"Right is Right, even if everyone is against it — and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it."
William Penn
Photos — Frances Rivetti, unless otherwise noted (Above - Karl Bitter's The Spirit of Transportation 1895)
There are train stations and then there are train stations. I was raised in the UK where rail travel of my formative years from the last of the tiny country train stations into London and York and elsewhere and later, even under the Channel and into Europe ranged from stations akin to the Railway Children's bucolic depot to what would become most famous in recent decades as the fictional Harry Potter's Platform 9 3/4 at the very real King's Cross Station. And so my first time de-boarding the rails at the vast Philadelphia's William H Gray III 30th Street Station has been imprinted in my mind as certainly one of the most impressive rail stop terminals in the States and, well, anywhere.
Its massive porticoes, a soaring concourse and stunning, enormous works of art made such first impression, I'm compelled to start my Philadelphia round-up travel story with the station itself. This bustling intermodal center and national transportation landmark was built between 1929 and 1933 and though other historic stations in the east have not been as well protected and preserved, its not surprising that its huge, eight-story steel frame building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places back in 1978.
It was in the heart of Philly that I made my third stop on my fall North East Amtrak trip — literally spilling out onto the sidewalk into the first World Heritage City in the United States, otherwise known as the Cradle of Liberty and most famously, the City of Brotherly Love (which is Philadelphia in Greek), as named by founder William Penn back in 1682.
This post is part 3 of a 4 part series. Click here for post 1 Boston and here for post 2 Brooklyn.
This distinctive, Art Deco-style station features typical neoclassical elements that include seventy-one-foot-high Corinthian columns that form the Alabama limestone porticoes on its east and west facades. Inside, Art Deco chandeliers and a floor of Tennessee marble represent the opulence of one of the last of the major urban train stations to be constructed in the States.
Aside from the lure of the city of Philadelphia as the first (albeit brief) capital of the United States, the fact that its jam-packed with a rich and colorful history and is the second largest city on the east coast today, it's also the long time home of my sister-in-law, British Italian American hair stylist, Francesca, whom I was way overdue a visit with on her home turf.
It had been about fifteen years since my first and only previous trip to visit her in Philly — in large part due to the hectic schedule of life in general while raising three sons, with most of our vacation time and budget over the years spent long-hauling it over to visit the grandparents and extended family in the UK. Francesca has been a good sport and a top aunt in her travels to us in Northern California most years and/or kindly timing her trips to overlap with us in Britain.
Over the years that I've lived in the States (and especially so since I became a naturalized citizen) my interest in the natural and factual history of the country has deepened in the sense that I'm more fascinated than ever by what this vast terrain must have looked like before its various periods of settlement. The entire North East corridor is densely populated and its history layered by a two century head start on California, where I live, providing me endless curiosity in visiting and exploring a storied city such as Philadelphia.
Founded on religious freedom by Penn and his Quaker community and famously welcoming folk from all faiths and walks of life, thereafter, Philly is the sixth largest in the United States today, with a city population of 1.6 million and a regional population of some 6.1 million. I wonder what Penn, who settled a few hundred Dutch, English, Welsh, German and Swedish immigrants in his newly established English Crown province, would make of it today? Before the Europeans laid claim, this land belonged to the Lenape first people for centuries. Its verdant hunter/gatherer territory that lay between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers attracted not only Quakers to the colony, but also Huguenots (French Protestants), Mennonites, Amish and Lutherans from Catholic German states.
There's little mention of the pre-Penn era along the standard tourist trail. I dug around for a little more information on the supposed "happy" land share and the subsequent displacement of its native people.
According to an article in Haverfield College Libraries: "Penn’s treaty with the Lenni Lenape is a traditional American tale about the founding of Pennsylvania. As the tale goes, in 1682, under the great elm of Shackamaxon, Penn promised to live with the natives in “openness and love” and as “one flesh and one blood” to which Tamanend replied, “We will live in love with William Penn and his children, while the sun, moon, and stars endure.” Within one generation, Penn’s own sons cheated the Lenni-Lenape out of thousands of miles of land, but the legend continued to grow, popularized by paintings such as Benjamin West’s William Penn’s Treaty with the Indians. Today, the treaty is remembered as a symbol of peace and love."
More sobering details: "The treaty of goodwill stood at almost 50 years before the pattern of European displacement of Natives continued. The Lenape migrated further and further west for over a hundred years, the majority eventually settling in Oklahoma. Today about 20,000 Lenape live in Oklahoma, with smaller numbers of Lenape people in southern Ontario, Wisconsin, and Delaware."
