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Public Services

Founder’s Week in Philadelphia


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In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the city of Philadelphia hosted several large celebrations. Events such as the 1876 Centennial and the 1898 Peace Jubilee connected Philadelphia residents to the anniversary of the founding of the United States and the end of the Spanish-American war. From October 4 to 10, 1908, however, the city threw a celebration that focused on local history rather than national or global events. Known as Founder’s Week, the festivities commemorated the 225th anniversary of the founding of Philadelphia with events throughout the city.

The festivities were well-attended by residents of Philadelphia as well as visitors to the city. A New York Times article from October 5, 1908 states that trains traveling into Philadelphia were three to five cars longer than usual to accommodate the crowds. As part of the celebration, the week was divided into different thematic days, each featuring corresponding parades and other activities. October 4, 1908, designated as Religious Day and the first day of the week long celebration, included services at various churches as well as open air services in Independence, Washington, Rittenhouse, Logan, Morris, and Franklin Squares and at Memorial Hall and Strawberry Mansion in Fairmount Park. The article estimates that 15,000 people attended each of the outdoor services and 20,000 Catholics gathered in Chestnut Street to receive the papal blessing from Mgr. Falconi. Members of the National Guard of Pennsylvania were housed in armories throughout the city, and thirteen United States fighting ships were anchored in the Delaware in preparation for the military parade on October 5, also known as Military Day.


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October 6, Municipal Day, included a parade of police and firemen from around the city and Industrial Day, October 7, featured a parade that focused on Philadelphia’s industrial achievements followed by a later parade that included members of local labor organizations. On October 8, Children’s and Naval Day, activities consisted of a patriotic performance by children at Independence Hall, a review of the ships in the harbor, and a river pageant.

Historical Day on Friday, October 9, featured a large historical pageant held on Broad Street. The pageant was divided into nine divisions with multiple floats illustrating the historic events that occurred in each division. Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer, a local historian and one of the pageant’s organizers, felt that the event should provide a historical and civic education to Philadelphians, rather than simply serving as another form of entertainment. This lesson in civic history, however, was influenced by the views of the pageant’s organizers. Native Americans were mentioned at the beginning of the pageant and African-Americans were included in scenes illustrating the underground railroad, but the pageant did not mention the arrival of any immigrants or ethnic groups after the American Revolution.


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The lack of focus on the history of specific ethnic groups in Philadelphia is seen by some historians as evidence of city leaders’ attempts to unite different neighborhoods and groups in the city. Often, ethnic groups held celebrations commemorating events important to that group rather than joining together in municipal holidays. The Founder’s Week served as a way to bring Philadelphians together while also providing them with a civic history lesson, albeit one that focused on only certain historical events. After Historical Day, the celebration concluded with Athletic and Knights Templar Day on October 10. The final events included more parades, fireworks, an automobile race, and a regatta on the Schuylkill River.

After Founder’s Week, Philadelphia hosted a few additional large celebrations. In 1919, the city held a parade for troops returning from World War I, and in 1926, the Sesquicentennial International Exposition was held in the South Philadelphia area.

Sources:

[1] Glassberg, David. “Public Ritual and Cultural Hierarchy: Philadelphia’s Civic Celebrations at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 107, No. 3 (Jul., 1983), pp. 421-448.

[2] New York Times. “Four Races for New York.” October 11, 1908. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C00E1DE1731E233A25752C1A9669D946997D6CF

[3] New York Times. “Philadelphia Opens Its’ Founders Week.” October 5, 1908. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E00E1D6133EE233A25756C0A9669D946997D6CF

[4] Joyce, John St. George. Story of Philadelphia. Rex Printing House, 1919. p. 305-306. http://books.google.com/books?id=Wh8VAAAAYAAJ&printsec=toc

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New Features

Introducing Google Street View on PhillyHistory.org!

Visitors to PhillyHistory.org may have noticed some interesting new features in the last couple weeks. We recently released the latest version of PhillyHistory.org which includes a few additions to the website. One of those additions is the inclusion of Google Street View. You may be familiar with Google Street View if you have experience using Google Maps. Google Street View provides street level photographs of cities and neighborhoods around the world. Using Street View on Google Maps, you can take virtual tours of various cities, including large portions of Philadelphia.

