REFE1IENCE ff £ COLLEI MS i jT-/t 3tC/f V. ~?y < / e Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from This project is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniacoun74unse MARK TW^IISTS scftap moK. PA TENTS: UNITED STATES. GREAT BRITAIN. FRANCE. June 24TH, 1873. May i6th, 1877. May i8th, 1877. TRADE MARKS: UNITED STATES. ■ GREAT BRITAIN. Registered No. 5,896. Registered No. 15,979. DIRECTIONS. Use but little moisture, and only on the gummed lines. Press the scrap on without wetting it. DANIEL SLOTE & COMPANY, NEW YORK. INDEX. U V w • V t'wmm V. f , ‘ ■ ■ .. \ >: ' ■ . • . ‘ , ‘ . : . , . , / -*1 \ •: . « ; , > r w X YZ "owns a great portion of the"ground, most. • :> of it located on the Schuylkill river be¬ S From, . low Wharton street, which by the open¬ ing of streets, and the enterprise of the \y.C^yr.r. owner, is fast coming into demand for public uses. League Island is separated from Green¬ Date, ...iJ,.‘..‘.(?..i. ../4/vrfy. wich Island by the Back channel, which s forms a commodious and fresh-water an- ’’i chorage for the iron-clads of our navy. DOal^-TOWfl Extensive improvements are proposed to be carried out on the island. A perma¬ nent plant will be established for the Something of Its History and Biographical building and repairing of ships for the Sketches of Some of its Former navy. This island was granted in 1699 Leading Citizens to the London Company, which ten years afterwards conveyed it to Thomas Fair- man. It was simply called in that deed [■CONTINUED from our east. 1 an island, but in the deed of 1671 it was Passyunk had at its last boundaries called League Island. It is supposed that (iS48)six miles of water front on the its present name was given it because it Schuylkill and 1 l/z miles on the Delaware, contained about a league of land. It was and contains now in -its water boundaries purchased by the city of Philadelphia at a the Point Breeze GasWorks, the Atlantic cost of $310,000 and ceded to the United and Philadelphia Refining Company’s States for a navy yard. plant, the Girard Elevator and Docks, Separating Greenwich Island from the managed by the Pennsylvania Railroad mainland is Hollander creek, which for¬ Company ; League Island, owned by the merly made a clear course through from United States Government; the Green¬ the Delaware to the Schuylkill, making wich Point pi°rs, for shipment of oil and the lower part of the “ Neck ” an island, coal; the Pennsylvania Salt Works and which was- further divided by other many other industrial plants. streams, so that there was three islands Within its confines we find many im¬ at the lower end of what is now consid¬ posing edifices devoted to charitable and ered fast land in Philadelphia, in ad¬ other purposes, notably St. Agnes’ Hos¬ dition to League Island ; the westernmost pital, at Broad street and Snyder avenue; was called Manasonk or Manazurk. It the Womans’ Hospital, on Leagne Island was adjoined on the east by Drufive road; the Methodist Hospital, on South Island, Isle des Raisins or Grape Island, Broad street; the Point Breeze race which was immediately north of League course. Southern Home for Friendless Island, and is now known as Greenwich Children,at Broad and Morris streets, is an Island. North of Drufive Island was imposing structure on ground occupying another which has no name. The creek an entire block, and in the upper portion was named after Peter Hollander, a of the district, especially on Broad street, Swedish governor who succeeded Peter handsome and extensive private resi¬ Minuit as commandant at Fort Christina dences, numerous schools and churches in 1639. The territory comprised within and industrial establishments. Where a its limits is traversed by numerous miles few years ago acres and acres of marsh of railroad, the Pennsylvania and B. and and utterly waste lands met the eye on O. Railroads having branch lines from all sides, now rows and rows of private their main tracks, extending from west residences loom up, and the steady march to east, throughout its entire breadth, of improvement, which seems of late and northward to the upper portions of years to have selected this portion of the river front. A belt-line railroad, now Philadelphia for its strides, promises in in course of construction, will extend the not distant future to turn its rural around its entire river frontage, encir¬ aspect into the scenes of busy every-day cling as it were its whole boundary. life. The Girard Estate owns a vast The “ Neck,” not so many years ago, amount of the territory, and Samuel G. either, save in the marshy lowlands, was Rosengarten, whose holdings, although one continuous truck garden, supplying to a great extent improved upon, still the citizens of down-town with all the tamr ~' ' * K vegetable fruits of the earth, and pre- f r 4 ■BPr3L-;«pHiKF' I 7!