USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Annals of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania in the olden time; being a collection of the memoirs, anecdotes, and incidents of the earliest settlements of the inland part of Pennsylvania, Vol. I > Part 43
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The Grand Jury present at this time (1717) the great need of a ducking stool, saying that, whereas it has been frequently and often presented by several former Grand Juries, the necessity of a ducking stool and house of correction for the just punishment of scolding drunken women, as well as divers other profligate and unruly per- sons, who are become a public nuisance,-they, therefore, earnestly pray the court it may no longer be delayed. I have never under- stood that it was adopted.
In 1719 the Grand Jury present " the prison and dead walls in the street."
In 1722, April, it was ordered by the Common Council " that the old prison be sold to the highest bidder," &c. Perhaps there are houses at this day in the use of part of those materials!
At or about the year 1723 the new prison, at the south-west corner of Third and High streets, was finished, and about the same time the Grand Jury present " the old prison much in the way and spread over the street."
As appurtenant to the High street prison, there stood the market shambles, on the site of the present Jersey market. They were at first moveable, and were not placed there in the line of the prison till about ten years after the town had erected the permanent brick market at the western end of the court house. The facts are these, to wit :
In 1729, January, the Common Council agreed to erect twenty stalls, for the accommodation of such as bring provisions from the Jerseys-to be erected between the court house and the river, at one hundred feet eastward from the court house, and
360
The Stone Prison, corner of Third and High streets.
In October, 1740, the Council agreed to place moving stalls or the east side of the court house as far as Lætitia court, and it is or- dered that the middle of the street, from the pillory to the said Læ- titia court, be forthwith posted and gravelled, to the breadth of twenty feet.
Mr. Davenport Merrot, an aged person, told me the permanent Jersey market, when finally built about the year 1765, was many years without a foot-pavement on the inside of it.
In May, 1763, the Common Council having put the Market street, eastward from the Second street, under regulation and pave- ment, the former wooden stalls of the "Jersey market" being ruin- ous, they order that they shall be pulled down, and their place supplied with stalls, brick pillars, and roofed-the eastern end to serve the purpose for greens and roots, as a "green market," and also at the end thereof an Exchange; and that the sum of £500 be applied out of the " Exchange Stock," to defray the expense. 'T'he latter, however, was not attempted-but the fund was applied after wards to the City Hall.
THE STONE PRISON, SOUTH-WEST CORNER OF THIRD AND HIGH STREETS.
" There see the rock-built prison's dreadful face." --- MAKIN's POEM, 1729.
As the city enlarged its bounds by increase of population, it be- came necessary to seek out a new prison establishment of greater dimensions, and with more room about it-such as could be then found well out of the town All those advantages were deemed sufficiently attained when they accomplished this stone prison, under the act of Assembly of 1718. As it was a very popular measure, it appears that in the year 1717, sundry persons offered large subscrip- tions towards defraying the expense of it, and " to be made upon the ground intended for that use,"-besides this, the Grand Jury joined in recommending a tax on the city and county for effecting the same.
When finished, about the year 1723, the pile consisted of a two- story stone building, fronting on High street, for the debtor's jail, and another two story similar building, fronting on Third street, for the criminals, called the workhouse-the latter some distance from the former, but joined to it by a high wall forming a part of the yard enclosure. The buildings were of hewn stone; half of the cellar story was above ground ; the roofs were sharp pitched, and the gar
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STONE PRISON, S. W. COR. THIRD AND HIGH STREET S .- Page 360.
0
MUMFORD
FRIENDS' BANK MEETING HOUSE .- Page 390.
The Stone Prison, corner of Third and High streets. 361
rets furnished rooms for prisoners. As population increased, even this place was found too much in the town, and another remove had to be made to the Walnut street prison by Sixth street. This was done in 1784-the year in which the prisons spoken of in this article were demolished.
The aged Mrs. Shoemaker, who died in 1825, at the age of 95 years, told me, that when she was a girl she could easily, from Third street near the prison, look over to Fourth street, so as to see the peo- ple walking the streets-meaning thereby, there were not houses enough then built up to intercept the view. The Dock creek was also open then, and showed a considerable gully. There were also several paths by which to make a short cut across the square.