Street View provides a way to see the notable landmarks and general streets of a city without having to physically travel to that city. On PhillyHistory.org we thought that using Street View might be a great way to offer the ability to compare the historic photographs with a present day view of the same location. The historic photographs on PhillyHistory are beautiful, but after looking at them, it’s easy to start wondering if a certain building still exists or how the neighborhood has changed over 50 years. Short of actually going to the physical location where the photo was taken, however, it was difficult to view the modern location and contrast it to the historic photo.

Google Street View gives us a way to solve that problem. Thanks to the work of our software developers, we were able to add a link to Street View to many of the photographs in PhillyHistory.org. To see the Street View for a photograph, click on the small thumbnail of the photograph to load a larger detail view of the image. Below the historic photograph will be two small thumbnails – one of the historic image and one of a white box labeled “Google Street View.” Click on the Google Street View box to load a current view of the same location where the historic photo was taken. You may need to navigate up and down the road or pan the view in order to see the exact location that matches the historic photograph.

The results provide an exciting visual demonstration of how the city has changed and developed over the course of its history. A 1914 photo shows a few people standing outside the Head House Market near 2nd and Pine Streets. The present-day Street View for that location shows the same market house with a few changes. A photo from 1918 of the intersection of Arch Street and 10th Street includes several businesses and a sign stretched across the street proclaiming that “Food Will Win the War.” The same intersection in 2009 is still home to many businesses and restaurants. Instead of a war-time sign, an ornate Chinese gate extends across the street, reflecting the ancestry of many residents of an area which now makes up part of the Chinatown neighborhood.

While not every Philadelphia street is included in Google Street View, many streets are available. We hope you enjoy the opportunity to compare past architecture to the present landscape and learn more of the story of the city’s past. Check out the Street View on PhillyHistory.org, and let us know what you think at info@phillyhistory.org!

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Public Services

Public Education in Philadelphia: Central High School


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The founding of a free public school system in the United States is the result of much discussion over several decades. In the early 1800s, Philadelphia and the state of Pennsylvania debated and tested different ideas for establishing a public school system that would provide an education for those who could not afford the cost of independent or private schools. Various experimental schools were started and operated with varying levels of success. Finally an act passed by the state in 1836 provided authorization for the City of Philadelphia to establish a Central High School. On October 26, 1838, Central High School in Philadelphia formally opened with a first class of sixty-three students. At the time of its dedication, Central was only the second public high school in the country and was open only to male students.

The cornerstone for the new school building was laid on September 19, 1837 at the intersection of Juniper and Market Streets. Three stories tall, the building was shaped like a T and included an astronomical observatory. The roof of the first Central High School building can be seen in what is considered the earliest surviving American photograph, made by Joseph Saxton in October 1839.


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In 1839, Alexander Dallas Bache, the great-grandson of Benjamin Franklin, was named as president of the school and selected many of the first faculty members. Some of the initial courses included natural history, French, drawing and writing, mathematics, Greek, Latin, and mental, moral, and political science. The school grew over the next decade and celebrated two momentous events. On June 24, 1847, President James K. Polk and Vice President George M. Dallas visited the school and addressed the students, and on April 9, 1849, the state legislature granted the school the right to confer academic degrees.

By the early 1850s, changes in the neighborhood around Juniper and Market Streets and the need for additional space forced school officials to look for a new location. On June 28, 1854, a new school building on the southeast corner of Broad and Green Streets was dedicated. The building featured fifteen classrooms, an assembly hall, an observatory, and high ceilings to assist with ventilation. During this time, the school faced criticism regarding financial expenditures and the curriculum, especially the decision to teach certain foreign languages.


