Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia

Situated roughly eight miles south of Philadelphia, in Essington, on the west bank of the Delaware River, the Lazaretto is considered to be the oldest and last surviving quarantine station in the United States. Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the Lazaretto was the first stop for immigrants and merchants on incoming ships whose passengers and cargo had to be quarantined until passing a health inspection.

The site of the Lazaretto has been enriched by layers of historical significance that existed long before the hospital was constructed. Archaeological evidence shows that as early as 1200 CE the region was home to the Okehocking tribe of the Lenni-Lenape, or Delaware, Indians. Furthermore, documentary evidence shows the surrounding area to be the site of a seventeenth-century Swedish colony and first seat of government in Pennsylvania.

The Lazaretto was commissioned by the Pennsylvania Board of Health in 1799, largely in response to the yellow fever epidemics that plagued Philadelphia in the late eighteenth century. The site was chosen for its strategic location near the mouth of the Delaware River, whereby all incoming ships, passengers, and cargo attempting to dock in Philadelphia and other northern ports were required to be quarantined pending inspection. Once docked, ships were searched for sick passengers, infested cargo, or the bodies of those who died during the voyage. Any sign of contagion would result in sterilization and fumigation of the clothing and baggage and quarantine of the passengers at the Lazaretto hospital for a period of days or weeks, and sometimes for months. The hospital could accommodate 500 persons. The Lazaretto continued to serve as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s quarantine station until the closing of the hospital in 1893. By then, most of the screening had passed to the National Quarantine Station, near Lewes, Delaware, established in 1884, or the station at Reedy Island, forty-five miles below Philadelphia. In 1913 state authorities consolidated screening procedures at a facility at Marcus Hook.

During the summer of 1800 the Lazaretto became famous for housing over 170 African slaves after the USS Ganges captured two U.S. ships carrying slaves off the coast of Cuba. The slaves were brought to Philadelphia, where the ships were held during condemnation proceedings. Since many of them were sick or starving, the slaves were held at the hospital for a month before being released to the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, whereupon many became part of the Philadelphia population of free blacks.

After its closure, the Lazaretto gained new life, first as the Orchard Club, a recreational site owned by the Philadelphia Athletic Club. Following the first seaplane flight in 1911, the site became the location of one of America’s first seaplane bases, serving in this capacity throughout World War I. After the closing of the base in 1937, the Lazaretto passed ownership several times until it was finally purchased by Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in 2005. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

In later years, a struggle ensued over preserving the Lazaretto after Tinicum Township unveiled plans for massive development on the site, including demolition of original structures. In November 2006, a compromise was reached between the township and the Preservation Alliance of Philadelphia that would allow development on five acres of the site while the historic buildings remain unharmed. In 2008 the site was awarded a historic marker by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Thumbnail credit:  Courtesy of William Menke, MLA, CLARB

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