I observe several evidences on the old houses on the northern side of High street, near this prison, to indicate that the former grounds in this neighborhood were originally three feet higher than now. As early as the year 1708, it was complained of by the Grand Jury, as having no proper water-passage then, so that the crossing there was much impeded " by a deep dirty place where the public water gathers and stops for want of a passage, to the great damage of the neigh- bourhood."
In 1729, a city poet has given some graphic touches of the neigh- bourhood, to wit :
" Thence half a furlong west, declining pace, And see the rock-built prison's dreadful face, Twixt and beyond all these, near twice as far, As from a sling a stone might pass in air, The forging shops of sooty smiths are set --- And wheelwrights' frames -- with vacant lots " to let" ... A neighborhood of smiths, and piercing dins From trades --- from prison grates-and public inns !"
Kalm, who was here in 1748, speaks of those furnaces, saying, " they have several about the town for melting iron out of ore."
The barbarous appendages of whipping-post, pillory and stocks were placed full in the public eye, hard by, on High street directly in front of the market, and on the eastern side of Third street. The last remembered exhibition there was that of a genteel storekeeper, -quite as clever as several who now escape. He had made too free with other names to support his sinking credit, and there made his amends, by having his face pelted with innumerable eggs, and his ears clipt adroitly by the " delicate pocket scissors" of the sheriff- he holding up his clippings to the gaze and shouts of the populace !
These barbarous measures of punishment were not in accordance with the spirit and feelings of our forefathers, who early aimed at commuting work and confinement for crime ; but the parent country, familiar with its sanguinary code, always revoked the laws formed upon our schemes of reformation. They, therefore, generally pre- vailed till the time of our self-government, when measures were speedily taken, first by societies of citizens, and afterwards by the VOL I .- 2 V 3
.
362
Market Houses.
legislature, to introduce those reforms into prison discipline, &c. which have made our city and state to be celebrated for its early " Penitentiary System." The measures pursued by the Society formed in 1787, " for alleviating the miseries of public prisons," form already a small history, which may be profitably read in the book called " Notices of the Prison," &c., by Roberts Vaux, Esq.
MARKET HOUSES.
PHILADELPHIA has long been distinguished for its long range of market buildings, and equally so for the general excellence of its marketing. It is not much known, however, that it was not according to the original plan of the city to have such an extended market house, and still less to have had it located in High street. Penn expected it to have been placed at the Centre square, in the event of settling the chief population there. We shall see, in the course of the present notice, that objections were from time to time made against the extension of markets in High street ; and Proud has called it "a shameful and inconvenient obstruction."
The first notice of a permanent market house appears in the minutes of City Council in July, 1709, to wit :- " The new market house being thought to be of great service to the town, 'twas put to the vote how money should be raised for the doing thereof, and voted that every Alderman shall contribute and pay double what the Common Council-men should do." And in May, 1710, it was unanimously agreed that it should be built up with all expedition. It appeared that the members severally subscribed the fund neces- sary as a loan, to be repaid to them out of the rents from the butchers. The market so made extended from the court house to about half way to Third street.
In January, 1729, the Council agreed to erect twenty stalls on the site of the present Jersey market, for the accommodation of such as brought provisions from the Jerseys.
In 1737 the Clerk of the market complained to the Council of several nuisances-" that of persons who blow their meat-selling goods-bringing empty carts and lying of horses in the market place."
In a poetic description of High street, in 1729, the court house and market house are thus described, to wit :
363
Market Houses.
" An yew bow's distance from the key-bul.t strand Our court house fronts Cæsarea's pine tree land. Through the arch'd dome, and on each side, the street
Divided runs, remote again to meet.
Here, eastward, stand the traps for obloquy And petty crimes-stocks, posts and pillory : And, twice a week, beyond, light stalls are set,
Loaded with fruits, and flowers, and Jersey's meat. Westward, conjoin, the shambles grace the court, Brick piles their long extended roof support.
Oft, west from these, the country wains are seen To crowd each hand, and leave a breadth between."
