A Vibrant Neighborhood

A Vibrant Neighborhood. Independence National Historical Park. , In the 1780s, Philadelphia was home to about 30,000 people living in some 6,000 houses., This neighborhood bustled with activity in the 1700s. Families lived and worked along its narrow alleys, crowded streets, and busy docks., City directories reveal that Philadelphians of diverse ethnic backgrounds and economic classes lived side by side. Large houses, like that of wealthy Quaker merchant John Pemberton, fronted onto Market and Arch Streets while working-class homes, stables, and workshops lined interior alleyways. Free African-American James Dexter held meetings in his nearby home for the founding of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas., Prior to the establishment of Philadelphia in 1682, this land was part of Lënapehòkink, where Lenape thrived for countless generations. The Swedes, Dutch, and Finns had trading settlements here early in the 17th century. By the time of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, docks crowded the riverbank and brick houses and wooden sheds replaced many of the trees. People intermingled and exchanged goods and ideas in the market stalls along High Street, now called Market Street.