Queen Village in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Samuel V. Merrick

1801 - 1870

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 26, 2025

1. Samuel V. Merrick Marker

Inscription. Industrialist, engineer, and cofounder of the Franklin Institute for the Mechanical Arts, 1825, Merrick pioneered the use of illuminating (coal) gas for street lighting through the Philadelphia Gas Works, c. 1835. His Southwark Iron Foundry, which operated near here, manufactured steam engines, turbines, and other ship machinery, particularly for the Union during the Civil War. He was the first president of the Pa. Railroad, 1847.

Erected 2024 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), and the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1825.

Location. 39° 56.059′ N, 75° 9.074′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Queen Village. It is on Washington Avenue just west of South 4th Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker stands along the perimeter of Sacks Playground. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 407 Washington Ave, Philadelphia PA 19147, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Pennsylvania. It is also in the American Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

New Netherland,

and one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this

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marker: The Colored Conventions: A Buried History (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named The Colored Conventions: A Buried History (about 400 feet away); Mount Moriah Temple Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bethel Burying Ground (approx. ¼ mile away); Pennsport Veterans Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Shot Tower (approx. ¼ mile away); Edward "Babe" Heffron (approx. 0.3 miles away); William "Wild Bill" Guarnere (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 26, 2025

2. Samuel V. Merrick Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 28, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 28, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.