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The population of the school continued to grow throughout the second half of the nineteenth century. By the 1890s, classes were forced to meet in neighboring locations and plans were made for construction of a new school building. A lot was chosen on the southwest corner of Broad and Green Streets, and ground was broken on May 7, 1894. Due to several delays, classes did open in the new building until September 1900. Additional construction was finished later and a formal dedication held on November 22, 1902. President Theodore Roosevelt and several members of his cabinet traveled to Philadelphia for the dedication. The President spoke first in the school’s assembly hall to an audience made up of city officials, the faculty, and school alumni before then delivering a speech from the north balcony of the building to the students.

In 1939, the school moved again to its present location at Ogontz and Olney Avenues. In 1983, girls were admitted to Central High School after federal Judge William M. Marutani ruled that the single-sex admissions policy was unconstitutional.

When Central High School was founded in 1838, it was an innovative development in the use of free public education in Pennsylvania. By 1902 when President Roosevelt spoke at the dedication of Central High’s new building, he stated that there were over 170,000 public school students in the City of Philadelphia and that “it is, of course, a mere truism to say that the stability, the future welfare of our institutions depend upon the grade of citizenship turned out from our public schools.” In 1902, as it is today, many aspects of public schooling were fiercely debated, but the public school system had become accepted as necessary for the benefit of society.

Sources:

[1] Anthe, Charles. “History.” Central High School. http://www.centralhigh.net/pages/about/history

[2] Edmonds, Franklin Spencer. History of the Central High School of Philadelphia. Philadlephia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1902. http://books.google.com/books?id=wogWAAAAIAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPP1,M1

[3] New York Times. “President Says M’Kinley’s Policies Have Triumphed.” November 23, 1902. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E00EFD91E3DEE32A25750C2A9679D946397D6CF

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Public Services

“Conservation is Everybody’s Business”


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On April 4, 2009, Mayor Michael Nutter hosted the 2nd Annual Philly Spring Cleanup. Around 10,000 volunteers worked together to collect 692,560 pounds of trash, complete projects at 12 recreation centers and 24 Fairmount Park sites, and plant 152 native trees and shrubs.

The Philly Spring Cleanup continues a tradition of local residents becoming personally involved in the maintenance and beautification of their neighborhoods and communities. In 1938, Sigrid Craig, an immigrant from Sweden, approached city officials about efforts to clean up streets around Philadelphia. Although her ideas initially were met with some hesitation, officials eventually helped her organize clean up efforts centered on individual city blocks. The city, with the help of Craig and many volunteers, developed a program where individuals were identified as Block Captains for a particular city block. The Block Captain became responsible for encouraging residents of the block to participate in maintenance and beautification efforts.

Encouraging participation at such a local, individual level proved very successful. Over the next several years, the program expanded and became known as the “Clean-Up, Paint-Up, Fix-Up” campaign. In 1953, the campaign began collaborating with a police sanitation unit and the Sanitation Division of the Philadelphia Department of Streets. This relationship between governmental departments and local residents was formalized in 1965 with the formation of the Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee. The Committee maintains a relationship with an estimated 6,500 Block Captains and runs various clean up and maintenance programs throughout the year, continuing the work begun by Sigrid Craig in 1938.

Sources:

[1] Durso, Fred Jr. “Spick-and-Span.” South Philly Review. January 4, 2007. https://www.southphillyreview.com/view_article.php?id=5541

[2] Philadelphia More Beautiful Committee. http://www.phila.gov/streets/PMBC.html

[3] Rendell, Edward. “Philadelphia Partners with 6,500 Residential Blocks to Keep Neighborhoods Clean.” The United States Conference of Mayors. http://www.usmayors.org/bestpractices/litter/Philadelphia.html

[4] “Results of the 2009 Philly Spring Cleanup.” Philly Spring Cleanup. http://www.phillycleanup.com/pages/Wrapup.asp

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Events and People

Statues around Philadelphia, Part Three


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Several statues in Philadelphia honor local residents who have contributed to the development of the city. While these individuals may be associated with a particular neighborhood or community, their statues did not always remain in that location over the course of several decades.

One such statue is that of Connie Mack, a professional baseball manager who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. Born on December 22, 1862 in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, Mack played professional baseball as a catcher but became more famous as the long-time manager of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 to 1950. During his tenure as manager, the A’s won five World Series championships. Mack retired at the age of 88 and died on February 8, 1956.

