Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia's hidden history, pinned where it happened
A creek still runs under Northern Liberties, in a brick tunnel. A garden most people walk straight past sits across the street from Independence Hall. In 1688, four men in Germantown signed what is called the first American public document to protest slavery. These are Philadelphia's stories, each one pinned to the place it happened.
Sources: Wikipedia, "Cohocksink Creek"; Wikipedia, "1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery"
See Philadelphia's stories on the map50 stories on this page, each checked against sources.
Old City and Society Hill
- Elfreth's Alley: One of America's Oldest Residential StreetsElfreth's Alley, Philadelphia, PATucked between Front and 2nd Streets in Old City, Elfreth's Alley dates back to 1703 and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited residential streets in the United States.
- Independence Hall: Where the Nation Was Founded TwiceIndependence Hall, Philadelphia, PAIndependence Hall is the only building in the world where both the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the U.S.
- The Liberty Bell's Mysterious CrackLiberty Bell Center, Philadelphia, PAThe Liberty Bell cracked on its very first test ring after arriving from London in 1752.
- The President's House: Slavery at the Seat of PowerPresident's House, 6th & Market Streets, Philadelphia, PAThe President's House site at 6th and Market Streets is where George Washington lived during his presidency (1790-1797) — and where he kept nine enslaved people, including Oney Judge, who escaped to freedom in 1796.
- Carpenters' Hall: The Birthplace of RevolutionCarpenters' Hall, 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PAThe First Continental Congress met at Carpenters' Hall in September 1774 — not at the more well-known Independence Hall — and kept its proceedings confidential.
- Betsy Ross and the First American FlagBetsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PAThe Betsy Ross House on Arch Street claims to be where the first American flag was sewn in 1776.
- The Founding Father You Can Visit for a PennyChrist Church Burial Ground, 5th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PABenjamin Franklin — printer, scientist, diplomat, and one of the nation's founders — is buried at Christ Church Burial Ground at 5th and Arch Streets.
- The Forgotten Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793Old City, Philadelphia, PAIn the summer of 1793, a devastating yellow fever epidemic killed about 5,000 people — about 10% of Philadelphia's population.
- The Walnut Street Prison: America's First Penitentiary ExperimentWalnut Street Prison site, 6th & Walnut Streets, Philadelphia, PABefore Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia pioneered prison reform at the Walnut Street Jail, which in 1790 became the first penitentiary in the United States, using solitary confinement as a means of rehabilitation.
Center City
- City Hall: The Tallest Masonry Building Ever ConstructedCity Hall, Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia City Hall is the tallest masonry building in the world at 548 feet.
- The Curse of Billy PennCity Hall, Philadelphia, PAFor 21 years, no Philadelphia sports team won a major championship after One Liberty Place surpassed City Hall in height in 1987 — breaking a gentlemen's agreement never to build higher than the statue of William Penn atop City Hall.
- The Wanamaker Organ: The Largest Playing Instrument on EarthWanamaker Building, Philadelphia, PAInside the Wanamaker Building at 13th and Market — home to Wanamaker's and later Macy's, until the store closed in March 2025 — sits what is often called the largest fully functional pipe organ in the world.
- The PSFS Building: America's First Modern SkyscraperPSFS Building, 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, PAThe Philadelphia Saving Fund Society (PSFS) building at 12th and Market was completed in 1932 and is widely regarded as the first International Style skyscraper in the United States.
- The Phantom of the Walnut Street TheatreWalnut Street Theatre, 825 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PAThe Walnut Street Theatre, founded in 1809, is billed as America's oldest theater.
- The Mütter Museum: Philadelphia's Cabinet of CuriositiesMütter Museum, Philadelphia, PAThe Mütter Museum houses over 25,000 medical oddities including a collection of skulls, the conjoined liver of Chang and Eng Bunker (the original "Siamese twins"), slices of Einstein's brain, and an 8-foot colon that contained over 40 pounds of fecal matter.
- Chinatown's Friendship GateChinatown Friendship Gate, 10th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia's Chinatown Friendship Gate at 10th and Arch Streets is the first authentic Chinese gate in America built by artisans from China (1984).
- Rittenhouse Square: Philly's Living RoomRittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PAOne of five original open-space parks planned by William Penn in 1682, Rittenhouse Square is the social heart of Philadelphia.
- Reading Terminal Market: One of America's Oldest Public MarketsReading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PAReading Terminal Market opened on February 22, 1893, and it has operated ever since, one of America's oldest and largest public markets.
- Bassetts Ice Cream: America's OldestBassetts Ice Cream, Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PABassetts Ice Cream has been made since 1861, when Lewis Dubois Bassett, a Quaker schoolteacher and farmer, started it with a mule-driven churn on his farm in Salem, New Jersey.
- Dinic's Roast Pork: Travel Channel's Best Sandwich in AmericaDiNic's, Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PATommy DiNic's at Reading Terminal Market won the Travel Channel's "Best Sandwich in America" competition in 2012 for its roast pork Italian with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe.
South Philly
- The Italian Market Is Older Than You Think9th Street Italian Market, Philadelphia, PAThe 9th Street Italian Market is often billed as one of the oldest open-air markets in America, with a traditional founding date of 1884.
- Water Ice: Philly's Summer ObsessionPop's Water Ice, 1337 Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia-style water ice (never call it "Italian ice" here) is a frozen treat made with fruit, water, and sugar — smoother than a snow cone, icier than sorbet.