At a subsequent period the market was extended up to Third street, where, for many years, its Third street front was marked with the appendages of pillory, stocks and whipping-post.
About the year 1773 the subject was agitated for constructing another market, to extend in continuation from Third to Fourth street-a measure much opposed by property-holders along High street, who preferred an open wide street. In some of the paper discussions, which appeared in print at that time, it was proposed to take the market out of High street altogether, and to locate it in the centre of the square from High street to Chestnut street, and from Third to Fourth street,* leaving the dwelling-houses still on the front streets, on Third and Fourth streets; to pull down the stone prisons on the south-west corner of Third and High streets, and to erect there a court house, town house, &c. In time, however, the advocates for the market prevailed, and the building went on daily ; but a measure, not foreseen, occurred every night :- The housekeepers who lived along the line of the market, employed persons in the night time to pull down the mason-work of the day. This being persevered in for some time excited considerable interest.
Something like a similar excitement occurred about the year 1749, when the older market was extended from Bank alley up to Third street. While some then pulled down by night what was set up by day, Andrew Marvell's addresses came out to the people, de- nouncing the building thereof, saying, in his second address, that " the persons who before bought lots on High street, because of its superior width, were thus to have their expectations and interests ruined thereby, by creating a greater grievance than they remove." He adds, that " the advice of several eminent counsel in the law has satisfied the people that an opposition is not only legal and justi- fiable, but also their duty ; for the lawyers have assured them the corporation has no right, either in charter, laws, or custom, to sus tain the building of shambles in any street of the city ; but, on the contrary, have pointed out some laws which limit and restrict their power in this instance."
· The place of Dr. Franklin's mansion.
364
The Arch Street Bridge at Front Street.
We have all heard of Fairs once held in our markets before the Revolution, but few of the present generation have any proper judg- ment of what manner of things they were. A few remarks on them shall close this article, to wit :
A fair was opened by oral proclamation in these words, (Vide a city ordinance of 1753,) saying: "O yez ! &c. Silence is com- manded while the Fair is proclaiming, upon pain of punishment! A. B., Esq., Mayor of the city of Philadelphia, doth hereby, in the King's name, strictly charge and command all persons trading and negotiating within the Fair to keep the King's peace, and that no person presume to set up any booth or stall for the vending of strong liquors within this Fair-that none carry any unlawful weapon, or gallop or strain horses within the built part of the city. And if any person. be hurt by another, let him repair to the Mayor here present. God save the King !"
The fair-times in our market were every May and November, and continued three days. In them you could purchase every de- scription of dry goods, and millinery of all kinds, cakes, toys and confectionaries, &c. The stalls were fancifully decorated, and inclosed with well made patchwork coverlets. The place was always thronged, and your ears were perpetually saluted with toy trumpets, hautboys, fiddles and whistles, to catch the attention of the young fry who on such occasions crowded for their long-pro- mised presents at fair-time. They were finally discontinued, by an Act of the Legislature, somewhere about the year 1787. It is really surprising they should ever have been adopted in any country where regular stores and business is ordinarily found sufficient for all pur poses of trade !
THE ARCH STREET BRIDGE AT FRONT STREET.
THE tradition of such a bridge, over a place where there was no water, (taken down about the year 1721,) had been so far lost, that none among the most aged could be found to give a reason for Mul- berry street, over which the bridge or arch stood, being called " Arch street." My MS. Annals in the City Library, pages 24, 31 and 46, show three several reasons given by the most aged citizens for the change of name to Arch street, all of which were erroneous. The truth is, I should not have known the cause but by perceiving it was implied in the presentments of the Grand Juries, &c. The facts were, that in the neighbourhood of Front and Mulberry streets was originally 9 hill, or knoll, rising above the common elevation
THE ARCH STREET BRIDGE AT FRONT STREET .- Page 364.
SHIPPEN'S HOUSE .- Page 368.
