Territory of Dreams debuts

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Since its beginning, South Philadelphia has become known for its niche little neighborhoods packed with diversity while being reminiscent of the Old World. Second only to Ellis Island, the city was also an immigration port from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. The Delaware River’s tidal nature served as a metaphor for these waves of immigration that continue today.

With the sunlit river in the background, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania debuted South Philadelphia: “Territory of Dreams” walking tour Saturday morning with about 25 invitees. Local historian and archivist Jack McCarthy led the three-to-five-mile, two-and-a- half-hour excursion covering more than 400 years of rich history with narrations, his own unique anecdotes and stops at several monumental locations along the way.

Jumping back and forth through time, the tour illustrated how residents constantly vied for identity in their own geographic areas while ethnic and religious clashes and tensions rose.

“This peaceful neighborhood has seen lots and lots of strife,” McCarthy, a Northeast Philadelphia resident, said.

From the original Lenni-Lenape inhabitants to the late 1630s when the first Swedish colony was established, historical moments weave through the streets of South Philadelphia. In fact, both Christian and Queen streets were named for the Swedish heir, Christina, who once renounced her crown.

But it wasn’t until William Penn purchased land and arrived in 1682 that immense change began. His religious tolerance and equality drew an influx of European settlers. With this in mind, Gloria Dei (Old Swede’s) Church, built in 1700 at Christian Street and Delaware Avenue, was the perfect site for the tour’s first stop. It was during this time Penn laid out the city’s three original counties — Chester, Philadelphia and Bucks.

“This is when things really begin to pick up in Philadelphia,” McCarthy said.

But the actual Philadelphia municipality only covered a small geographic area spanning from Vine Street to South Street and from the Delaware to the Schuylkill River. This small radius remained the city limits until 1854 when active consolidation occurred and city and county merged to become synonymous.

The next stop on the tour, which covered both the Southwark and Moyamensing neighborhoods, was the narrow cobblestone on the 800 block of South Hancock Street. It was once better known as Burd’s Alley.

“This area was growing as a result of Philadelphia and the maritime industry,” McCarthy said about the mid-1700s.

Attendee and former boat business owner, Betty Kaplan, who owned conjoined houses on this street since 1978, shared personal stories of her house’s renovation and the constant evolution of the somewhat territorial neighborhood.

“Philadelphia has always been a city of neighborhoods and from block to block, it can change,” she said about the origins of the tour. “And for the most part, at this time, various ethnicities respect each other, but it wasn’t always that way.”

High religious tensions among immigrants during the 19th century were highlighted in front of sites such as the Weccacoe Firehouse, 117 Queen St.; St. Philip Neri Church, 218 Queen St.; and Mario Lanza Park, 200 Queen St. The tour continued to Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, 419 S. Sixth St., which became a haven for African-American life through the late 1700s and during the fight for civil rights.

“This is the longest continually owned African-American property,” McCarthy said.

W.E.B. DuBois’ neighborhood, where he conducted a landmark research study about the African-American community, marked the end of the tour’s Southwark coverage.

Walkers were then led to the Moyamensing section, near the corner of Seventh and Bainbridge streets, where McCarthy shared stories of conflict between Irish and African-American immigrants living amongst each other. The former Moyamensing Hose Company, Institute for Colored Youth, Washington Market and the Famous Fourth Street Deli, 700 S. Fourth St. — the commercial center for Jewish life — were emphasized.

The Italian section of the excursion visited Columbus Hall and St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church, 714 Montrose St., with the renowned Italian Market denoting the finale. Although the program ran longer than expected and was cut short mid-way, several pedestrians were curious while attendees found the overall information engaging.

“I wasn’t familiar about the earliest history of Irish immigration here,” Kaplan, a part-time tour guide, said. “It’s very, very interesting and the dynamic is still happening, the story is repeating itself and I find it thrilling.”

Chris Lajkowicz, who remembered back to when she worked as a nurse at Albert Einstein Medical Center’s Daroff Division, Fifth and Reed streets, enjoyed learning about the changing times.

“Even though I worked in South Philadelphia, I never realized the waves of immigration,” she said. “We’re not in new and unusual times.”

Even those knowledgeable of Philadelphia’s history benefitted from attending.

“I didn’t realize how populated and active this area was and that’s the reason why I came,” John Wolf, a resident of Haddonfield, NJ, said.

Created in conjunction with the City of Philadelphia’s Department of Records and the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Design among other organizations, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania first launched the interactive website — www.philaplace.org — in December 2009. Since then, historical stories, pictures and videos were recorded through various events. The website’s success and plethora of information served as the basis for writer Nathaniel Popkin’s tour.

“This is the first neighborhood tour, we’ll see how it works and possibly make it a regular thing,” Lauri Cielo, the Society’s director of programs and communications, said. “We’d like to encourage more people to visit the site and add their own stories and memories from South Philly.” ■

Visit www.philaplace.org for more info on the tours.

Comment at www.southphillyreview.com/news/features.

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