What would you like to know about Philadelphia and its history? Nominate a topic and tell us why you’d like to see it in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. To submit your ideas to the editors, simply scroll to the bottom of this page.
What would you like to know about Philadelphia and its history? Nominate a topic and tell us why you’d like to see it in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. To submit your ideas to the editors, simply scroll to the bottom of this page.
Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy
I would like to see a topic about the FIRE ESCAPES. Looking at then and now photos, outside fire escapes seem to have disappeared from sight. I think this will be an interesting topic to see how the building codes and regulations have changed over time.
I’d be happy to write about the Philadelphia area’s libraries. I’ve been a librarian for perilously close to three decades (where does the time go?!) and at the Free Library for 23 years (and two months and eleven days, but who’s counting) of that time. Most region’s libraries get far too little press and ours are no exception to that ridiculous rule, yet we have some of the oldest and best of all kinds in the country–and the people who have established, funded, stocked (with books and much, much more) and run them have done so with an innate understanding of the vital role of libraries and information centers in a healthy, self-governing society. Philadelphia has been the birthplace of this country in more ways than one!
I think the gang violence and constant rioting of the 19th century should not be neglected and how much the need for law and order led to to the city-county consolidation of 1854. Among crimes and criminals (up to the present time) we should include: bank robbery at Carpenters Hall. Charly Ross kidnapping, the Arsenic Ring of the 1930s, Deering family murders, H.H. Holmes; Black Mafia, Italian Mafia, MOVE, Einhorn, Smith-Bradford, Noe infant murders, Abscam, Street gangs of the 1950s-60s, Fumo. The list can go-on-and-on.
Two heroes that should not be over-looked are Al Schmidt and Smedley Butler.
To the editors.
I would be willing to submit an article or two dealing with aspects of crime in Philadelphia. I could write on such topics as bootlegging and law enforcement in the 1920s. I could also address the questions surrounding the role of ethnicity in the structure of crime.
I assume you’ll want to write a considerable amount on housing, the use of land that makes up most of the city and the region (by the way, how are you defining Greater Philadelphia?). In particular, Philadelphia is the flagship city of the rowhouse, no other major city (except maybe nearby Baltimore) developed it to the degree that Philadelphia did. There have also been efforts to develop what we would now call affordable housing that stretch back at least to the late 19th Century. Multi-family housing hasn’t played as strong a role in Philadelphia as elsewhere, but there’s Center City, great complexes like Alden Park, and the “garden apartment”, which become an American prototype. You could end up by considering to what extent New Urbanism is applicable and successful in the Philadelphia region.
Professional sports teams, including the great Negro League baseball teams. And outstanding women athletes from Philadelphia. and the great tennis players (for example Bill Tilden)
Exploring Philadelphia in the Age of Emancipation
Philadelphia in the early 19th Century was a ‘border city’ with close connections to both North and South. Although Philadelphia contained the largest Free Black population in the North and many immigrants from different ethnic groups, nevertheless, the city was plagued by racial and ethnic hatred, violence and seething discontent. The city did contain a small, but active group of Abolitionists, who worked tirelessly for improvements in civil society. The city boomed with vibrant commerce and industry. Many were attracted to the promise of economic betterment. The 1860 election of Lincoln, who carried Philadelphia and the state, polarized the city into rival camps. Only the outbreak of civil war brought a sense of unity, as thousands answered the call of military service to suppress rebellion. Philadelphia’s industries were vital to the war effort. Units and commanders from the city became famous in the fighting, and the greatest battle of the war was fought at Gettysburg, not far from Philadelphia.
Peace, Union, and the extension of civil rights were benefits of a tragic era, but the struggle for equality continued into the Post-War period. This was also a time to create the story of the war and struggle for rights, to mourn the fallen and to erect monuments to the veterans. The 1876 Centennial celebration in Philadelphia became a centerpiece of post war Philadelphia life.
