Girard Estate
History Girard Estate is named after Stephen Girard, whose South Philadelphia property was developed in the 1920s by the City of Philadelphia. Girard’s country home was on a plot of land he named Gentilhommiere in what was formerly called Passyunk Township of Philadelphia County. He was likely the richest man in the United States when he died in […]
Society Hill
History The district is named after the 18th century Free Society of Traders, which had its offices at Front Street on the hill above Dock Creek. Located close to both the Delaware River and Philadelphia’s civic buildings, including Independence Hall, the neighborhood soon became one of the city’s most populous areas. Several market halls, taverns and churches […]
Rittenhouse Square
History Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the 17th century. By the late 1700s the square was surrounded by brickyards as the area’s clay terrain was better suited for kilns than crops. In 1825 the square was renamed in honor of […]
Fitler Square
History Fitler Square is named after Edwin H. Fitler, a well-regarded 19th century mayor of Philadelphia. The Square was dedicated to his memory shortly after his death in 1896. From the city’s earliest history, the Fitler Square neighborhood was a shipping, shipbuilding and brick-making center that became home to some of the city’s most prominent […]
Roxborough
History Most of modern day Roxborough was once part of Roxborough Township which was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation, 1854. At this time Roxborough was the home of the areas wealthiest; the owners of the Manayunk mills. These mills didn’t just produce anything from textiles to plastic […]
Mount Airy
History William Allen, a prominent Philadelphia merchant and Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, created his summer estate and mansion on Germantown Avenue at Allens Lane in 1750, and the area eventually took the building’s name, Mount Airy, as its own. Before this, the area which makes up the modern neighborhood of Mount Airy […]
East Oak Lane
History Settled in 1683, East Oak Lane, located at “The Northern Gates of Philadelphia”, is William Penn’s first neighborhood- his first “Green Country Town.” Rich with history, gorgeous architecture, green space and cultural diversity, this neighborhood is truly a jewel in the crown of Philadelphia. Convenient to the newly restored Melrose Park Train station, Fernrock […]
Germantown
History The Germantown area of Philadelphia is one of Philadelphia’s oldest settlements. It was originally settled by Mennonite and Quaker German speaking émigrés from Holland, Germany and Switzerland attracted to Philadelphia by William Penn’s promises of religious tolerance. When Philadelphia was occupied by the British during the American Revolutionary War, several units were housed in […]
Erdenheim and Flourtown
History Erdenheim is a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The primary commercial areas are located along the Bethlehem Pike. Erdenheim was laid out in 1892. It used to be known as “Heydricksdale” and simply “Wheelpump” after a local inn, but was changed to “Erdenheim” which is German for “earthly home”. Flourtown is also in Springfield Township, […]
East Falls
History East Falls is a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia. The neighborhood runs along a stretch of Ridge Avenue that is only a few miles long, along the banks of the Schuylkill River then extends northeast to Wissahickon Avenue. East Falls overlooks the multi-use recreational path of Fairmount Park along Kelly Drive, and is desirable for its central location, an easy […]
