. Page I. Samuel Spencer, Immigrant, I 11. John Spencer, of Bucks County, II III. Samuel Spencer's Wife : The Whittons, H IV. Samuel Spencer, 2nd, 22 V. William. Spencer, of Bucks, 36 VI. The Spencer Genealogy 1 First and Second Generations, 2. Third Generation, J. Fourth Generation, 79 ^. Fifth Generation, 114. J. Sixth Generation, 175 6. Seventh Generation, . 225 VII. Supplementary .... 233 ' ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. Page 32, third line, "adjourned" should be, of course, "adjoined." Page 33, footnote, the date 1877 should read 1787. " " Page 37, twelfth line from bottom, Three Tons should be "Three Tuns. ' Page 61, Hannah (Shoemaker) Shoemaker, Owen's second wife, must have been a grand-niece, not cousin, of Gaynor and Eliza. Thus : Joseph Lukens and Elizabeth Spencer. Hannah, m. Shoemaker. Gaynor Eliza Other children. I Charles Shoemaker Hannah, m. Owen S. Page 62, the name Horsham is divided at end of line as if pronounced Hor-sham ; the pronunciation is Hors-ham.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAIRMEN of SENATE STANDING COMMITTEES [Table 5-3] 1789–Present
    CHAIRMEN OF SENATE STANDING COMMITTEES [Table 5-3] 1789–present INTRODUCTION The following is a list of chairmen of all standing Senate committees, as well as the chairmen of select and joint committees that were precursors to Senate committees. (Other special and select committees of the twentieth century appear in Table 5-4.) Current standing committees are highlighted in yellow. The names of chairmen were taken from the Congressional Directory from 1816–1991. Four standing committees were founded before 1816. They were the Joint Committee on ENROLLED BILLS (established 1789), the joint Committee on the LIBRARY (established 1806), the Committee to AUDIT AND CONTROL THE CONTINGENT EXPENSES OF THE SENATE (established 1807), and the Committee on ENGROSSED BILLS (established 1810). The names of the chairmen of these committees for the years before 1816 were taken from the Annals of Congress. This list also enumerates the dates of establishment and termination of each committee. These dates were taken from Walter Stubbs, Congressional Committees, 1789–1982: A Checklist (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1985). There were eleven committees for which the dates of existence listed in Congressional Committees, 1789–1982 did not match the dates the committees were listed in the Congressional Directory. The committees are: ENGROSSED BILLS, ENROLLED BILLS, EXAMINE THE SEVERAL BRANCHES OF THE CIVIL SERVICE, Joint Committee on the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, LIBRARY, PENSIONS, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, RETRENCHMENT, REVOLUTIONARY CLAIMS, ROADS AND CANALS, and the Select Committee to Revise the RULES of the Senate. For these committees, the dates are listed according to Congressional Committees, 1789– 1982, with a note next to the dates detailing the discrepancy.
    [Show full text]
  • Select List of Collection Processed by Craig Moore
    Select List of Collection Processed by Craig Moore Record Group 1, Colonial Government A Guide to the Colonial Papers, 1630-1778 Record Group 3, Office of the Governor A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Patrick Henry, 1776-1779 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Thomas Jefferson, 1779-1781 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Benjamin Harrison, 1781-1784 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Acting Governor William Fleming, 1781 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Thomas Nelson, Jr., 1781 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Patrick Henry, 1784-1786 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Edmund Randolph, 1786-1788 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Beverley Randolph, 1788-1791 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Henry Lee, 1791-1794 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Robert Brooke, 1794-1796 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor James Wood, 1796-1799 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor James Monroe, 1799-1802 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor John Page, 1802-1805 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor William H. Cabell, 1805-1808 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor John Tyler, 1808-1811 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor James Monroe, 1811 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor George William Smith, 1811-1812 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor James Barbour, 1812-1814 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Wilson Cary Nicholas, 1814-1816 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor James Patton Preston, 1816-1819 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor Thomas Mann Randolph, 1819-1822 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor James Pleasants, 1822-1825 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor John Tyler, 1825-1827 A Guide to the Executive Papers of Governor William B.
