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 52
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Mr. P. Martin, who is an intelligent man, and seems to have ex- amined things scientifically, gives it as his opinion that this Irv ground of Pegg's swamp must have been once the bed of Schuyl- kill, traversing from near the present Fairmount. He says the route of the whole is still visible to his eye. His theory is, that at an earlier period the original outlet of the Schuylkill was by the Cohocksinc creek, and he thinks that stream, in two divisions, can be still traced by his eye, meandering and ascending to the Falls of Schuylkill- that at the Falls, which was once a higher barrier, the river was
. I have since done this. Sulphuret of lime was in the spring, and the gas must have been sulphureted hydrogen gas. The hone was carbonate of lime containing sul- phureted hydrogen gas.
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Specimens of the Best Houses.
turned shortly to the eastward ; when that barrier was partially de stroyed the river flowed down its present course to the present Fair- mount works, or thereabouts, where it turned shortly to the eastward again, in consequence of a great barrier there-being the great Fair- mount, then extending in elevation quite across Schuylkill ; he thinks the identity of strata on both sides proves this former union. Until it was broken away, the Schuylkill then run out by Pegg's run .*
Such was the yielding character of the mud soil on the western side of Second street, where Sansom's row is built, that, to keep the houses from falling by the sinking of their western walls, they had to rebuild several of those walls, and to others to put back-houses as buttresses. To keep their cellars dry they dug wells of 28 feet depth before coming to sand. They went through considerable depth of turf filled with fibrous plants. Mr. Grove, the mason who saw this, told me he actually saw it dried and burnt. When they first came to the sand there was no water, but by piercing it the depth of the spade water spouted up freely, and filled the wells considerably.
The same Mr. Grove also told me that in digging at the rear of Thatcher's houses on Front below Noble street, all of which is made- ground redeemed from the invasion of the river into Pegg's marsh, they came at 28 feet depth to an oak log of 18 inches diameter, lay. ing quite across the well.
To these subterrane discoveries we might add that of a sword, dug out of Pegg's run at the depth of 18 feet, resting on a sandy founda- tion. It was discovered on the occasion of digging the foundation for the Second street bridge. Daniel Williams was at that time the commissioner for the superintendence, and was said to have given it to the City Library. This singular fact was told to me by Thomas Bradford and Col. A. J. Morris, and others, who had it so direct as to rely upon it. On inquiry made for the cause, a blacksmith in the neighbourhood said his father had said a Bermudian sloop had once wintered near there, although the stream since would scarcely float a board.
SPECIMENS OF THE BEST HOUSES.
As the style of former architecture in its best character is passing away, I have herein endeavoured to notice a few of the last remains of the former age, to wit :
· Hill's Map of Philadelphia certainly shows both of the water courses as nearly united. The mill of Naglee, at Front street and Cohocksinc swamp, has never dug its well quite through the mud deposit, although very deep.
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Specimens of the best Houses.
Two large houses on the south side of Walnut street, a little west of Third street, originally built for Mr. Stiles.
One of the excellent houses of the olden time was the large house on the north-east corner of Union and Second streets, built for William Griffith, who dwelt there at the same time ; it was then sold to Archibald M'Call-it had once a fine large garden extending along' Union street. At that house General Gage used to make his home and have his guard, he being related to M'Call's wife.
The house at the north-west corner of Second and Pine streets, built about 75 years ago for Judge Coleman, was a grand building at that time ; it having a five window front on Second street, a great high portico and pediment, a fine front on Pine street, and a large garden along the same street. It is now altered into several stores and dwellings.
There were two fine houses on the site of the present Congress Hall Hotel, opposite to the Bank of the United States; the one next to the Farmers and Mechanics' Bank was built for and occupied by John Ross, a lawyer. The bank was the residence of John Lawrence, and when the British possessed Philadelphia, was the house of Admiral Howe.
The present Gibbs' house, on the north-east corner of Fourth and Arch streets, was a very large and superior house, having a long range of windows on Fourth street.
The house at the north-west corner of Vine and Third streets, owned and dwelt in by Kinneer, presenting a great array of windows on Vine street, was long deemed the nonpareil of that end of the town. It is now down and a bank occupies its place.