- John's Roast Pork: The Locals' CheesesteakJohn's Roast Pork, 14 E. Snyder Avenue, Philadelphia, PATucked under the I-95 overpass in South Philly, John's Roast Pork is where Philadelphians in the know go for a cheesesteak many rank as the city's best — and a roast pork sandwich with a national reputation.
- Pat's vs Geno's: The Cheesesteak WarPat's King of Steaks, Philadelphia, PAPat's King of Steaks (est.
- The Termini Brothers Cannoli EmpireTermini Bros. Bakery, 1523 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PATermini Brothers Bakery has been making cannoli on South 8th Street since 1921 — over a century of crispy shells and sweet ricotta filling.
- The Pretzel Bakery on Federal StreetFormer Federal Pretzel Baking Company, 636 Federal St, Philadelphia, PAThe Federal Pretzel Baking Company once made soft pretzels at 636 Federal Street in South Philadelphia.
- The Singing Fountain of East PassyunkSinging Fountain, E. Passyunk Ave at 11th & Tasker Sts, Philadelphia, PAWhere East Passyunk Avenue crosses 11th and Tasker Streets, the Singing Fountain has stood on a small triangular plaza since 2004.
- Gloria Dei: The Oldest Church in PennsylvaniaGloria Dei Church, 916 S. Swanson Street, Philadelphia, PAGloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church in South Philadelphia was built in 1698-1700 by Swedish Lutheran settlers, making it the oldest church in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest surviving churches in the United States.
Germantown and the Northwest
- Germantown: The First Protest Against Slavery in America5109 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PAOn April 18, 1688, four Quaker settlers in Germantown signed a petition declaring slavery morally wrong — the first formal protest against slavery in the English colonies.
- The Battle of Germantown: Washington's Bold GambleCliveden, 6401 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PAOn October 4, 1777, George Washington launched a daring surprise attack on British forces camped in Germantown.
- The Underground Railroad at Johnson HouseJohnson House, 6306 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PAThe Johnson House in Germantown was a documented station on the Underground Railroad.
- The Wissahickon Valley: Wilderness Inside a CityWissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, PAWissahickon Valley Park is a 1,800-acre gorge of mature, largely second-growth forest, creeks, and hiking trails entirely within Philadelphia city limits.
- The Legend of the Wissahickon HermitWissahickon Valley Park, Philadelphia, PAJohannes Kelpius, a German mystic, led a group of 40 followers to a cave along the Wissahickon Creek in 1694, where they practiced astrology, alchemy, and Rosicrucian mysticism while awaiting the end of the world.
- Manayunk: The Town on the HillMain Street, Manayunk, Philadelphia, PAManayunk, whose name comes from the Lenape word meaning "place to drink," sits on a steep hill above the Schuylkill River in Northwest Philadelphia.
Fishtown and Northern Liberties
- Fishtown: From Working Class to Coolest NeighborhoodFrankford Avenue, Fishtown, Philadelphia, PANamed for the shad fishermen who settled along the Delaware River in the 1700s, Fishtown has transformed from a blue-collar Irish and Polish neighborhood into one of America's coolest zip codes.
- Northern Liberties: Philly's BrooklynNorthern Liberties, Philadelphia, PANorthern Liberties was one of Philadelphia's first suburbs, gaining limited self-government in 1771 and becoming an incorporated district in 1803.
Fairmount, the Parkway and the Schuylkill
- Eastern State Penitentiary: The World's Most Famous PrisonEastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, PAWhen it opened in 1829, Eastern State was one of the most expensive buildings in America and the first true "penitentiary" — designed for reform through solitary confinement.
- The Real Rocky StepsPhiladelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PAThe 72 stone steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are popularly known as the "Rocky Steps" after Sylvester Stallone ran up them in the 1976 film.
- The Rodin Museum: One of the Great Rodin Collections Outside ParisRodin Museum, 2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia's Rodin Museum, located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, holds one of the largest public collections of Auguste Rodin's work outside Paris.
- The Barnes Foundation: The Stubborn Millionaire's Art CollectionBarnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PAAlbert C.
- Boathouse Row: The Neon Jewel of the SchuylkillBoathouse Row, Philadelphia, PAThe 15 Victorian boathouses along the Schuylkill River have been outlined in lights since 1979, creating one of Philadelphia's most iconic nighttime views.
- The Ghosts of Laurel Hill CemeteryLaurel Hill Cemetery, 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PALaurel Hill Cemetery, founded in 1836 on a bluff above the Schuylkill River, was one of the first "rural" garden cemeteries in America.
West Philly and the Delaware
- The First Computer Was Built in PhillyMoore School of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAENIAC, the world's first general-purpose electronic computer, was built at the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School of Electrical Engineering in 1945.
- The Civil War Hospital at SatterleeClark Park, 43rd & Chester Avenue, Philadelphia, PADuring the Civil War, Philadelphia was home to many military hospitals.
- The Haunting of Fort MifflinFort Mifflin, Philadelphia, PAFort Mifflin, built in 1771 on Mud Island in the Delaware River, is considered one of the most haunted places in America.
- The Benjamin Franklin Bridge: Art Deco Over the DelawareBenjamin Franklin Bridge, Philadelphia, PAWhen the Benjamin Franklin Bridge opened in 1926, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world at 1,750 feet.
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