Last summer I pulled a book, entitled The
Philadelphia Inquirer’s Guide to Historic Philadelphia, off of the shelf that contained my sons’
collection of homeschooling materials. Included in the pages were twelve walks
the reader can take in the city, each featuring a distinct neighborhood with
its own unique structures, flavor and, of course, history.
After finishing the book, I was left feeling
that, although I often ride into the city along the Schuylkill River Trail, I don’t
actually go into the city itself very frequently, and, despite being a native
of the greater Philadelphia area for about thirty years, I really didn’t know my
way around the city’s neighborhoods, such as Society Hill, Southwark and
Rittenhouse Square, or know much about their respective pasts.
I’ve made it a goal to ride into the City of
Brotherly Love and investigate each of these walks over the next few months. I
have visited many of the sites mentioned in the book, and I might end up
combining some of the walks, but my plan is to finish up with a Penn’s Landing finale,
which will include a spin out to the John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, when the
weather turns warm again in the early spring.
My first ride last week, on a sunny but
chilly afternoon, was billed as “The Nation’s Most Historic Square Mile”,
focusing on the area of the city between 2nd and 7th Streets, in the vicinity
of Walnut, Chestnut and Market Streets. During my alternating cycle and stroll,
I would be reflecting on the great men of the American Revolution and those who
shaped the early development of our country.
Working my way west from 2nd Street, there wasn’t
a lot to actually see at my first stop. Welcome Park was once the site of the
Slate Roof House, the first such house in the colonies, but more importantly the
home of William Penn and his wife Hannah during their second visit to Philadelphia
from 1699 to 1701. Here Penn issued the Charter of Privileges, guaranteeing
religious freedom and civil liberties to residents of the Pennsylvania colony. During
the celebration of the 50th anniversary of this landmark document, a new bell
was cast for the State House to commemorate the event – that casting eventually
became known as the Liberty Bell!
If you aren’t totally distracted by the aromas
wafting from City Tavern or Old Original Bookbinder’s, both buildings being faithful reconstructions of the original late-1700s buildings, you will find
several authentic colonial houses still standing nearby. I wasn’t going into
that deep of an investigation of these houses, but you can find a real taste of
colonial life in those belonging to Thomas Bond (a skilled surgeon and pal of
Benjamin Franklin), Bishop White (PA’s first Episcopal bishop and chaplain of the
Continental Congress) and John Todd (a Quaker lawyer whose wife, Dolley, later became
famous as the wife of James Madison, after John died of yellow fever).
I resisted riding my Flandria bike over the
cobbled streets near the Merchants’ Exchange, as they made the Belgian block
(or pavé) I over which I pedaled up the Muur de Geraardsbergen seem plush! I was afraid to knock something
loose on my vintage machine - or worse, knock something loose on my body - while
For fifty years the Merchant’s Exchange served as the city’s commercial hub, as the oldest stock exchange in the
nation. The Greek Revival structure, designed by William Strickland and completed
in 1834, is considered one of the great creations of American architecture.
Just around the corner was the First Bank of
the United States. As the name implies, it is the oldest such
institution in the country, and a wonderful example of the Federal Style, with obvious
Greco-Roman influence. After losing its charter, the building was purchased by
noted Philadelphia merchant Stephen Girard and served as his namesake bank
from 1812 to 1926.
I was now at the southeast corner of 4th and
Chestnut, the location of Carpenter’s Hall. The 1773 building officially functioned as a guild for the building trades, but it was a regular meeting place for George
Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Patrick Henry, John Jay and others. The
hall hosted the First Continental Congress, during which delegates formed a
petition to King George III, outlining their grievances and asserting rights. I
took a moment to stop inside and warm up a bit!
Directly across Chestnut is a small alley,
Orianna Street, which leads to Franklin Court, once the site of the great
statesman’s home. The building is long demolished, but underground here is a
wonderful museum, which my family and I visited years ago.
Continuing along Chestnut, I passed the Second
Bank of the United States, another fine Greek Revival structure and Old City
Hall, once home to the U.S. Supreme Court. Adjacent to this building, on 5th
Street, is Philosophical Hall, headquarters of the American Philosophical Society.
Founded by Ben Franklin in 1743, the internationally renowned organization is
the oldest learned society in America. Its members have included Audubon, Edison,
Darwin, Curie, Pasteur, Frost and Wyeth.
Behind these last two buildings would be
what many consider the climax of this little journey, Independence Square,
Congress Hall and, of course, Independence Hall. I parked my bike next to the
statue of Philadelphia’s Irish-born Commodore John Barry, who served as a
officer in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War and is considered
the father of the U.S. Navy. This was a nice location for a snack, as my stroll
was drawing to a close, and I needed to refuel for the ride back home.
I’d previously been to the Liberty Bell Pavilion
complex, just across Chestnut, so I didn’t need to repeat that visit. I continued
up 7th Street, past the Atwater Kent Museum and, finally, Declaration House, a
reconstruction of Jacob Graff, Jr.’s home, where Thomas Jefferson lived while
he drafted the Declaration of Independence.
After crossing Market Street, it was just a
couple of blocks to Arch Street, where I headed west toward the Ben Franklin
Parkway. As I neared the Convention Center, I received a bit of a bonus sight
of the Friendship Gate in Chinatown at 10th Street. From there it was a fairly short distance to
a nicely-painted bike lane on the Ben Franklin Parkway to connect back with the
Schuylkill River Trail at the Art Museum.
Before signing off, I wanted to include photos
of the completed Wilier-Triestina Cofidis Team replica bike. This project has
taken a long time to complete, and I know updates on this bike have been rather
sporadic, but it was primarily a matter of being patient while collecting the
rare parts. Since it was built for a client and wasn’t available as a finished
bike on my For Sale page, I’ve listed the specs with the main photo:
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