Washington Square West in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Congregation of the Dead
Throughout that winter, disease thinned the ranks of the American army. John Adams, a member of the Continental Congress meeting in Independence Hall, visited the Square in April 1777. He spent an hour "in the congregation of the dead." The graves of the soldiers, perhaps 2,000 he had been told, "are enough to make the heart of stone melt away."
During the British occupation later that year, American captives died every day. Their bodies were dragged into carts, hauled here and dumped into the earth.
Only after yellow fever ravaged Philadelphia in 1793, did burials in the Square stop. Some believed that graves emitted miasmas, vapors suspected as sources of epidemics.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #02 John Adams series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1825.
Location. 39° 56.838′ N, 75° 9.115′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Washington Square West. Marker can be reached from Walnut and 6th Streets. Marker is on the left side of the path from the northeast entrance to the center of Washington Square Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Philadelphia PA 19106, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Linked in Memory (here, next to this marker); The Society of Little Gardens (here, next to this marker); Sorrow and Joy (here, next to this marker); A Fashionable Promenade (a few steps from this marker); The Capital City (a few steps from this marker); Tom Foglietta (within shouting distance of this marker); U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CU-67) (within shouting distance of this marker); U.S.S. Forrestal (CVT-59) (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Other Washington Square markers.
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 18, 2022
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,124 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 10, 2008, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. 2. submitted on November 20, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.