So that's that. Sharing didn't last long. And what most students of American history are taught to focus on in the Philadelphia story is the post-Penn period.
Philadelphia became the region’s main port. And along with merchant trading, slavery soon followed. The port of Philadelphia was the primary port of entry for the tragedy of the first enslaved Africans being brought into the country. They were transported in small groups, forced into the region by individuals and/or early businessmen. Records reveal that in 1684, the ship Isabella unloaded a “cargo” of 150 African slaves, most of whom were sent into agriculture, construction and domestic service.
It was in 1688 when Quakers from the suburb of Germantown were reported to have issued the first American document for equal human rights for all people. If my math is correct, it would take 172 years, until the year 1860 for there to no longer be any slaves in the state of Pennsylvania. This being after the anti-slavery Republican Party had gained power in many northern states and in the U.S. Congress.
Slavery In The Quaker World — FriendsJournal.org
I looked to the Friends Journal online for a brief summary of the patient, long game in the Quaker anti-slavery stance: "Over the next five years, tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians gave their sons, their fathers, and their lives to end slavery on the North American continent. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862. Resistance ended at Appomattox in April, 1865. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on December 6, 1865, and finally, in the United States and in Pennsylvania, slavery ended and men and women moved closer to the American ideal of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
In 1976, the Bicentennial of the city marked the opening of the African American Museum in Philadelphia, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. This was the first institution funded and built by a major municipality to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans and it took two hundred years to do so. As I traveled through the historic North East in the fall of 2021 I was conscious of more new tour opportunities and fresh signage providing information on the region's Black heritage than has likely been updated in decades. No historic home or enterprise has the excuse any more to turn a blind eye to the fact that most all of these structures and societies were built on the backs of enslaved Africans.
The city of Philadelphia holds many dark secrets of the past including plentiful ghost stories, tales of whipping posts, gallows, a red light district and infamous sites of long gone haunts. There are several historian-led Grim Philly tours for walking these gloomy trails for anyone inclined to soak up the grimmer history of the city, including witch tours and graveyards.
The American Revolution took place less than a century after Penn staked his claim of Philadelphia for England. Philadelphia was the largest city in the colony by 1775 and the spiritual heart of revolutionary America.
And the Declaration of Independence, bearing the signature of Thomas Jefferson was first read at Independence Square at the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783. Francesca took me on an afternoon walkabout of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, fantastically one of the top most visited monuments in America today and twenty minutes by foot from her apartment.
Independence Hall was host to the Continental Congress and it's remarkable to stroll by the related historic buildings that make up the national park that witnessed such an extraordinary time in the nation's history. I closed my eyes and pictured the 18th century delegates to the Second Continental Congress arguing their strategy in the perilous game of rebellion against the rule of King Charles.
Looking closely at the later named, 2000-pound, The Liberty Bell, Constitution and Independence Hall — it's interesting to note that they each utilize the spelling "Pensylvania" - the original spelling of the state named after Penn, who would die penniless in 1718 after being imprisoned in England for debt. Despite Pennsylvania's rapid growth the colony he impinged on from its first people never turned a profit in time for he or his family to benefit.
It would take some eleven bloody and treacherous years, dozens of top secret deliberations and reams of ruthless compromises to shape the new form of government that ultimately became the Constitution of the United States. To wander this core historical national park is to ponder all that transpired before the founding of Washington DC. when Washington was subsequently established as the capital of the newly formed United States. Philly lost its status as capital as the result of a compromise after years of negotiation by the U.S. Congress as it attempted to define the concept of a “federal enclave.”
First president, George Washington (1789–97), carefully selected the new site named after him as the gateway to the interior in which to bridge the northern and southern states.
As I discovered, for the modern-day traveler such as myself, Philadelphia is strategically located between New York (1 hour 20 minutes) and Washington DC. (1 hour 45 minutes) on Amtrak’s Acela Express.
According to the Architect of the eventual Capitol back in the day, it was later President John Adams who issued a letter to all federal agencies on May 15th, 1800, directing the "removal of the public offices, clerks and papers" from the capital city of Philadelphia. In that single sentence, Adams started the final move of the U.S. government to its permanent home, the newly created city of Washington, in the District of Columbia.
Back then the region was mostly dense forest and wilderness and postal roads were unpaved on often atrociously un-level terrain. A stage coach traveling four miles per hour with fit horses would have taken Adams and subsequently, Jefferson at least four days (with stops) to cover the approximately 120 plus miles from Philadelphia to Washington, at best.
