northern liberties: the story of a philadelphia river ward, introduction, toc and epilogue

7/31/2019 Northern Liberties: The Story of a Philadelphia River Ward, Introduction, TOC and Epilogue

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Here are the Introduction, TOC and Epilogue of my forthcoming book: Northern Liberties: The Story of aPhiladelphia River Ward. It is due out fall 2012 from the History Press. A follow-up to myPhiladelphia's LostWaterfront (2011, The History Press), the book tells the history of the NoLibs community from the days ofWilliam Penn to current times. It's packed with information on what makes Northern Liberties the mostinteresting neighborhood in the city. For more info, see https://historypress.net/search.php?s=Northern+Liberties.Harry Kyriakodis

Northern Liberties: The Story of a Philadelphia River Ward

INTRODUCTION

Standing atop the tower of Philadelphias City Hall is a monumental statue of William Penn, Quakerfounder of both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Some say that the 27-ton bronze sculpture was positionedto look northeastwards in the direction of Tacony (the place in Philadelphia where it was cast), while otherssay that it faces Penn Treaty Park (where Penn made his famous friendship accord with Native Americansof the region). Either way, though, William Penn gazes first at Northern Liberties.

This is perhaps fitting, for Northern Liberties represents the best and the worst aspects of William Pennssettlement on the Delaware River. NoLibs, as the neighborhood is often called, is fraught with ideas and

things that made Philadelphia great: inventing, manufacturing, religious freedom, firefighting, urban renewal,and so on. It also has a history of negative characteristics and influences: drinking, decadence, hostility,urban blight and so forth. Yet this varied panorama of history is precisely what gives Northern Liberties itspeculiar air.
https://historypress.net/search.php?s=Northern+Libertieshttps://historypress.net/search.php?s=Northern+Libertieshttps://historypress.net/search.php?s=Northern+Libertieshttps://historypress.net/search.php?s=Northern+Liberties


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NoLibs is a portion of lower North Philadelphia, stretching from Vine Street (Philadelphias originalnorthern boundary) to Girard Avenue, and from the Delaware to Sixth Street (Eighth Street in this work). Itsone of the River Wards of Philadelphia, along with the communities of Fishtown, Kensington and PortRichmond. When incorporated as a borough in 1803, Northern Liberties was the fastest growing precinctcontiguous to Philadelphias northern border. It ranked among Americas largest cities into the nineteenthcentury, before the city of Philadelphia annexed it (and other municipalities) in 1854.

Native Americans were the first residents in the locale, for thousands of years. They lived in relativeharmony with Quakers who had come to the New World with William Penn during the colonial era. Thencame a considerable stock of diligent and inventive Germans who immigrated to Philadelphia and settled inNoLibs before the American Civil War. A high number of African Americans also established themselves inthe region. At the same time, Irish Catholics arrived and encountered the violence of the PhiladelphiaNativist Riots.

The 1854 consolidation of NoLibs into the city of Philadelphia helped bring peace to the area. Thisnewfound calm made Northern Liberties a true immigrant haven. By the end of the 1800s, the neighborhoodhad become home to several Europeans groups: central European Jews, Poles, Lithuanians, Russians,Latvians, Ukrainians, Slovaks, Hungarians, and the like. These peoples established places of worship andmoved into the homes of older immigrant groups that had left the area.

Newcomers found no shortage of work, for Northern Liberties was a manufacturing center from thebeginning. Substantial creeks brought water to power a host of mills for grain, corn and textile production,as well as businesses related to everything from brewing to leather tanning to shipbuilding to tool making.From small workshops to enormous factories, the industrial might of this quarter was felt far beyond

Philadelphia. This was where things were made, and made wella point of pride in the neighborhood.The Liberties remained a center of industrial and technological advancement well into the 1900s. But thedeindustrialization of Philadelphia during the mid-twentieth century left NoLibs a shadow of its former self.The southern section, from Vine to Spring Garden Streets, was already part of the citys SkidRow/Tenderloin district. Shortsighted highway and urban revitalization projects of the 1960s and 70s cut offthis portion of town, leaving a wasteland where people had once lived, worked and played. About thirtypercent of Northern Liberties was leveled.