    [Show full text]
  • Loyalists in War, Americans in Peace: the Reintegration of the Loyalists, 1775-1800
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2008 LOYALISTS IN WAR, AMERICANS IN PEACE: THE REINTEGRATION OF THE LOYALISTS, 1775-1800 Aaron N. Coleman University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Coleman, Aaron N., "LOYALISTS IN WAR, AMERICANS IN PEACE: THE REINTEGRATION OF THE LOYALISTS, 1775-1800" (2008). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 620. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/620 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERATION Aaron N. Coleman The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2008 LOYALISTS IN WAR, AMERICANS IN PEACE: THE REINTEGRATION OF THE LOYALISTS, 1775-1800 _________________________________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION _________________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Aaron N. Coleman Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Daniel Blake Smith, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2008 Copyright © Aaron N. Coleman 2008 iv ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION LOYALISTS IN WAR, AMERICANS IN PEACE: THE REINTEGRATION OF THE LOYALISTS, 1775-1800 After the American Revolution a number of Loyalists, those colonial Americans who remained loyal to England during the War for Independence, did not relocate to the other dominions of the British Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • Martin's Bench and Bar of Philadelphia
    MARTIN'S BENCH AND BAR OF PHILADELPHIA Together with other Lists of persons appointed to Administer the Laws in the City and County of Philadelphia, and the Province and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania BY , JOHN HILL MARTIN OF THE PHILADELPHIA BAR OF C PHILADELPHIA KKKS WELSH & CO., PUBLISHERS No. 19 South Ninth Street 1883 Entered according to the Act of Congress, On the 12th day of March, in the year 1883, BY JOHN HILL MARTIN, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C. W. H. PILE, PRINTER, No. 422 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. Stack Annex 5 PREFACE. IT has been no part of my intention in compiling these lists entitled "The Bench and Bar of Philadelphia," to give a history of the organization of the Courts, but merely names of Judges, with dates of their commissions; Lawyers and dates of their ad- mission, and lists of other persons connected with the administra- tion of the Laws in this City and County, and in the Province and Commonwealth. Some necessary information and notes have been added to a few of the lists. And in addition it may not be out of place here to state that Courts of Justice, in what is now the Com- monwealth of Pennsylvania, were first established by the Swedes, in 1642, at New Gottenburg, nowTinicum, by Governor John Printz, who was instructed to decide all controversies according to the laws, customs and usages of Sweden. What Courts he established and what the modes of procedure therein, can only be conjectur- ed by what subsequently occurred, and by the record of Upland Court.