In 1953, Shibe Park, at one time the home stadium of the Philadelphia Athletics and later the Philadelphia Phillies, was renamed Connie Mack Stadium in honor of Connie Mack. The stadium was torn down in 1976. In 1957, artist Harry Rosin sculpted a statue of Connie Mack entitled “Mr. Baseball.” Originally located outside Connie Mack Stadium at Lehigh Avenue and 20th Street, the statue was moved to the entrance of Veteran’s Stadium in 1971 and remained there until that stadium was torn down in 2004. The statue is now located outside Citizens Bank Park.

A statue honoring Anthony J. Drexel, founder of Drexel University, has also moved locations several times. Born in 1826, Drexel became a highly successful banker and financier. With his profits, Drexel supported several charities and founded the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry in 1891. The dedication of the Institute on December 17, 1891 was attended by Levi Morton, the Vice-President of the United States, as well as several generals, senators, and other wealthy bankers and industrialists. At the time of the dedication, Drexel had already given $1,500,000 for the establishment of the school.

Drexel died on June 30, 1893 and was buried in The Woodlands cemetery in Philadelphia. On June 17, 1905, a bronze statue of Drexel, sculpted by Sir Moses Ezekiel, was unveiled in Fairmount Park. The statue was moved to 33rd and Market on the 75th anniversary of Drexel University and then moved in 2003 to its current location at 32nd and Market Street.

Sources:

[1] “Connie Mack.” The Hall of Famers. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers/detail.jsp?playerId=118082

[2] “Drexel University Legends and Traditions.” Drexel University. http://www.drexel.edu/CreeseStudentCenter/infodesk/legendsandtraditions.html

[3] “Mr. Baseball.” Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net. http://www.philart.net/exhibit.php?id=1

[4] The New York Times. “Drexel Statue in Philadelphia.” June 18, 1905. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9902E0D7133EE733A2575BC1A9609C946497D6CF

[5] The New York Times. “Mr. Drexel’s Noble Work. December 18, 1891. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C0CE1D8133AE533A2575BC1A9649D94609ED7CF

[6] “The Tall Tactician.” Today in History: December 22. The Library of Congress – American Memory. http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/today/dec22.html

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Events and People

Statues around Philadelphia, Part Two


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The Philadelphia City Hall is home to many statues honoring individuals who influenced the history of the city. From the 37 foot tall statue of William Penn at the top of the building to the smaller statues scattered around the base of the structure, these figures are meant to memorialize the lives and accomplishments of a variety of people.

One of the statues located at the base of City Hall honors Matthias Baldwin, the founder of Baldwin Locomotive Works. Born in New Jersey in 1799, Baldwin worked as a jeweler and printer before founding a machine shop in Philadelphia in 1825. In the early 1830s, Baldwin began building steam locomotives. At a time when most locomotives were produced in England, Baldwin’s locomotives helped the American railroad system and industry to expand dramatically. Baldwin’s assembly plant near Broad and Spring Garden grew and employed more workers as orders for locomotives increased. By the time Baldwin died in 1866, his company had produced around 1500 locomotives. Baldwin’s company continued to manufacture locomotives for several decades despite financial difficulties. They produced their final locomotive in 1956.

In addition to his industrial achievements, Baldwin was also a supporter of African-American rights. He believed that free African-American men should be given the right to vote and donated money to found a school for African-American children. To honor Baldwin, the Board of Trustees of the Fairmount Park Art Association for the Baldwin Memorial Monument selected a statue design submitted by Herbert Adams of New York and awarded him the contract to create the statue in 1902. The completed statue was installed at the intersection of Broad Street and Spring Garden Avenue near the offices of the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It was later moved to City Hall.