365
The Arch Street Bridge at Front Street.
of the river bank. In opening the street down Mulberry street to the river as a necessary landing place, they found the Front street on each side of it so high, that in preference to cutting it down, they constructed a bridge there so as to make the passage up and down Front street over the Mulberry street. As they usually called such a bridge an arch, and that arch was a notable enterprise then, all things in the neighbourhood was referred to it, so that the street itself where stood " the great arch," became subject to its name, i. e. the Arch street.
The neighbourhood was made conspicuous too by the house of Robert Turner, (still standing,) constructed of brick as a pattern model for others, and also by two of those early houses, whose flat roofs, (see the picture) by the primitive regulations, were not to in- tercept the river prospect along the eastern side of Front street.
The following facts will serve to illustrate and confirm the pre- ceding introduction, to wit:
Robert Turner in his letter, of 1685, to William Penn, says: " Since I built my brick house, [at the north-east corner of Front and Arch streets,] the foundation of which was laid at my going, which I design after a good manner to encourage others, and that from (their) not building with wood; it being the first, many take example, and some that built wooden houses are sorry for it. Brick building is said to be as cheap, and bricks are exceeding good, and better and cheaper than when I built, say now at 16s. English per thousand, and many good brick buildings are going up, with good cellars."
" I am building another brick house by mine, [on the east side of Front street, No. 77,] which is three large stories high, besides a good large brick cellar under it of two bricks and a half thickness in the wall, and the next [i. e. Front street first story] half under ground. The cellar has an arched door [still visible there] for a vault to go to the river, and so to bring in goods or deliver out." The first story " half under ground,"-now no longer so, was doubtless owing to the highness of the ground then in the street, and intended after- wards to be cut down.
Gabriel Thomas in his account of the city, as he saw it before the year 1698, thus speaks of his impressions, saying, " they have curious wharfs and large timber yards, especially before Robert Turner's great and famous house, where are built ships of considerable burthen-they cart their goods from that wharf into the city under an arch, over which part of the street is built.
In 1704, the Grand Jury present Edward Smout, sawyer of logs, &c., for encumbering "the free wharf, used as a landing, on the east end of Mulberry street, with his logs and timber left too long there." In the same report, it is stated to be for " encumbering the street and wharf near the arch."
Patty Powell, an aged Friend, told me that her mother told her of seeing the arch, and that it was so high that carts, &c., passed 31*
366
The Arch Street Bridge at Front Street.
under it to me river, so that those who went up and down Front street went over It.
At a Common Council held at "the Coffy House," December, 1704, a committee was appointed to view the arch in the Front street, and to report how to repair the same, &c.,-found to be £12; whereupon it was ordered that the ground on each side of the arch, fronting King street, (Water street now) be built upon by such per- sons as shall be willing to take the same on ground-rent.
In the year 1712, the Grand Jury present "that it is highly necessary to repair the arch, by paving the same, and fencing it on either side above." Another Grand Jury, at the next session, pre- sent the passage down under the arch, for that it is worn in holes and gullies, and is not passable-it wants a fence upon the walls of the said arch-it being dangerous in the night both to man and beast. At another session, they present the want of walls to secure the street in the going down to the arch, also two fences (palisades) on the top of it to secure people from falling down.
In 1713, they again present the arch in the Front street, for that it is very dangerous for children in the day time, and for strangers in the night; neither is it passable underneath for carriages.
In 1717, the Grand Jury present "the great arch" in the Front street,-the arch in Second street-as insufficient for man and beast to pass over. The pump at the great arch, being now out of use and standing much in the street, ought to be removed. King street, as a cart-way, they recommend to be kept thirty feet wide.
In 1718 they present the arch at the east end of Mulberry street, as so much out of repair as to endanger life, and as injurious to the neighbourhood, by stopping the channels from descending to the river; and they therefore recommend, as most advantageous to the handsome prospect of the Front street, [of course it must have been high and conspicuous,] to pull down the said arch, and to regulate the two streets there.
In 1720, December, it was fully debated in Common Council whether to pull down the arch. The parties aggrieved being then again heard, and the charges of continual repairs considered, it is the opinion it will be for the general good to take it down-even to those who then petition against the same.
In 1723 the Grand Jury present deep gullies from Front street, " where the arch stood, to the arch wharf." Thus intimating that the arch had been taken away.