■ • * senting to the eye a rural aspect seldom to river and south from South street] met with in the suburbs of great cities. would, were time and space permissible, The “ necker,” rough, good natured and be most interesting reading. Where, hospitable, tended his patch, never missed less than fifty years ago, save in the a'pigeon shooting match, or a hog kill¬ southeast portion, farm marsh and un¬ ing go ; knew all about sailing a yacht profitable land covered the greatest por¬ and catching snappers ; attended all the tion of the territory, now a compactly , horse races, and seldom wore a broad¬ built section covers two-thirds of its area, cloth suit of clothes. What he lacked in and the steadily increasing inroads of1 ' etiquette he made up in geniality, and improvements will soon change Its the necker’s home was open and free to suburban appearance. every wayfarer, The custom of making TO BE CONTINUED AFTER THIt kotlDA , S New Year’s visits by clubs, which is such a feature of latj years, originated in the neck. Companies of fifteen to twenty (seldom more) would start on their visit¬ ations to the farm houses in the different parts of the neck, the members dressed irj fantastic garb, preceded by a cap¬ tain, who on arriving at a house, would knock and ask admission in a set speech of doggerel rhyme, and after his company would be regaled by refresh¬ ments, liquid and otherwise’ would make room for some succeeding club, which would go through the same routine, and so throughout the night and following morning. The occupants of the dwellings, ex¬ pecting their visitors, were prepared to give them all good cheer,and the captain’s summons, with “ Here I stand before your door, As I did the year before ; You come down and let us in And we’ll drink your good old gin,” never failed to find a hearty respone. It was the rule that as soon as the party be¬ ing regaled inside was notified that another party desired admission, they were compelled to leave at once, no mat¬ ter how short a time they might have been there ; so that no two companies were ever present at the same time The practice fell into disfavor of late years, on account of the disorderly char¬ acter of some of the clubs. In closing this short and possibly (in some respect) interesting history of down-town, the writer has depended in many cases on his personal knowledge of men and events therein recorded. He has had access, however, to original documents preserved in the Ridgway Library, and has been much aided by reference to “ Sharff & Westcott’s History of Philadelphia ” and “ Watson’s Annals of the City of Phila¬ delphia.” A complete history of this section of the city, extending from river the City Hall Tower. SCULPTOR CALDER OBJECTS I Ho Insists That the Founder of Phil¬ adelphia Should Face the South, but the Authorities Are Fully Satisfied. In a heavy gale of wind which swayed the mass of bronze like a huge pendu¬ lum the head and hat of the colossal statue of William Penn were placed in position yesterday morning on the top of the City Hall tower. No celebration of any sort occurred. A few Councilmen and Commissioners who chanced to be about deigned to look aloft for a few minutes, while in each of the streets lead¬ ing to the City Hall knots of citizens gathered to watch the culmination of a marvelous project. The wind was blow¬ ing so fiercely that at 10 o’clock, the time set for the raising, President Schti- man, of the Tacony Iron Company, tele¬ phoned to the Weather Bureau asking when the wind would abate. On receiv¬ ing the answer that it would probably in¬ crease in intensity till sundown, Mr. Schuman decided to go on with the work immediately. crowd below. When everything was A few minutes later, 13 men took their finished the 13 workmen hastened to stations and, adjusting the ropes to the terra firma, and for the rest of that day top of the hat. the signal was given for and to-day they will enjoy a. well-earned the eugiue to start. President Schuman holiduy, each armed with a $10 bill pre¬ and Superintendent Brown were the only,' sented by the company. The American spectators at the chilly height as the! flag which waved from the top of tlie head slowly rose.