Archeology / Great Central Sanitary Fair

Archeology, also, Great Central Sanitary Fair. Parkway Museums District. , Archeology , 2010 , In 2010, archeologists excavated this eastern portion of Logan Square, now called Sister Cities Park, in preparation for its renovation. In doing so, approximately 60 remnants of graves were uncovered, thought to be remnants from the early 19th century when the public square, then known as Northwest Square, served as a Potter’s Field and graveyard for the German Reformed Church. While the use of the square as a burial ground was discontinued in 1812, it served as a public gallows until 1823. Its name was changed two years later to Logan Square in honor of James Logan, who, in 1699 at the age of 25, arrived in Philadelphia as William Penn’s secretary., [Captions:] , The majority of graves were placed in tightly packed rows that lay parallel to 18th Street., James Logan, an early Mayor of Philadelphia and acting Governor of Pennsylvania from 1736 - 1738., Logan Square (Potter's Field), from Vine Street looking towards Market Street in 1836., "East Side of Logan Square" by James Queen, circa 1847, shows the residences in the nearby vicinity of the Square., Great Central Sanitary Fair , 1864 , For three weeks in the summer of 1864, Logan Square served as the grounds for the United States Sanitary Commission's Great Central Fair. The Commission erected a group of temporary structures that housed exhibitions, shows, shops, and a restaurant. All sales and proceeds from the Fair were used to provide care and supplies to Union soldiers during the Civil War and was the precursor to the American Red Cross. Philadelphia's Fair was the most profitable of the many Sanitary Fairs held around the country, raising over one million dollars, and was the only Fair attended by President Lincoln. The area currently occupied by Sister Cities Park was coincidentally the "Childrens Play Ground" during the Fair., [Captions:] , Admission ticket for Philadelphia's Great Central Sanitary Fair, The main exhibition hall that ran from east to west was 540 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 50 feet tall and the flag at its center rose 216 feet high.