Markoe's house, south side of High street between Ninth and Tenth streets, was when built called " the house next to Schuylkill," in reference to its being so far out of town. It was of double front, is now standing, and altered into stores. It had a whole square of meadow about it. It was remarkable for being the first house with marble lintels over the windows, and for that cause was visited by hundreds every sabbath, as a wonder of unusual grandeur ; now it is but a common house.
Edward Pennington's great house at the north-west corner of Crown and Race streets, was one of the most respectable and most substantial of its day-built for Edward Pennington about the year 1760. When erected, it was so far out of town, as to have the chief of its adjacent fences of plain post and rails ;- and being on the most elevated part of the town-which gave rise to the name of Crown street, as the crowning or topmost elevation, it was a very conspicu- ous object, from the closer built parts of the then city ;- it having also, before it, a descending green bank along the southern side of Race street, falling into low wet meadows-down the western side of Fourth street, until it reached the head of Dock creck, then termi- nating near the corner of Fourth and High streets.
The house and grounds were erected out of the funds accruing
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Rare Old Houses.
from the Pennington estate in Goodnestone manor, in Kent in Eng- land, formerly belonging to Isaac Pennington, a distinguished preacher and writer among the early Friends in England. The same who was also father-in-law to William Penn.
During the war of the Revolution, this house was the residence of Colonel Johnson of the 28th regiment, the same officer who after- wards commanded at Stony Point, when it was surprised and taken hy Gen. Wayne,-as his conqueror.
RARE OLD HOUSES.
THE only house of size now in Philadelphia with gable end front on the street, is to be seen at the south-west corner of Front street and Norris' alley. It formerly had a balcony and door at its se- cond story, and its windows in leaden frames; one of which still re- mains on the alley side of the house. It is a very ancient house. It was, in the year 1725, the property and home of Samuel Mickle, the same unnamed gentleman who talked so discouragingly to Benjamin Franklin when he first proposed to set up a second print- ing office in the city.
The house on the west side of Front street, second door north of Walnut street, pulled down a few years ago, was remarkable for having in its foundation a large brick on which was scratched before burning-" This is the sixth house built in Philadelphia."
A house of Dutch style of construction, with double hipped roof, used to stand, with gable end to Second street, on the south side of the Christ church wall. It was but one and a half story high, built of brick. In the year 1806 it was pulled down, to build up the present three story house there. In the ancient house they found a big brick inscribed "I. G. S. founded 1695." This is now conspi- cuously preserved in the chimney of the new house, and visible from the street. In the rear of the same new house is preserved a small section of the primitive old wall.
A very ancient house of two stories and double front used to be occupied, in Front street below Chestnut street, on the bank side, by Dorsey, as an auction and dwelling. An ancient lady pointed it out to Mrs. Logan, as a place in which the Assembly of the Colony had held their session.
The north-east corner of Front and Walnut street, till a few years ago, had a curiously formed one and a half story brick house. having a double hipped roof.
The houses on the west side of Water street, north of Carpenters'
38
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Rare Old Houses.
stairs, vis-a-vis Norris' alley, present the oldest appearance of any now remaining of the original bank houses.
There were two ancient and singular looking houses on the north side of Chestnut street, back from the street, where Girard has now built a new range of three houses, near to Fifth street. They were marked 1703, and at an early period was the residence of Mr. Duché, who had a pottery connected with it.
At the north-east corner of Vine and Second streets there stood, about 45 years ago, a large old-fashioned house ; it originally stood on a hill ten feet higher than the street-had a monstrous button- wood tree before it, and a long and high garden down Vine street.
Many years ago there was a range of low wooden houses on the west side of Front street, extending from Combes' alley nearly up to Arch street, on much higher ground than the present; they were often called "Sailor's town," being boarding houses and places of carousal for sailors. Mr. Pearson, the late city surveyor, and John Brown, remembered them in their early days.