    [Show full text]
  • Slavery in Ante-Bellum Southern Industries
    A Guide to the Microfilm Edition of BLACK STUDIES RESEARCH SOURCES Microfilms from Major Archival and Manuscript Collections General Editors: John H. Bracey, Jr. and August Meier SLAVERY IN ANTE-BELLUM SOUTHERN INDUSTRIES Series C: Selections from the Virginia Historical Society Part 1: Mining and Smelting Industries Editorial Adviser Charles B. Dew Associate Editor and Guide compiled by Martin Schipper A microfilm project of UNIVERSITY PUBLICATIONS OF AMERICA An Imprint of CIS 4520 East-West Highway • Bethesda, MD 20814-3389 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Slavery in ante-bellum southern industries [microform]. (Black studies research sources.) Accompanied by printed reel guides, compiled by Martin P. Schipper. Contents: ser. A. Selections from the Duke University Library / editorial adviser, Charles B. Dew, associate editor, Randolph Boehm—ser. B. Selections from the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill—ser. C. Selections from the Virginia Historical Society / editorial adviser, Charles B. Dew, associate editor, Martin P. Schipper. 1. Slave labor—Southern States—History—Sources. 2. Southern States—Industries—Histories—Sources. I. Dew, Charles B. II. Boehm, Randolph. III. Duke University. Library. IV. University Publications of America (Firm). V. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. VI. Virginia Historical Society. HD4865 306.3′62′0975 91-33943 ISBN 1-55655-547-4 (ser. C : microfilm) CIP Compilation © 1996 by University Publications
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue of the Alumni of the University of Pennsylvania
    ^^^ _ M^ ^3 f37 CATALOGUE OF THE ALUMNI OF THE University of Pennsylvania, COMPRISING LISTS OF THE PROVOSTS, VICE-PROVOSTS, PROFESSORS, TUTORS, INSTRUCTORS, TRUSTEES, AND ALUMNI OF THE COLLEGIATE DEPARTMENTS, WITH A LIST OF THE RECIPIENTS OF HONORARY DEGREES. 1749-1877. J 3, J J 3 3 3 3 3 3 3', 3 3 J .333 3 ) -> ) 3 3 3 3 Prepared by a Committee of the Society of ths Alumni, PHILADELPHIA: COLLINS, PRINTER, 705 JAYNE STREET. 1877. \ .^^ ^ />( V k ^' Gift. Univ. Cinh il Fh''< :-,• oo Names printed in italics are those of clergymen. Names printed in small capitals are tliose of members of the bar. (Eng.) after a name signifies engineer. "When an honorary degree is followed by a date without the name of any college, it has been conferred by the University; when followed by neither date nor name of college, the source of the degree is unknown to the compilers. Professor, Tutor, Trustee, etc., not being followed by the name of any college, indicate position held in the University. N. B. TJiese explanations refer only to the lists of graduates. (iii) — ) COEEIGENDA. 1769 John Coxe, Judge U. S. District Court, should he President Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia. 1784—Charles Goldsborough should he Charles W. Goldsborough, Governor of Maryland ; M. C. 1805-1817. 1833—William T. Otto should he William T. Otto. (h. Philadelphia, 1816. LL D. (of Indiana Univ.) ; Prof, of Law, Ind. Univ, ; Judge. Circuit Court, Indiana ; Assistant Secre- tary of the Interior; Arbitrator on part of the U. S. under the Convention with Spain, of Feb.
    [Show full text]
  • The Presidents House in Philadelphia: the Rediscovery of a Lost Landmark
    The Presidents House in Philadelphia: The Rediscovery of a Lost Landmark I R MORE THAN 150 YEARS there has been confusion about the fPresident's House in Philadelphia (fig. 1), the building which served s the executive mansion of the United States from 1790 to 1800, the "White House" of George Washington and John Adams. Congress had named Philadelphia the temporary national capital for a ten-year period while the new Federal City (now Washington, D.C.) was under con- struction, and one of the finest houses in Philadelphia was selected for President Washington's residence and office. Prior to its tenure as the President's House, the building had housed such other famous (or infamous) residents as proprietary governor Richard Penn, British general Sir William Howe, American general Benedict Arnold, French consul John Holker, and financier Robert Morris. Historians have long recognized the importance of the house, and many have attempted to tell its story, but most of them have gotten the facts wrong about how the building looked when Washington and Adams lived there, and even about where it stood. 