Historic churches remain a central feature of this bustling city. The Christ Church ,an Episcopal church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia was founded in 1695 as a parish of the Church of England remains an active church today with daily tours and services. Known as “The Nation’s Church,” it hosted members of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution and Presidents George Washington and John Adams in the first decade of the newly established Republic. Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, Betsy Ross, John Penn (William Penn’s grandson) and signers of the Constitution and of the Declaration of Independence, including Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, and Francis Hopkinson were amongst its first congregational members. For 56 years, its steeple made Christ Church the tallest structure in North America. Its burial ground is the resting place of five signatories to the Declaration of Independence.
Logan Square, which sits between Broad Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Market Street on the south and Spring Garden Street on the north, is home to many iconic Philadelphia attractions. It was named after James Logan, a Scots-Irish colonial American statesman, administrator, philosopher, botanist and scholar who served as the fourteenth mayor and most influential statesman of early Philadelphia. James Logan arrived in the service as colonial secretary of Penn and held many other public offices. Logan was born in the town of Lurgan in County Armagh, Ireland to Ulster Scots-Irish parents.
First known as Northwest Square, it's intriguing to envision this central spot surrounded by untouched hardwood forest for most of the 18th century and serving as a potter's field and a pasture, a graveyard and execution ground. Many of Penn's squares served as public burial spaces for outsiders, convicted criminals, indigent poor and African Americans and it is said that Logan Square (named and paved after 1825) is home to many an intact buried coffin today. In the last decade, archaeologists discovered around 60 intact graves in Sister Cities Park on the square's East End. The last public hanging was recorded in the square in 1823.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Nowadays, the majestic Swann Memorial Fountain is mostly what visitors come looking for. Designed by Philadelphia-born sculptor Alexander Calder, this stately fountain represents the region’s major waterways: the Delaware, Schuylkill and Wissahickon. Quite a few of the city’s main attractions including Moore College of Art & Design, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Free Library of Philadelphia, Sister Cities Park and The Franklin Institute surround the circle.
Francesca's fabulous fall afternoon walking tour took us to Elfreth’s Alley which was not included in original plans for Philadelphia, but as the city became a busy urban hub, artisans and merchants purchased or rented property close to the ports where goods and materials arrived. According to Elfreth's Alley Musem: "This led to overcrowding, and landowners recognized that tradesmen needed alternate routes to the river. Arthur Wells and John Gilbert opened a cart path between their properties, which stretched from Front St. to Second St., in 1703. The path later became known as Elfreth’s Alley, named after Jeremiah Elfreth, blacksmith and land developer."
Tireless efforts of residents and historians from the 1930s to 1960s have thankfully preserved the Alley as a typical colonial street. I was happy to learn that in the 1960's, the Elfreth's Alley Association secured National Historic Landmark status to ensure that Interstate 95 construction did not eliminate this historic neighborhood from the landscape of Old City, Philadelphia.
Today, Elfreth’s Alley is an “exceptional example of early American structures built between 1720 and 1830” according to the historic marker designated in 2016. The Elfreth’s Alley Museum (located at houses 124 and 126) celebrates the working class of America who helped build this country through sweat and commerce. The alley remains a thriving residential community which is home today to artists and artisans, educators and entrepreneurs. It must be a little tiresome to have tourists constantly peering through one's windows, but I guess you know what you're signing up for when you opt into such a curiosity of a neighborhood.
Two minutes walk from Elfreth's Alley and Betsy Ross is said to have fashioned the first-ever American flag in a house at 239 Arch Street. Myth or Fact, there's simply insufficient evidence to prove whether or not Betsy's claim is accurate, but it could be. Click here and you decide!
Cool fact is that Philadelphia does have the most number of public art pieces among all US cities. According to Discover Philadelphia nearly 4,000 massive murals grace the walls and communicate the essence of the city's diverse and lively neighborhoods.
Thanks to my sister-in-law's inside knowledge of the city, I was fortunate to stand before and ooh and aah over The Dream Garden — a giant mosaic that was the only collaboration between Maxfield Parrish and glass master Louis Comfort Tiffany. Its forever-home is a story in of itself within the lobby of The Curtis Building, its location for nearly a century.
Click here for The Association of Public Art's info on how this breathtaking mural composed of hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable glass tesserae in more than 260 color tones came to be designated as the city’s first “historic object” by the Philadelphia Historical Commission after it risked being removed and sold to Steve Wynn, a Casino owner in Las Vegas in 1988.