The rest of NoLibs was spared and survived. Much of it lay empty and in ruin, but enough remained forartists, musicians and other urban pioneers to stake their claim and rebuild. This placenever quiet orquaint, yet always diverse and eclectichas gentrified into one of Philadelphias most favorite


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neighborhoods. Hip and upscalerestaurants, bars and shops havesupplanted decayed and vacantstructures, while innovative housingand high-rise condos have brought innew residents. NoLibs, most of zipcode 19123, is an Americanrenaissance story.

As Matt Ruben of the NorthernLiberties Neighbors Association hasstated: Through all the change, andthrough all the stories, theres acommon thread: this is a workingneighborhood. Its history isnt thecolonial museum history of the olddowntown. Its the still-unfoldinghistory of industry, a history offunction and work and the presenttense.

Northern Liberties can contemplate

its three-hundred-year thread of history while being assured of its futureall while under the watchful gazeof William Penn high above Philadelphia.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Matt RubenAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. What Are the Northern Liberties?2. Layout of the Land: The North End of Philadelphia3. Streets and Ways in the Liberties4. Setting Up Shop to Sell Sundries on Second Street (Til Sunset, Excepting Sundays)5. Debauchery, Decadence and Drinking

6. Religious Life (I of IV): African Methodist, Jewish and Quaker7. Significant Structures, Sites and Societies8. Water and GasFor the People9. Manufacturing and Industry (I of III): Inventions and Innovations10. Religious Life (II of IV): Presbyterian, Lutheran and Baptist11. Firefighting and Volunteer Fire Companies12. Politics and Problems in the 1830s, 40s & 50s13. Manufacturing and Industry (II of III): Tanning Hides14. Religious Life (III of IV): The Saint and the Sinner of NoLibs15. Banks, Schools and HospitalsFor the People16. Trains and Transit through Northern Liberties17. Manufacturing and Industry (III of III): Brewing Beer18. Religious Life (IV of IV): The Eastern European and Russian Influx

19. Places of AmusementFor the People20. The Misfortune of the Marshall Street Market-Mall Makeover21. Skid Row and the Callowhill East Redevelopment Project22. Urban Revitalization and Housing Innovations23. Re-Greening and Renewal: Liberty Lands and Other Parks24. Chic Commercial Activity: The Shops at Schmidts, the Piazza, Etc.EpilogueFurther ReadingIndex

About the Author


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EPILOGUE\

Northern Liberties has undergone manyincarnations: an ancient Native American settlement; agenteel farming community; an unruly district by theDelaware River; a middle-class suburb of Philadelphia;a sprawling public marketplace; a hotbed of political,religious and commercial activity; an inventiveindustrial boomtown; a vast immigrant bastion; and aforgotten urban void (to be avoided).

Today, Northern Liberties is a lively community ofabout 5,600 people living in a space of over half a milesquare. Besides being one of the most interestinginner-city neighborhoods anywhere, its one of thefastest-growing areas in Philadelphia. The North Endsstory seems to be repeating, given that it experiencedrapid development some two hundred years ago.Single professionals and families with children (andpets!) are making the Liberties their home andimmigrants continue to move inalthough hailing fromplaces like New York City and San Francisco these

days.A healthy respect for its history is an essential part of

NoLibs evolution. The locale is still a jumble ofFederal- and Victorian-style row houses, churches andfactories. In 1985, the Northern Liberties HistoricDistrict was created to draw attention to and helppreserve the Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate architecture that characterizes the area.

While its true that artists and others who inhabit these buildings and visit the Liberties have beendescribed as cool and hip, the North End has never tried to be as fashionable as other notable Philadelphianeighborhoods, like Manayunk or South Street. The quarters authentic appeal and its new attractions havemade it a substitute for the touristy feel of those places.

Liberty Lands park remains the best expression of the desire of residents to create a community for thefuture. NoLibers came together to build a serene meadow in the middle of a very urban setting. This

epitomizes how Northern Liberties sees itself today: a cosmopolitan, multicultural zone of people living andworking cooperatively for the common good.

Meanwhile, from high atop Philadelphia City Hall about a mile and a half away, William Penn looks onapprovingly.

northern liberties: the story of a philadelphia river ward, introduction, toc and epilogue

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