Colonial Roads From Philadelphia

John Thompson Ferris, in 1917 produced an excellent 313 page volume about buildings and roads leading out of Philadelphia. The manuscript, titled Old Roads Out of Philadelphia is still available today through Google Books, an archive project that in effect rescues long lost works by digitizing them and making them available to the public. Many of the buildings and landmarks I ran across in researching Tun Tavern and notables in mid 18th Century Philadelphia are included in the Ferris work. As a side project, I thought it would be interesting to cover these same roads today in 2010, and present color pictures of some of the same buildings and landmarks and other edifices still around. Among them are spectacular restorations. There are stone walls, decaying spring houses and mills, that will hopefully be preserved. So as time allows, here's a quick shot collection of 18th Century Philadelphia, keystone of democracy. Although few mile markers remain an estimate of mileage from Independence Hall is noted with each photo. The photos will begin from the mile post 30, slightly beyond the scope of the famous Scull and Heap map of around 1774, toward Independence Hall, Philadelphia.

A horse drawn wagon leaving Lancaster at sundown would reach Philadelphia at sun rise the next morning. There were many taverns and hotels along the way that were often owned and operated by members of the Continental Congress or the merchant upper class. Two examples, Samuel Nicholas, the first commandant of the Marine Corps, ran the Conestoga Wagon in Philadelphia. Robert Mullen, the first Marine Corps Recruiter, owned and ran Tun Tavern and a catering business, after the death of his father.

From the Wharf (Penn's Landing) on the Delaware River, Philadelphia:

The USS United States (my model)is a composite photo but a fitting start to the Philadelphia segment. The ship United States was designed and built in Philadelphia by Joshua Humphreys, a Philadelphia shipbuilder. It was was one of the first six frigates to apply America's naval power on the high seas. The ship United States under command of Commodore Barry patrolled the West Indies. At the turn of the century after the USS Constitution, another Humphreys frigate defeated the HMS Guerrier the USS United States defeated the HMS Macedonian, both violent sea engagements produced heavy casualties. The USS Philadelphia, another Humphreys ship, commanded by Edward Preble served off Tripoli in the attacks on Molehead to put down pirates then extorting ransom for captured merchant ships in the Mediterranean. The ship was burned to the waterline by American sailors and marines to prevent the captured frigate from being used by the pirates. Discussions about these conflicts at sea surely could have been heard in these very buildings which still stand today. All buildings in these photos were a part of the rich 18th Century story.

18th Century Buildings of Philadelphia

Along The West Chester Pike (Rt. 3):

Along The Lancaster Pike (Rt 30)

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