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Also located at City Hall is a statue of John Christian Bullitt, a Philadelphia lawyer who founded a well-known law firm in the city. Born in Kentucky in 1824, Bullitt moved to Philadelphia in 1849 after completing college. He became a powerful attorney, gaining much attention for his representation of Jay Cooke & Co., a banking house connected to the Panic of 1873. Bullitt also became involved in politics and served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention of 1873. One of his major contributions to the city came in the form of the Bullitt Bill, a document he authored in 1885, that became the Philadelphia City Charter in 1887. Bullitt died in 1902. In July 1907, a statue of Bullitt created by John J. Boyle was unveiled on the grounds of City Hall.


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Another statue near City Hall honors William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States. McKinley was born in 1843 and served as a congressman and governor of Ohio before taking office as President in 1897. McKinley’s first term was filled with tariff and economic issues as well as the Spanish-American War. After winning re-election in 1900, McKinley served only a few months of his second term before he was assassinated in September 1901.

As a memorial to President McKinley, the citizens of Philadelphia donated over $32,000 to be used for the creation of a statue. Thirty-eight different designs for the statue were submitted to a jury who chose the design submitted by Charles Albert Lopez, a sculptor, and Albert H. Ross, an architect. The contract was awarded in 1903 and the statue was dedicated at City Hall during a ceremony on July 6, 1908. The final piece featured a statue of President McKinley standing on a column above figures meant to represent Wisdom instructing Youth. The dedication of the statue included a luncheon, a military parade, a band, several speeches, and an oration by James M. Beck, the former Assistant Attorney General of the United States. While the Committee in charge of the statue eventually hoped to install it along the Parkway, it has remained at City Hall.

Sources:

[1] American Federation of Arts, R.R. Bowker Company. American Art Directory. R.R. Bowker, 1908, p. 118. http://books.google.com/books?id=MbBM2I22xbQC&printsec=titlepage&dq

[2] “Collection 1903: Furness-Bullitt Family Papers.” The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 2002. http://www.hsp.org/files/findingaid1903furnessbullitt.pdf

[3] Lienhard, John H. “No. 655: Matthias Baldwin.” Engines of Our Ingenuity. http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi655.htm

[4] McKinley Memorial Association. The McKinley Memorial in Philadelphia: History of the Movement, and Account of the Dedication Exercises, Including the Oration by the Hon. James M. Beck. Printed for the Committee, Philadelphia, 1909. http://books.google.com/books?id=d7OKk8Kp3J0C&printsec=titlepage

[5] The New York Times. “Baldwin Statue Award.” November 17, 1902. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9506E4DC1E30E132A25754C1A9679D946397D6CF

[6] “William McKinley.” About the White House: Presidents. The White House. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/WilliamMcKinley/

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Events and People

Statues around Philadelphia, Part One


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Scattered around Philadelphia are dozens of monuments and memorials that honor individuals and groups who have influenced the development of the City and the United States. Many of these monuments, especially those that date from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are statues that depict the honored individual. While the organizations that erected the statues hoped to preserve the memory of the person, stories of that individual’s accomplishments can become less well-known over the years.

Located in Independence Square south of Independence Hall, a statue of a tall man wearing a tri-cornered hat and pointing off into the distance honors Commodore John Barry, often called the “Father of the American Navy.” Born in Ireland, Barry became a sailor at a young age. By 1766, he had made Philadelphia his home and had his first command aboard the schooner Barbadoes. When the Revolutionary War began, Barry was charged with outfitting and provisioning the navy ships that sailed from Philadelphia. He was also made a Captain in the Continental Navy and given command of a new warship. During the war, Barry would fight and win several naval battles and suppress three mutinies. He returned to commanding merchant ships after the war. In the 1790s, Barry was appointed to lead the newly created federal navy and given the title of Commodore. Barry died on September 12, 1803 at his home in Strawberry Hill which was then just outside of Philadelphia. On March 16, 1907, the statue of Barry on Independence Square was presented by the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, a group of which Barry himself had once been a member, to the City of Philadelphia.


