Philadelphia
History
At the time the first settlers of European descent arrived at what is now
known as Philadelphia, it was inhabited by Native Americans who called
themselves Lenni-Lenape. The settlers called them Delawares.
The Netherlands laid claim to the area in 1609 when Henry Hudson,
an Englishman in the Dutch service, sailed into Delaware Bay. Around
1647 the Dutch began to build trading posts. The Dutch were pushed
out by the English in 1664.
In 1681 England's King Charles granted William Penn the territory now
known as Pennsylvania in exchange for a debt owed Penn's father.
Penn, a wealthy and well educated man, had committed himself to the
Society of Friends or the Quakers. They practiced a form of religion
generally regarded by society with suspicion, because of its tenets and
its insistence upon simplicity in speech and dress.
Penn himself had been imprisoned four times for voicing his beliefs,
and King Charles was only too happy to be rid of him and his followers.
More history
Although he had been granted all the land in Pennsylvania, Penn chose to buy
the claims of any native people still living there. This set a new standard in
colonial settlers' relations with Native Americans. Penn dispatched his cousin to
lay out a city, which he called Philadelphia, from the Greek for "brotherly love."
Penn envisioned Philadelphia as a haven for his fellow Quakers to enjoy freedom
of worship and the chance to govern themselves.
The city was laid out in a grid, with large lots, wide streets, and a provision for
five city parks. Four of which are still in existence. Historians note that
Philadelphia was one of the first cities in the New World built according to a
plan.
The Quakers were not only humanitarians but shrewd businesspeople as well.
They offered large tracts of land at reasonable prices and advertised throughout
Europe for settlers .
Attracted by the liberality and tolerance of the Quaker government, and looking
for better economic opportunities, thousands of immigrant families soon began
arriving. This included a group of German Quakers who established the first
German settlement in America.
Independence Hall
The Declaration of Independence was signed in this
building on July 4, 1776. The Independence Hall was
also the site were the American Flag was first
unveiled in 1777. In 1781, the Articles of
Confederation uniting all thirteen British colonies
were ratified here. In 1787 the U.S. Constitution was
drafted in this building.
In 1950 the National Park Service restored it back to
its 1776 appearance. Most of the furniture visible
inside Independence Hall is not authentic, because in
1778 British troops occupied the building and used
the furniture as firewood.
Liberty Bell
The bell was ordered in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Assembly, the
colonial government, reportedly to commemorate the 50 year
anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges. The bell was
cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London and arrived in
Philadelphia in September 1752.
Six months later, in March 1753, the bell was hung in the Liberty Bell
Center steeple of Independence Hall. The bell cracked the first time it
rang. It was recast by two foundry workers in Philadelphia who - in an
effort to make the bell less brittle - added additional copper. The bell
sounded awful due to the extra copper, so they recast it again. The
final bell was put in place in June 1753.
The bell was rung to announce all sorts of events. One of the
historically most important events was on July 8, 1776 when the bell
summoned the citizens to attend the reading of the Declaration of
Independence.
Betsy Ross House
In reality, Betsy Ross never really owned the
home in Philadelphia. She was just a long-
time renter. She rented it from 1773 to 1786.
She made the American Flag at this little
house, which was built in 1740.
After Betsy Ross left the house on Arch
Street, it was occupied by a number of other
businesses. Eventually local Philadelphians
recognized the historic importance of the
house and purchased it. They formed the
Betsy Ross Memorial Association in 1898.
Eastern State Penitentiary
The first goal of the prison was to insulate
inmates from the corrupting influences of the
outside world that had spawned them.
the second goal was intended to serve as a
reminder to the citizens at large, of the
consequences of committing crimes.
It is the first prison that gave every prisoner
solitary confinement.
Many prisons in the U.S. were modeled from
it.
Boathouse Row
Fairmount Park's rowing activity largely centers on these 12
houses. Ten of them belong to rowing clubs, including those of
Philadelphia's Big 5 Universities, which include University of
Pennsylvania, Temple, St. Joseph's, Villanova, and La Salle.
Another house serves as Fairmount Park's recreation center
while the last one on the row is a private social club known as
The Sedgely Club.
In addition, some of the boathouses support local high school
rowing teams and provide space for them to store their vessels.
Most of these rowing clubs were organized in the mid-1800s
and their houses were built between the 1870s and 1900.
Bachelors Barge Club is the oldest continuously operating
rowing club in America, started by a group of unmarried
volunteer firefighters who were stationed near the river.
Visitors go to see it at night because each house is outlined in
lights.
Eastern
State
Penitentiary
Boathouse Row
Betsy Ross house
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall
Geography
The county has a total area of 142.6 square
miles.
135.1 square miles of this is land and
7.6 square miles of this is water. The total
area is 5.29% water.
Bodies of water around Philadelphia County
include the Delaware River, Schuylkill River,
Cobbs Creek, Wissahickon Creek, and
Pennypack Creek.
Facts
The population is 1,526,006
The main language is English
The current Mayor is Michael Nutter
holidays
We celebrate man Holidays in Philadelphia. Here are just some of
them.
January 1 New Year's Day
3rd Monday in January M. L. King's Birthday
3rd Monday in February Presidents' Day
March or April Good Friday
Last Monday in May Memorial Day
July 4 Independence Day
1st Monday in September Labor Day
2nd Monday in October Columbus Day
November 11 Veterans Day
4th Thursday in November Thanksgiving Day
December 25 Christmas Day
Mummers
Every year on January 1st Philadelphia
hosts the Mummers Parade.
Philadelphia is the only city that has a
Mummers Parade.
Mummers are people who get dressed
up in fancy costumes and perform a
skit. They also have many mummers
who play music though out the skit.
Mummers Judging
Two places, every year, judge the mummers.
The Union League of Philadelphia and
Convention Hall. I am very lucky because my
Grandfather is a member of The Union
League of Philadelphia.
The person who judges the Mummers from
The Union League is a good friend of my
grandfather and lets me help judge too.
Mummers pictures
Mummers costumes Mummers Dancing
Current Events
“Wall Street Occupation” marched from
City Hall to Liberty Square this past
weekend – the 99 percent.
The Susan G Komen 3 day walk ended.
Raising thousands of dollars for breast
cancer research.
The Aids Walk also happened on
Sunday.