The Greene Country Towne

Philly was a planned city. William Penn named it, chose the site, and created the street plan. This original street plan still exists and can be seen here:
A portraiture of the city of Philadelphia in the province of Pennsylvania in America, 1683.
With its broad streets and large city blocks, stretching from the Delaware to the Schuylkill, Penn envisioned a "greene Country Towne, which will never be burnt, and allways be wholsome." The residents had a different plan, and old-city Philly became what it is today as they crammed in along the Delaware riverfront and divided lots into alleys.


View Larger Map

One thing that caught my attention was the previous inhabitants of the area. The Delaware (or Lenni Lenape) Indians certainly lived in the vicinity for millenia, but at the time of the founding of the city, the west bank of the Delaware had been sold to Swedes - the Svensson brothers - Sven, Olave, and Andrew. The commissioners had to first buy them out to found their city.

Penn's city was different from other colonial cities because of its (among other things) planning, its rapid growth, and its brick houses (good for fire protection). Here is an 1868 photo of these original 18th century brick row homes. One of the coolest things about the Philly History site is the "Google Street View" button below the picture which shows the current street view of the historical location. Click on the picture to be taken by the tubes to the original website.

I also like this photo of the "London Coffee House" (built 1702) on Front and High Streets (Market was called High Street back in the day). This coffee house was a high-end tavern that was superseded by the City Tavern during the revolution. It was mainly a meeting house for merchants to make deals over a few pints. Located on the Southeast corner of the intersection, this lot is now occupied by an I-95 on-ramp.

View Larger Map

Lots more to come as I catch up to my current spot in the book - post revolution.