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Several statues near City Hall recognize the achievements of other military leaders. On the north side of City Hall, a statue of a soldier on horseback honors General John Fulton Reynolds, a Union commander during the Civil War who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. Sculpted by the artist John Rogers, the statue was dedicated in July 1884 and placed in front of City Hall, which at that time was still under construction. Near the statue of General Reynolds, another statue of a soldier on horseback honors General George B. McClellan. Born in Philadelphia, McClellan was a Union commander during the Civil War who briefly served as general-in-chief of the Union forces. After his death in 1885, admirers of the General began raising funds for the construction of a statue in Philadelphia. Fundraising efforts, however, were not immediately fruitful and the statue was not unveiled until October 24, 1894. The dedication ceremony was attended by the McClellan family, the governors of Pennsylvania and Delaware, and several high-ranking members of the military. The ceremony included several speeches, choir performances, and a seventeen gun salute.


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Other statues in Philadelphia have nothing to do with military endeavors. Dickens and Little Nell, a statue of Charles Dickens, located in Clark Park in West Philadelphia is rumored to be the only known statue of Charles Dickens. Sculpted by Francis Edwin Elwell, the statue was exhibited at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. Although Elwell took the statue to England, he was unable to install the piece there as Dickens’ will specifically forbade the creation of any monuments, memorials, or testimonials to him. The sculpture was returned to the United States where it was stored in a warehouse in Philadelphia before eventually being installed in Clark Park.

Sources:

[1] Kelly, John Barry. “Commodore Barry (1745-1803): ‘Father of the American Navy.’” USHistory.org. http://www.ushistory.org/people/commodorebarry.htm

[2] The New York Times. “Barry Statue Unveiled.” March 17, 1907. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9D03E4DB163EE233A25754C1A9659C946697D6CF

[3] The New York Times. “Dickens and Little Nell.” September 17, 1893. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B01E5D9103BEF33A25754C1A96F9C94629ED7CF

[4] The New York Times. “Gen. Reynold’s Statue.” November 18, 1883. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9400E7DD103BE033A2575BC1A9679D94629FD7CF

[5] The New York Times. “In Honor of Gen. McClellan.” October 25, 1894. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9500E1D81131E033A25756C2A9669D94659ED7CF

[6] Rosso, Martha. “Philadelphia’s Statue of Dickens and Little Nell.” The Dickens Fellowship Philadelphia Branch. April 30, 2001. http://members.cruzio.com/~varese/dickens/statue.html

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Entertainment Events and People

Edwin Forrest: A Legend of American Theater


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In the early 1800s, Americans flocked to theaters as a source of entertainment and drama. During this time, American actors began to challenge the dominance of British actors and theater. One of these actors, Edwin Forrest of Philadelphia, would become one of the most well-known and popular performers of the first half of the nineteenth century.

Born on March 9, 1806 in Philadelphia, Forrest joined his first theater company at the age of twelve. In 1820 at the age of fourteen, Forrest made his professional debut at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. For several years, he traveled to Cincinnati, Louisville, and other towns in what was then known as “the West” before making his debut in New York City in July 1826 in Othello. Although that performance was not well-received, a performance at the Bowery Theatre in November in the same role was so successful that Forrest became the leading attraction for the remainder of the season.

Over the next twenty years, Forrest became known and admired as a talented and popular actor. Both a Shakespearean actor and a supporter of emerging American playwrights, his roles included Spartacus, Macbeth, Hamlet, and Metamora in Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags. In the late 1840s and early 1850s, Forrest’s reputation was damaged by a very public and bitter divorce from his wife Catherine as well as a rivalry with the British actor William Macready. The rivalry between the two actors culminated in the Astor Place Riot on May 10, 1849 when supporters of the two actors clashed in a conflict that left at least 20-25 people dead.


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Forrest continued to appear in plays and perform readings during the 1850s and 1860s. In 1855, Forrest purchased a stone mansion at 1346 North Broad Street in Philadelphia. Three and a half stories tall and built in the Italianate architectural style, the house included Forrest’s extensive library and a courtyard with a fountain. A gallery attached to the house provided space for Forrest’s art collection as well as a private theater with a small stage.