Something like a similar collection of one story houses occupied the western side of Third street, and extended southward from Race street. They got the name of Hell-town, for the bad behaviour of their inmates. Two of them still remain, one of brick, and one of wood, and present a strange contrast in their mean appearance to other houses near there.
In 1744, the Grand Jury presented them as disorderly, and as having acquired such a name for their notoriety; an orchard lay between them and Cherry street.
"Jones' row," so called in early times, was originally a range of one large double house and one single one, forming an appearance of three good two story brick houses on the west side of Front street, adjoining to the south side of Combes' alley-now the premises of Mr. Gerhard, and greatly altered from its original appearance, by having what was formerly its cellar under ground now one story out of ground, and converting what was once a two story range of houses into three story houses. It once had a long balcony over Front street, and the windows were framed in leaden lattice work, only one of which now remains in the rear of the house. This house was razed in 1837, and I have the leaden frames of its win- dows-certainly the last in the city. The present elevation of the yard ground proves the fact of having cut down Front street and Combes' alley eight or ten feet.
This row was built in 1699 for John Jones, merchant, he having a lot of 102 feet width, and extending quite through to Second street.
The best specimens of the ordinary houses of decent livers of the primitive days, now remaining in any collection, are those, to wit : On the north or sun side of Walnut street, from Front up to Dock street, generally low two story buildings. Another collection ex- tends from Front to Second street, on the north or sun side of Chest-
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Churches.
nut street. They appear to have avoided building on the south or shaded side of those streets. In both these collections there is now here and there a modern house inserted, of such tall dimensions as to humble and scandalize the old ones.
CHURCHES.
THE following facts, incidentally connected with sundry churches, may possibly afford some interest in their preservation, to wit :
The Presbyterian and Baptist churches began their career about the year 1695, and so far united their interests as to meet for worship in the same small building, called "the Barbadoes-lot store"-the same site where is now the small one-story stocking store, on the north-west corner of Chestnut and Second streets .* The Baptists
Stockings
C &N. JONES.
first assembled there in the winter of 1695, consisting only of nin- persons, having occasionally the Rev. John Watts from Pennepeck as their minister ; for then, be it known, the church at Pennepeck was both older and more numerous than that of the "great towne" of Philadelphia. At the same place the Presbyterians also went to worship, joining together mutually, as often as one or the other could procure either a Baptist or Presbyterian minister. This fellowship
* The valuable lot is since occupied by some four or five stately houses. It was long a city wonder that so small a wooden shop should occupy such valuable ground. It was probably with the intention of running out its hundred years for the sake of its title. A belief of that kind made me cautious to say much about it in the former edition. As a part of the property of the "Barbadoes Company," their interests in Philadelphia had been neglected, and eventually, probably, abandoned. It may be seen by the minutes of council of 1704, that at that time the London members of the Society of Freetraders " complain that their books and papers, &c., are broken up, and they pray relief against their agents here, and a right knowledge of their interests." Finally, they gave their whole remaining interests to the Society for Propagating Religion in Foreign Parts. A society still existing.
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Churches.
continued for about the space of three years, when the Presbyterians having received a Rev. Jedediah Andrews from New England, they began, in the opinion of the Baptist brethren, to manifest wishes for engrossing the place to themselves, by showing an unwillingness to the services of the Baptist preachers. This occasioned a secession of the latter from the premises, (although they had been the first occupants,) and they afterwards used to hold their worship at Anthony Morris' brewhouse-a kind of " Mariner's church location, on the east side of Water street, a little above the Drawbridge, by the river side. There they continued to meet until the spring of 1707, lowly and without means for greater things ; when, being invited by the Keithians, (seceders from the Quakers, under their follower, George Keith,) they took possession of their small wooden building on the site of the present first Baptist church, in Second street below Mulberry street. In that house they continued their worship, several of the Keithians uniting with them, until the year 1731, when they pulled it down, and erected in its stead a neat brick building of forty-two by thirty feet. That was also displaced by another of larger dimensions in 1762, and since then it has been much altered and enlarged.