1 am indebted to John Alviti, Penelope Hartshorne Batcheler, George Brighitbill, Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Burt, Jeffrey A- Cohen, William Creech, David Dashiell, Scott DeHaven, Susan Drinan, Kenneth Fmkel, Jeffrey Faherty, Marsha Fritz, Kristen Froehlich, Roy Harker, Sharon Ann Holt, Sue Keeler, Roger G. Kennedy, Bruce Laverty, Edward Lawler, Sr., Jack and Alice-Mary Lawler, Joann Lawler, Andrea Ashby Lerari, Mark Fraze Lloyd, Barbara A. McMillan, Jefferson M. Moak, Howell T. Morgan, Gene Morris, Roger W. Moss, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Marriage Certificates
    MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES. (Abstracts.) Note. —Some of the names are very difficult to decipher. Should doubt ex- ist as to their correctness, the originals may be consulted at the Historical Society. r e John Woolston Sen - of Burlington, upon y River Dalla- ware in America, Husbandman and Hannah Cooper, Daughter of William Cooper, Smith, of Pine Poynte, upon e y River aforesaid, were married at Burlington the eight e day of y seventh month, one thousand six hundred and eighty one. John Woolston. Hannah Woolston. r William Cooper, Sen . Daniel Leeds Grace Hollinshed r Wm. Cooper, Jun . Robert Powell Suzana Budd Tho. Olive John Stacy Ann Leeds Robert Stacy Margaret Cooper Joyce Marriott Wm. Brightwen Elizabeth Gardiner Isaac Marriott Tho. Gardiner Ann Butcher Ellen SUcej Wm. Peachee Ann Peachee Walter Pumphrey Samuel Jennings Ann Jennings Henry Hollingsworth of Pensilvania, County of New Castle in America and Lidia Atkinson, in the parish of Sego and County of Ardmah in Ireland having declared their Intentions of Marriage with each other in severall publick meetings of the people of God called Quakers, in e and nere Lurgan (in y province of Ulster) were married the Two and Twentieth day of the sixt month in the ware 1688 in their publick meeting house at John Robsons. Henery Hollingsworth. Lidea Hollingsworth. John Robson Roger Kirk James Robert Hoope Mark Wright John Hoops (60) Marriage Certificates. 61 Sill Richardson James Greer Mary roda Allphonsus Kirk William Crook a Sarah Robson Jacob Robson Thomas Doall Sarah neb 1 Alex Walkers Thomas Braidshaw Jane Mathews Thomas Walker John Walker Kathreen Kirk William Porter Sarah Robson Elizabeth Lyues Thomas Turnor Issabell Atkinson Deborah Lynes Th : Wainwright Mary Rottleff Alyce Ball .
    [Show full text]
  • Notes on Old Gloucester County, New Jersey
    This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com OLD GLOUCESTER COUNTY COURT HOUSE AT WOODBURY. FROM SKETCH BY FRANK H. TAYLOR NOTES ON Old Gloucester County NEW JERSEY Historical Records Published by The New Jersey Society of Pennsylvania volume I Compiled and Edited by FRANK H. STEWART HISTORIAN OF THE SOCIETY 1917 0 Copyeighted 1917, ey The New Jeesey Society of Pennsylvania Peinted ey Sinnickson Chew & Sons Company Camden, New Jeesey New Jersey Down from thy hills the streams go leaping, Up from thy shores the tides come creeping, In bay and river the waters meet, Singing and singing with rhythmic beat Songs no orchestra may repeat, New Jersey! Fled from the southern sun's fierce burning, Back from the chill of the north wind turning, With mayflowers decking her form so rare And magnolias redolent in her hair, Queen Flora rests on thy bosom fair, New Jersey! Lakes the feet of thy mountains are laving, Over thy plains the forests are waving, Across thy meadows and marshes and sands Orchards and farms are clasping their hands, Garden of States in fairest of lands ! New Jersey! Smoke from thy cities' chimneys rising Looms to the sky, a Genius surprising, — A Genius whose touch to new visions gives birth. Of homes rejoicing in music and mirth, And song floating everywhere over the earth, New Jersey! Quaker and Dutchman, long ago meeting, Hailed thy shores with immigrants' greeting, And still on the old home sites to-day Their children's children sturdily stay, Glad for thy progress and leading the way, New Jersey! Mother, dear Mother, thy sons are proclaiming Loyalty; with their banners aflaming The Jersey Blues still march at thy side, Eager to cheer thee with love and with pride, Ready to guard thee, whatever betide.
    [Show full text]