Forrest died at his Broad Street home in Philadelphia on December 12, 1872. In his will, he left much of his estate for the formation and maintenance of the Edwin Forrest Home, a residence where elderly actors could live and receive medical attention for no cost. The home initially opened at Springbrook, Forrest’s country residence in the Holmesburg area of North Philadelphia, in 1876. In the 1920s, the home moved briefly to a mansion in Torresdale before relocating to a facility at 4849 Parkside Avenue near Fairmount Park in 1928. The home remained in existence at that location until 1986 when it merged with the Lillian Booth Actors’ Home of the Actors’ Fund of America in Englewood, New Jersey. A wing at the Lillian Booth Home is named in honor of Edwin Forrest.


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After Forrest’s death, his home on Broad Street remained vacant until 1880 when it was purchased by the Philadelphia School of Design for Women. In the 1960s, it became the location of Heritage House, a community center for young adults, before becoming the home of the Freedom Theatre, Pennsylvania’s oldest African-American theater founded in 1966. Freedom Theatre continues to offer classes and performances in the former Edwin Forrest House.

In Philadelphia, Forrest and his contributions to American theater are remembered in a variety of ways. The Forrest Theatre at 1114 Walnut Street is named after the actor as is the Edwin Forrest Elementary School at 7300 Cottage Street. In 1990, the Walnut Street Theatre established the Edwin Forrest Award recognizing an individual or organization’s significant contributions to American theater. On March 9, 2006, Philadelphia celebrated Forrest’s 200th birthday by declaring March 9 “Edwin Forrest Day” and collecting donations at local theaters for the Lillian Booth Actors’ Home of the Actors’ Fund of America.

Sources:

[1] “Collection 3068: Edwin Forrest Home Records.” The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. http://www.hsp.org/files/findingaid3068edwinforresthome.pdf

[2] “The Edwin Forrest Award.” Walnut Street Theatre. http://www.walnutstreettheatre.org/theatre/forrest.php

[3] “Forrest (Edwin) House.” National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form. http://www.arch.state.pa.us/pdfs/H001370_02B.pdf

[4] Freedom Theatre. http://www.freedomtheatre.org/

[5] “Greater Philadelphia Theatres Honor Edwin Forrest, Raise Money for Actors’ Home; City Declares March 9th Edwin Forrest Day.” News Release. Theater Alliance of Greater Philadelphia. http://www.theatrealliance.org/news/2006/0224.html

[6] “Historical Markers – Freedom Theatre.” ExplorePAhistory.com. http://www.explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=824

[7] The New York Times. “Obituary. Edward Forrest, Tragedian.” December 13, 1872. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9407E0DC163BEF34BC4B52DFB4678389669FDE

[8] “Theatre Information: History.” The Forrest Theatre. http://www.forrest-theatre.com/history.htm

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Historic Sites

The Widener Mansion


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During the second half of the nineteenth century, prominent businessmen throughout the United States amassed great fortunes through the development of new industries including railroads, steel production, and mining. Men such as Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, and Vanderbilt became wildly wealthy and often spent that wealth on lavish houses, yachts, and travel as well as philanthropic endeavors such as universities, museums, and charitable organizations. The era became known as the Gilded Age, and many critics accused the wealthy of wielding unchecked power and taking advantage of poor workers.

During this time, there were few people in Philadelphia who could rival the wealth of Peter A.B. Widener. Born on November 13, 1834 to a bricklayer, Widener worked as a butcher and saved enough money to start one of the first meat store chains in the country. He also began buying stocks in street railways. Together with his friend William L. Elkins, Widener eventually controlled the streetcar system in Philadelphia. His wealth grew even more as he became involved in public transportation systems in Chicago and other cities. He later expanded his power by purchasing large blocks of stock in the United States Steel Corporation, Standard Oil, and Pennsylvania Railroad.


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In 1887, Widener had a large mansion built at the intersection of Broad Street and Girard Avenue. Designed by architect Willis G. Hale, the residence was four and a half stories high and included an arched entrance with a double staircase, a banquet room, and original murals and frescoes by artist George Herzog. In 1900, Widener transferred ownership of this mansion to the Free Library of Philadelphia. The building was designated as the Josephine Widener Memorial Branch of the Free Library in honor of Widener’s wife who had died in 1896. The mansion served as a branch of the Free Library until it was sold in 1946. With the proceeds from the sale, a former bank at 2531 West Lehigh Avenue was purchased and remodeled as the new location for the library branch. In 2005, the Widener Branch of the Free Library moved to its current location at 2808 West Lehigh Avenue. The Widener Mansion was destroyed by fire in 1980.