Long letters of remonstrance on the one hand, and of justification on the other, passed between the Baptists and Presbyterians, headed by John Watts for the Baptists, and by Jedediah Andrews for the Presbyterians ; these are of the winter of 1698, and are preserved in the Rev. Morgan Edward's History of the Baptists in Pennsylvania. They ended in the withdrawing of the Baptists, who said Mr. An drews wrote to his friend thereupon, saying, " Though we have got the Anabaptists out of the house, yet our continuance there is uncer- tain ; wherefore we must think of building, notwithstanding our poverty and the smallness of our number." The house which they did eventually build was that "First Presbyterian church" in High street, long called the " Old Buttonwood"-because of such trees of large dimensions about it. It was built in 1704; after standing about a century it was rebuilt in Grecian style, according to the picture given in this work, and finally all was taken down in 1820, and the ground converted to uses of trade and commerce. The din and crowd of business had previously made it an ill-adapted place.
It is curious enough of the first church of the Baptist order-founded in Philadelphia county, to wit, at Pennepeck, one year before that in Philadelphia-that it originated under a gentleman who first appeared at Philadelphia under a kind of freak, acting as an impostor. The case was this. Elias Keach, son of "the famous Benjamin Keach of London," who arrived here a wild young man, about the year 1686. passed himself off for a minister, dressing in black and wearing his band. Many people resolved to hear the young London divine ! He went on well for a time in his sermon, but all at once stopping short, and looking astonished, he was supposed to have been suddenly disordered ; and upon being questioned, he frankly confessed, with
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Churches.
wars and much trembling, that he was practising deception in holy things! In his distress, hearing that there was a Baptist minister from Rhode Island, Thomas Dungan, at Coldspring, Bucks county, he repaired to him, was baptized and ordained. He was very suc- cessful in raising churches in Pennsylvania, and having married the daughter of Nicholas Moore, he went back to England in 1692. He believed in, and practised also, the efficacy of anointing the sick with oil-a faith inculcated by many of his order in that day. The Rev. John Watts was ordained to the Pennepeck church in 1688, and, at the same time, took charge of the few first Baptists to be found in Philadelphia. [Some of the foregoing facts may be found in Morgan Edwards' book of 1770.]
Friends' Meeting in Arch street .- This house, built about thirty-two years ago, is placed near the area where they had buried their dead from the foundation of the city. The wall now around the whole enclosure has replaced one of much less height. When the first wall stood, it was easy to see the ground and graves over the top of the wall, in walking along the northern side of Arch street.
The first person ever interred in their ground was Governor Lloyd's wife ; she was a very pious woman. William Penn him- self spoke at her grave-much commending her character. Because of his high estimation of her and her excellent family, he offered, after her burial there, to give the whole lot to that family. The descendants of that family, including the Norrises, have ever since occupied that south-west corner where Mrs. Lloyd was buried, as their exclusive ground.
The aged Samuel Coates told me that Indians, blacks and strangers were at first buried freely in Friends' ground ; and he gave it as his opinion that they were at first not very particular to keep out of the range of Arch street-a circumstance which was after- wards verified ; for in September, 1824, when laying the iron pipes along Arch street, off the eastern end of the meeting house, they dug up several coffins in corresponding rows. They were left there unmolested. The tradition of this encroachment of the street on the former ground was known to some of the ancients. 'This was told to Mrs. Logan by her aged aunt; and a lady of the name of Moore would never ride along that street, saying it was painful to ride over the dead.
There was lately dug up in Friends' ground a head-stone, of soap stone, having an inscription of some peculiarity, to wit :
" Here lies a plant Too many seen it,- Flourisht and perisht In half a minvit: Joseph Rakestraw, The son of William, Shott by a negro The 30 day of Sept. 1700, in the 19th year and 4th month of his age."
VOL. I .- 3 G 38*
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Churches.
A letter of Mr. Norris of the year 1700, explains the circum stance, saying that "Jack, a black man belonging to Philip James, was wording it with Joseph, half jest and half earnest, when his gun went off and killed him on the spot. The negro was put to his trial." The stone is now in the possession of Joseph Rakestraw, the printer.