All aspects of this era should be examined in creative and experiential ways. Citizens can visit sacred sites of memory in the city; view archives and museums to understand better the events through realia, artifacts and documents; and explore Victorian era cemeteries to find firsthand the rituals of remembrance. Especially with the advent of the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War and its momentous consequences, can we derive a thorough panorama of Philadelphia in the Age of Emancipation.
I read over the lengthy and illuminating document related to the recent workshop and think that labor is a glaring omission. The editors might see this topic tying into race, ethnicity, business, public policy, etc., but I think Philadelphia’s long history of working people merits greater emphasis.
May I suggest Philadelphia as an international, multilingual city?
As early as the Jeffersonian period the city was known for its disparity of languages–English, German, Spanish. And the first foreign language textbooks were published in Philadelphia.
Jay Worrall mentioned the Quakers. The encyclopedia needs, in some fashion, to address the tension between Quaker pacifism and the violence that marked much of Philadelphia’s history. Consider: Ben Franklin’s difficulties in founding “The Associators”, tension within the Friends during the Revolution (“Fighting Quakers”), the role of Quakers during Philadelphia’s occupation in 1777-78 and the role of individuals and the meetings in the abolitionist movement and ensuing Civil War.
Philadelphia in the Civil War is a major cross-disciplinary project in and of itself. The city was simultaneously a center for both anti slavery and pro-southern sentiment, the north’s major manufacturing center, a central node in the rail transportation system, a center for the training of the U.S. Colored Troops – and their officers, a major hospital center, etc., etc.
Moving ahead a half-century, the Great Influenza is a subject that Philadelphian have, generally, opted not to talk about. The “Spanish Influenza” had a major impact upon the life of the city – and the city’s medical institutions played a great role in understanding it.
I still don’t know — will there be biographical entries on individuals? (I believe there should be — tho’ it will lengthen the Encyclopedia, it will make it much more usable.
In answer to Jared’s question about biographies:
Currently, we’re thinking that people will be named within topical entries, but they would not have separately titled biographies. There would just be so many to do — how would we choose? However, we’re thinking of then following the example of the Encyclopedia of Chicago by creating a “biographical index” that would cover everyone named in the Encyclopedia and provide some additional information about each. Perhaps a version of it online would then allow for more expanded biographies to be created.
How does this sound?
The Editors
@Jared Lobdell
By mail we have received the suggestion: “Hoping that you won’t overlook the great warship “Philadelphia,” which was built here (1798) at the internationally famous shipyard of Philadelphia’s own Samuel Humphrey et. al.” — The Editors
I hope that the burning of Pennsylvania Hall on 6th street (1848?)is in the list. Philadelphia, like NYC and Baltimore, had a mercantile slant on the struggle over slavery, which is best characterized as “anti-abolitionism.” it wasn’t necessarily that people were pro-slavery, they were pro-trade and wanted the hostilities suspended so that business could prosper. That political position deserves attention as one of several positions on a complex political landscape.
@Starlyn D’Angelo
Dear Starlyn,
So nice to see your comment! I didn’t know that the Watervliet community had such a close relationship with the Philadelphia Shakers. Thanks for adding that to the mix.
Very best,
Shan
Philadelphia has a long and important creative and commercial history that should not be forgotten. There’s a lot of talk these days about the “creative economy” as the new, new thing, but cities like Philly had a creative economy back in the 19th century, with a strong network of manufacturers, institutes, and schools that created the “stuff” of everyday life, from leather to textiles. (Philly was the largest textile manufacturing center in the United States, and a major player in the chemical industry with firms like Charles Lennig and Rohm and Haas). Let’s not forget the commercial legacy of John Wanamaker, the founding father of the luxury department store, which on this side of the Atlantic Ocean got its start in our fair city. Finally, all of these developments–innovation in the creative and industrial economies–linked Philly to the wider world. Wanamaker had offices in Paris, which selected luxury goods for the Philadelphia market, and Otto Haas imported important innovations from Germany.
a) The story of Stephen Girard, who lives here from 1776 – 1831, dying as probably the richest man in America.
b) The story of Girard College, which touches on 1) incredible architecture (Founder’s Hall and the Chapel), 2) the history of education in Philly, 3) the whole cluster of Phila institutions designed to “fix” a specific social problem (Eastern State, Franklin Institute, Pa School for the Deaf, etc.) and 4) important issues of racial and gender desegregation in the 20th century.
