The ground below our feet once supported a bustling neighborhood

The ground below our feet once supported a bustling neighborhood. . , Up until the 1750s, Native Americans traveled this area. As Philadelphia expanded, the block began to fill with residences, small stores and workshops. Historical records and artifacts reveal the block's social, ethnic and religious diversity., By 1764, a wealthy Quaker merchant named Caleb Cresson owned almost half the block. He lived here, and rented or sold off lots for the next 50 years. Other Quakers, like Benjamin Catherall, a schoolteacher, and Ebenezar Robeinson, a brush maker, both active abolitionists, also lived here., Many of the block's residents were immigrants from Germany and the British Isles. Many people of African descent who were never enslaved or who had gained their freedom lived here as well. By 1790 there were no slaves living here., The Second Presbyterian Church's burial ground stood here from 1750 to 1864, and the block also housed a school, several blacksmith shops and a brewery., Information about the lives of specific individuals is limited, but the professions of both rich and poor are known. There were gentlemen and merchants, washerwomen and laborers. In 1787, the men and women of this busy block were making all kinds of things: bread, shoes, furniture, clothing, soap and houses. A few streets away, another group of people were constructing something too: the United States Constitution.