| | | | 
By Beverly Pfingsten, July 5, 2008 | |
| | | 1. A Working-Class House in the Capital City Marker | | |
Inscription. Wealth makes all the distinction of classes in Philadelphia.
Duc de la Rochefoucault-Liancourt, 1783
The house of a workman stood here in the late 1700s when Philadelphia was the temporary capital of the United States. Its location is marked by the brick square in front of you. The house had only two rooms and an attic, each on top of the other. Houses like this often served as both residence and workplace.
A shoemaker, a turner, a coachman, a tavernkeeper, and a coppersmith --each in turn--lived here during a ten-year period. Like eight of ten Philadelphians, they rented rather than owned their own houses.
Today the house is gone, and few traces of its occupants remain. Their belongings were inexpensive and commonplace, things easily discarded. No one wrote their biographies. Rarely did their names stand out in history. Yet they made up the vast majority of Philadelphia's population.
Erected by Independence National Historical Park.
Location. 39° 56.851′ N, 75° 8.871′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. Marker is at the intersection of S. 4th Street and Walnut Street, on the left when traveling south on S. 4th Street. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Philadelphia PA 19106, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. | | | | 
By Beverly Pfingsten, July 5, 2008 | |
| | | 2. The Todd House | | The marker sits behind the Todd House at the corner of 4th & Walnut Streets. This was the home of Dolley Payne Todd. After her first husband died in 1793 during the Yellow Fever epidemic, she remarried James Madison. | | |
At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Philadelphia Contributionship (within shouting distance of this marker); Robert Morris (1734 - 1806) (within shouting distance of this marker); “Evangeline” (about 300 feet away, in a direct line); Quaker Meeting House Site (about 300 feet away); Quaker School Site (about 300 feet away); Second Bank of the United States (about 300 feet away); Rose Garden (about 300 feet away); Carpenters' Hall (about 300 feet away). Click for a list of all markers in Philadelphia.
Credits. This page originally submitted on July 16, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 603 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 16, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.
|
Subscribe
— Privacy Policy
— Terms of Use
— About Us
— Contact Us
HMdb.org