In April, 1723, the Common Council, in ordering the old prison to be sold, determine the money shall be applied to making good the Arch street and wharf, as far as the same will go. They state as a reason, that the end of Mulberry street, from the east side of the Front street to the river, since the arch was removed, had been very ruinous, by reason of the late great rains, for want of a free passage for the water. It being thought impracticable then to lay a tax for that and other needful things, the Mayor, James Logan, with great
367
The Arch Street Bridge at Front Street
liberality, (to prevent further damage,) presented the corporation with £20, to be laid out there,-which was accepted with hearty thanks, and workmen to be ordered to pave the channel and to set posts, &c. The same generous Mayor invites the company of the board to a public dinner with him, provided at the Plume of Feathers.
In 1727, the Grand Jury present two ponds of water "in Arch street," [the first time I have seen it so named,] between Front and Second streets.
In 1736 a ship near Arch street wharf took fire within, as they were burning her bottom without, occasioned by a flaw in one of her planks. This was not perhaps a ship-yard then, but used as a careening place.
The former high elevation of the grounds near "the arch" are even now peculiarly marked. The house No. 10, Arch street, on the south side, two doors west of Front street, presents a clear evi- dence that the second story was once the level of the street there, and that the present first story, which goes up several steps, was originally so much cellar part under ground. It is proved by show- ing now the lines and marks in the second story of the side alley once there, and afterwards filled up! J. P. Norris, Esq., told me it was so explained to him in his youth, by aged persons who remem- bered the facts. The present three-story house there was, therefore, originally but a two-story house. The present north-west corner house there had its door out of the present second story ; the Friend's Meeting House near there, though originally on a high level, was left on a bank of ten feet elevation ; and we know, by an ordinance of 1713, that the gutters were then declared, by law, as running from Arch street down to High street !
I had an opportunity in April, 1825, to witness unexpectedly a relic of the primitive manner of topping the Water street bank side houses, as originally constructed, when intended not to intercept the view of the river from the Front street. The very ancient brick house in Water street (part of the block of two two-story old frame houses on Front street above Arch street, Nos. 83 and 85,) has now the original flat roof with which it was originally covered. It has been well preserved, by having since constructed over it, at one story additional elevation, a cedar roof,-by this act the first roof was made a floor of small descent. I found it made of two inch yellow pine plank, laid on white pine boards the planks are caulked with oakum, with deep grooves near the seams to bear off the water, and the whole has now much remains of the original pitch which covered the whole. The elevation of this floor roof is about eight feet above the present Front street; and as the street there has been cut down full six feet or more, it proves the former elevation of that roof. The general aged appearance of the pre- mises, now about to be pulled down, indicate a very early structure It is said there was once a ship-yard here about.
368
Shippen's House.
I have observed other curious facts in digging out the cellars of the two houses adjoining them on the northern side, to wit: No. 87 and 89. In digging down to the level of Water street, in the Front street bank, (which is of fine red gravel,) they came, at about twelve feet from the line of Front street, to a regular stone wall of sixteen inches thickness, eight feet high, and of twelve feet square, (all this was below the former cellar there,) in a corner of the wall it appeared smoked, as if the remains of a chimney. I thought it indicated an original cave. The area of the square was nearly filled up with loose stones, a considerable part of which were of flat slabs of marble one inch thick, smoothed on one surface, and broken into irregular fragments of one to two feet width. In clearing away these stones, they came to a grave head-stone, standing somewhat declined ; on which were engraved, " Anthony Wilkinson-Lon- don-died 1748." The stone is about fourteen inches by two and a half feet high-[some small bones also found there.] On further inquiry I learn, that Anthony Wilkinson was an early and primitive settler on that spot. The Cuthbert family are descended from him, and one of them is now named Anthony Wilkinson Cuthbert. Mr. T. Latimer, merchant, near there, claims the head- stone, as a relative, and says old Mr. Cuthbert, who died when he was a boy, told him and others of the family, that old Anthony Wil- kinson had his cabin once in this bank, which got blown up by ¿ drunken Indian laying his pipe on some gunpowder in it.
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