There was also formerly another ancient grave-stone there for Peter Deal, called in Gabriel Thomas' book, of 1698, "a famous and ingenious workman in water-mills." The stone was inscribed, to wit:
" Here lies the body of one Peter Deal, Whose life was useful to the common weal, His skill in architecture merits praise Beyond what this frail monument displays- He died lamented by his wife and friends, And now he rests, they hope, where sorrow ends."
Presbyterian Churches .- The ancient first church in High street, built in 1704, continued its peace and increase until the time of the Rev. George Whitfield, when he and his coadjutors, Tennent, Da- venport, Rowland, &c., produced such a religious excitement as gave umbrage to many: the consequence was, that a party drew off, under the name of New Lights, to Whitfield's separate church, erected in 1744, and in 1750 made into "the Academy." The same year the New Lights, concentred under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, laid the foundation of the Presbyterian church at the north-west corner of Third and Arch streets, then bear- ing the name of the "New Meeting house." It was at first without a steeple ; but an effort to raise one was attempted among the society, " and it falling much short," they, in the year 1753, succeeded to draw a lottery, to have it finished. That steeple was taken down thirty-five or forty years ago, from an apprehension that it might be blown over. It was a very neat and ornamental structure. In the period of its construction some thought it too much like aspiring to the airy honours just before acquired by Christ church ; it therefore gave rise to a satirical couplet in these words, to wit :
" The Presbyterians built a church, and fain would have a steeple; We think it may become the church, but not become the people."
When they were doing something at the steeple in 1765, a young man, engaged thereon, fell down and was killed in a few minutes.
When the Rev. Gilbert Tennant lived at Bedminster country seat, (north-east corner of Fourth street and Brewer's alley, now Wood street,) he was one day overtaken in a storm of rain, and put into the tavern, the White Horse, at the north-west corner of same alley and Third street ; having hitched his horse to the buttonwood then there, and gone into the house, while he was seated by the fire, drying his clothes, lightning came down the chimney, and melted the silver buckles in his knee-bands and shoes! The people thought him invulnerable as a saint of God. I was told it by an old lady of
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Churches.
his church, as a fact known to herself. She also said that she often knew the women and others of his church to scream for mercy, " equal to any thing since seen among the Methodists."
In connexion with the church above named, the society also built a brick meeting house at the north-east corner of St. John and Coates street, since converted into three dwelling houses, and these again into a theatre.
In time Mr. Tennant expressed his regrets at the secession, and the whole people afterwards became reunited to the parent stock, under the name of the Second Presbyterian church. The third Presbyterian church, at the south-west corner of Pine and Fourth streets, was built by the High street congregation, about the year 1760, on purpose to accommodate that part of the congregation which, in the language of the day, lived " down on the hill." The pastors of the two churches were to interchange. In a few years after, the Pine street people called the Rev. Mr. Duffield, contrary to the will of the mother society, and by force opened the doors on a Sabbath morning, and put their pastor into the pulpit! This, of course, was matter of great scandal in that day. After some private altercation, the High street people sued for the recovery of their pro- perty. Their right was awarded by several successive courts; and, finally, an appeal was made to England. Before, however, the cause was decided there, the revolution put an end to her jurisdic- tion, and the Pine street " revolters" (as some called them) kept pos- session, until the matter was at length terminated by the possessors agreeing to purchase. But the price agreed on was never executed by the original society. This society, in some twenty or twenty-two years ago, fell into another schism among themselves and divided ; part remaining and calling in the Rev. E. S. Ely, and the other part building a new church in Spruce near Sixth street, and calling in the Rev. Dr. Neill. These bickerings are painful ; but it is the business of the historic pen to record the conduct of our progenitors, as we are thus endeavouring to revive the recollections of all the interests and the passions which once agitated and affected them.
The Lutheran Churches .- The first was built in 1743, for Dr. H. M. Muhlenberg, who came out to this country in 1742, as the first ordained clergyman. The first church was built on Fifth street, at the corner of Appletree alley, and had a steeple affixed thereto, which had to be taken down in 1750, owing to having been erected too soon upon the new walls. This church was used by the British while in the city, as their garrison church, and the congregation using it also a part of each Sunday.
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