The Ferry Landing

The Ferry Landing. . , Jonas Morton probably started the Darby Creek Ferry in 1759. He petitioned the County to be allowed to keep a tavern at the ferry. A tavern was a great convenience to travelers, offering food and drink and a place to stay if unfavorable weather or too much ice made a crossing impossible. But a tavern was also a lively gathering place for local residents serving as a bar, clubhouse, newsroom and entertainment hall., The ferry was probably a simple rope ferry powered only by the current of the water. A rope was stretched across the stream. The ferry was fastened to the line from the front and back so it could slip along the rope as it crossed back and forth. To cross one direction, the ferryman shortened the rope on the front of the ferry, turning the ferry at an angle so the current would push against it and propel it to the other side. It was kept from floating downstream by the rope across the creek. To return, the ferryman shortened the line at the opposite end of the ferry, changing the angle so the current would push it back across the creek. , Who used the ferry? Of course we have no passenger lists but records show cattle dealers ferried livestock across Darby Creek on their way to market. Island residents likely crossed by ferry to conduct business on the mainland. Worshipers attending the Swedish Lutheran Church on Tinicum Island may have been passengers. , When? , Before 1638: Indians
1681 - 1784: Pennsylvania colony , 1784 - 1870: Americans , 1870 - 1935: Suburban development , 1935 - 1937: Building restoration , 1937 - present: Historic park ,