[comment received April 23; re-posted by the editors May 1]
A correspondent in Germantown emails, “Be sure to include all the movie theaters throughout the city…about 20 were featured in the Germantown Historical Society magazine last year. GHS…great starting point for this area. Be sure to include the opera contests that produced stars … Mario Lanza, Anna Moffo.” The writer also calls our attention to the Hal Taylor Marionettes (1950-1999); the Philadelphia Marionette Theater & Museum (1978-today); the Catherine Brownholtz Philadelphia Mini Circus and Museum (1950-today); local boys clubs and dances; and the Bob Houston Yearsley Drum and Bugle Corps. Many drum and bugle corps started after WWI, she writes. “There were drum and bugle corps throughout the city…some still operate today.” — Posted by the Editors.
No complete history of Philadelphia can be complete–or entirely comprehensible–without a thorough treatment of William Penn, his “Holy Experiment,” and the values and ideals of the early Quaker settlers of the city. The Logans, Morrisses, Pembertons and many more laid down the parameters that would guide how the city developed and grew. Many of these values have flowered also in the broader field of our national development, including religeous toleration and popularly elected government.
[comment originally posted April 24; re-posted by the editors May 1]
17th and 18th century German immigration and settlement and associated satellite topics, such as the establishment of Germantown,Pastorius, the German Society, Pennsylvania Germans, the Woman of the Wilderness, Johannes Kelpius etc. etc.
[comment originally posted April 24; re-posted by the editors May 1]
I’d like to propose an entry on Egyptian mummies in Philadelphia (and write it for you as well) I have a book in press about Egyptian mummies in 19th century America an Philadelphia was an important venue for exhibiting and collecting mummies.
[comment originally posted April 25; re-posted by the editors May 1]
Oldest still-existing carbonated flavored “soda” (I think) — Hires Root Beer First advertising agency Foundation of Knights of Labor (all in 1860s)–The “Philadelphians” (Kelpius of Wissahickon / Society of the Woman in the Wilderness) — Sarah Josepha Hale and Godey’s Ladies Book — Poe and his friend T S Arthur (both coming from Baltimore) — Temperance in Philadelphia from 1840 — Saturday Evening Post — Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia from 1940 — Baseball in Phila — of course Franklin (editorial parallel with S J Hale) — those are some I’d like to work on — and Science Fiction in Philadelphia
[comment originally posted April 25; re-posted by the editors May 1]
Philadelphia’s brewing industry began on “day one.” As a major seaport of the colonies, Philadelphia beer was being shipped around the world and earned the city a well-deserved reputation as a world class brewing center. America’s first porter was brewed here in 1775, first lager in 1840. Brewerytown (and vicinity) was home to no fewer than 18 breweries, some of them being among the largest in the nation. Philadelphia’s craft brewers continue a tradition spanning three centuries.
[comment originally posted April 21; re-posted by the editors May 1]
Medicine and healthcare. Philadelphia has played a huge role in the development of medical education and medical practice, with two notable examples: Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation’s first hospital and Woman’s Medical College, the first degree-granting medical school for women.
[comment originally received April 21; re-posted by the editors May 1]
Philadelphia was home to the only urban Shaker community. It was primarily populated by Black women who worked as domestic servants. The community functioned under the auspices of the Watervliet Shaker community in Albany, NY. The Watervliet Shakers sheltered fugitive slaves and had a close relationship with the Philadelphia Shakers (Rebecca Jackson, the leader of the Philadelphia Shakers was involved in assisting run away slaves). This history has been largely overlooked but should be included in your encyclopedia. The Philidelphia Shakers were mentioned in Du Bois’ work but I think they were active longer than he states.
[comment received April 23; re-posted by the editors May 1]