The stunning building itself features a marble promenade with a waterfall and interior fountain and was home for many decades to one of the biggest publishers in America. The Curtis Publishing Company was known for Ladies Home Journal, the Saturday Evening Post, Country Gentlemen, American, Jack & Jill and Holiday and the Curtis Building which is now home to lawyers and doctors offices and luxury apartments was founded by Cyrus Curtis in 1891.
We didn't make it over to the oldest outdoor market in all of the United States, the Italian Market, during this brief visit but I wish we'd had time. I have browsed the stalls of cheeses, chocolates, deli specialties, baked goods and other tasty Italian faire on my past visit, however and I think a market tour would be a fun activity for anyone new to town.
There was no lack of Italian food on our itinerary, thankfully. Dinner with Francesca's friends Pam and Nancy at my sister-in-law's favorite neighborhood eatery Modo Mio Taverna on 5th Street showcased chef Peter's delicious Italian menu to perfection. Highly recommend you start supper with a classic Negroni.
Talking of food, just as New York has its pizza and bagels and San Francisco its sourdough and clam chowder, Philly has its cheesesteaks — a long, crusty roll filled with thinly sliced sautéed ribeye beef and melted cheese. I'm not a cheesesteak aficionado so I turned to Phillybite.com for the back story: "The cheesesteak made its official debut in 1930. Pat Olivieri was a South Philadelphia hot dog vendor who decided to put some beef from the butcher on his grill one day. A taxicab driver noticed the alluring aroma and asked for his own steak sandwich. The next day, as the story goes, the rumor of the delicious lunch had spread and cabbies around the city came to Olivieri demanding steak sandwiches. Soon after, Olivieri opened up a shop on 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, Pat’s King of Steaks, to sell his new creation. Eventually, according to legend, he added cheese to the recipe."
Today, Pat’s grills sizzle away 24/7, as do Geno’s, its rival shop across the street. "For 40 years, the two shops have waged a friendly competition to win the best cheesesteak title in town, with Geno’s founder, Joe Vento, claiming it was he, not Olivieri, who first added cheese to the cheesesteak."
Whatever time of day you find yourself on site, at least one or two Rocky Balboa die-hards are sure to be one step ahead, imitating their idol as they enthusiastically race up and down the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps and pose beside his bronze statue. As with the cheesesteak partaking, I didn't do this either, but other may enjoy the experience!
Philly is a foodie's delight, with street food galore, some 300-plus bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) restaurants, sidewalk seating reminiscent of European cities, bars with great food, craft pizza spots, vegetarian and vegan spots and, in addition to the Italian market, there's also the Reading Terminal Market.
Philly is home to the second largest university population in the U.S. and its a life sciences hub, making innovation and education a significant part of its modern day story. It's said that one in every six doctors n the United States are at least partly trained in their field in Philadelphia.
Textile shoppers have been making pilgrimages to Philadelphia’s Fabric Row for over a century. This historic thoroughfare stretches down South 4th Street between Bainbridge and Catherine streets. Third and fourth-generation fabric vendors hare the neighborhood with small businesses, salons and tattoo studios and locals stop by shops in Fabric Row every fourth Friday of the month for after-hours shopping and dining.
It was only a year or two after me and her brother that Francesca answered the call of opportunity to the United States by a British hair product company that was making it big this side of the Atlantic. She's had a remarkable career, following earlier stints as a British Italian hair stylist in the UK, Kenya and Italy and now a fully-fledged British Italian American stylist & educator, stateside with multiple nominations and accolades from the National Association of Hairdressers annual awards for her super-creative, innovative editorial and avant-garde designs.
All this international acclaim doesn't mean there's not room for new clients to book an appointment in the chair at Follicle Salon, Philly. I've so much admiration and love for my passionate and creative sister-in-law, it was wonderful to step into her studio together.
If You Go
The Philly Phlash is a quick, inexpensive, and easy trolley to key destinations throughout Center City. For $2 per ride (or free with select SEPTA passes), hop on and off popular stops for easy and convenient transportation to the city's most popular sites. Click for More information.
Bring your walking shoes. Some 9,200 acres of park space offer one of the most expansive park systems in the country. Fairmont Park is the largest city park in the US, with over 8,000 acres. Click here for seven walking tours of historic Philadelphia.
Click here for hotels and deals through Visit Philly.
Comments