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In addition to his support for the Free Library of Philadelphia, Widener contributed to other charitable organizations in Philadelphia. He founded the Widener Memorial Home for Crippled Children in memory of his late wife. After his son and grandson died on the Titanic in 1912, Widener provided funds for an additional building at the Home in honor of his son.

After donating his mansion to the Free Library, Widener took up residence at Lynnewood Hall, his newly constructed 110-room mansion located in Elkins Park. Designed by Horace Trumbauer, the mansion was based on a palace in Bath, England and featured numerous outbuildings and gardens. Widener also used Lynnewood Hall as a gallery for his valuable art collection which included works by Raphael, Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and El Greco. After Widener’s death on November 6, 1915, his son Joseph continued to add to the art collection. In 1939, Joseph agreed to donate the collection to the newly formed National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.

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Historic Sites

Staying in Philadelphia: The Hotel Stenton and Hotel Walton

At the end of the nineteenth century and beginning of the twentieth century, Philadelphia was home to several large and elaborate hotels. These hotels, including the Hotel Stenton and the Hotel Walton, provided lodging for travelers, apartments for Philadelphia residents, fine cuisine for both local residents and visitors to the city, and a meeting place for clubs and conventions.

The Hotel Walton, located on the southeast corner of Broad Street and Locust Street, opened in February 1896 and incorporated the Hotel Metropole, an earlier establishment on the same site. Upon its completion, the hotel featured a ladies’ restaurant, a gentlemen’s café, several parlors, a banquet hall, and 400 guest rooms (200 of which had separate baths). The hotel would eventually be known as the John Bartram Hotel before being demolished in the 1960s. The history of the Hotel Stenton is harder to determine. Located on the northeast corner of Broad Street and Spruce Street, photos of the hotel date to the 1890s. A 1942 city atlas, however, does not show the hotel at that location, likely indicating that it had been demolished or gone out of business by that time.

Several articles from the New York Times give insight into the clientele who frequented the hotels. On May 28, 1894, Miss Julia Marlowe, an actress, quietly married Robert Taber, an actor, at a small ceremony at St. James’s Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia attended by seven friends of the couple. While making preparations for the wedding, the reporter notes that Mr. Taber stayed at the Hotel Stenton. After the ceremony, the wedding party returned to the Hotel Stenton for a wedding breakfast before departing for New York. On September 17, 1901, the paper reports that a visiting English cricket team would reside at the Hotel Stenton while they spent time in Philadelphia for games with the local cricket club. In 1909, a group of female motorists on a two-day automobile run from New York to Philadelphia finished their competition at the city line. They were then escorted to the Hotel Walton for a reception where they were given an address of welcome by Mayor Reyburn.

Local hotels also provided housing and meeting space for individuals traveling to Philadelphia for conferences and conventions. From June 1-4, 1897, the American Medical Association held a semi-centennial meeting in Philadelphia. In a letter to The Medical News, a member of the organizing committee urged those planning to attend the meeting to make arrangements at one of the local hotels and provided a list of hotels and prices. The Hotel Walton offered lodging for $1.50 and upward per day on the European plan and $4 and upward per day on the American plan. The Hotel Stenton offered lodging for $2 and upward per day on the European plan and $4 and upward per day on the American plan. The European plan usually covered the cost of the room whereas the American plan covered the cost of both the room and meals at the hotel. The Hotel Walton also served as the headquarters for the Association during the meeting, and meetings of the Section of Physiology and Dietetics were held at the Hotel Stenton.

As they still do in the twenty-first century, hotels in Philadelphia in the nineteenth century provided lodging, both for travelers and city residents, and also served as social places where people could find a meal or gather for meetings and discussions. In the twentieth century, many of the older, independently run hotels would be purchased by larger business entities and change to reflect the desires of different generations of travelers.

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