A side by side comparison of old photograph scenes in Philadelphia and what those scenes look like today. Corrections The Captain Swafford house is at Front & Bainbridge Street, not 2nd and Bainbridge. Swafford died in 1768, not 1763.
I worked in old city Philadelphia for 16 years and there are many old buildings still standing. There is so much history there and all around you.. I worked in the shadow of independence hall for many years looking down on the tower and also worked in an office that had a direct view of old Congress hall where the constitution was written and my desk sat directly across from the alley that led to that beautiful old building. As well adjacent to my office wall was the location of Ben Franklin’s home. Walking to my office I would pass the old house where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence every day. It was not hard to envision the founding fathers walking all of those same paths and I would think about this every day.
Very cool ! I worked off-site catering for years in the city. With that comes seeing some really awesome buildings, and hidden treasures. There was a venue and 3rd and Arch (where the real world was filmed) it was originally the "Corn ,something bank and exchange or trust... There is a set of stairs going from the main area on the first floor down to the basement. I never had the opportunity to go down and see it but, beside the massive, awesome vault there was a tunnel as well. Now this is what I was told as I never had the opportunity to see it. The tunnel connected a few building thru out the city and going to under city hall as well .. I have tried to find a video on it anywhere I could but only the old subway tunnels are featured
@@CarsCatAliens That’s a great story! It’s very possible there are hidden tunnels through old city. So many old buildings were built on top of even older sites so who knows what kind of excavation went on. Makes you think of that movie National Treasure!
@@theesteviefranchise458 I've heard that a lot. Philly people seem to have a great pride in their city. We Chicagoans have a love-hate relationship with ours.
Absolutely love ❤ it. Pls do a T/N of North Philly, South Philly, East Philly, West Philly, Germantown, Broad & Olney, Chestnut Hill & Center City (2/3 parts bc it's huge) Tfs this lovely history that was way b4 my time👍
This is beautiful… i wish videos like this would entice the local government here to protect and restore our history. Unfortunately, that’s something that Philadelphia doesn’t do very well. You’d think the birthplace of our nation would be given more consideration. This is beautiful… thank you for the pictures 🙂
I really enjoyed these shots. Please show more of what was and what is now in Philadelphia like the docks, Market Street, 9th Street,, etc. Thanks for the side by side photos where we can see just how much this city has changed over time.
Usually, the "now" photos suck next to "then" photos. But I saw lots of improvement in most of these photos. Like the Betsy Ross House. Back then, it was squeezed between two bigger buildings. Now, it has some "breathing room". It seems like Philadelphia has more respect for its past than does NYC. I hope the restoration of the Spafford House goes well.
When I was a kid the City owned Independence Hall and all around, and they had one senior old cop in the place to keep the rifraf and drunks from stinking the place up. My Dad worked for the City and would chat him up, and I would have the run of Independence Hall. Nobody was there. No tours. No caretakers. few visitors. Just the cop . The bell used to be on a open stand under the Belltower. I used to crawl inside and try and jerk the clapper lose from the bracket holding it and make that busted ass bell ring again for all the right reasons. At six or seven. I ended up in the Marines naturally.
I never carved my initials in any desk or table, never broke a window or a lock. Never took a thing. Even got on the roof for God's sake. In broad daylight. And waved to Dad and the cop. They waved back, and told me get off the roof and back inside, NOW! Just a kid playing Revolutionary Colonial Patriot. Trying to ring that busted ass bell. Fort Mifflin at that age was even better. Another deserted but open Historical site here. Guy taught me to shoot rats across the moat from the fort's wall. I never did take any future interest in going out to shoot rats. but I spent 5 years as a Scout Sniper, so that's something at least. I did have later training I must admit. Sitting at the end of the runway for Phila. International Airport and jets going right by us, with that scoped rifle. Good times for a 8 year old. Try that now.
Thr Betsy Ross House looks like suburban track, faux, neo colonial housing. Tearing down the historic 19th century buildings in this discriminate fashion, in order to lay focus on one singular building built during 18th century, destroys its urban context.
1:40 What idiot thought it would be smart to deface the Betsey Ross house by actually moving the original door entrance from the left side to the right side. What else did the idiots deface on the interior!?
I think even the preservationists would admit they never had conclusive evidence of an actual street number or surveyor confirmed location. Only the block and from letters what type of structure. It may actually be the house Betsy lived/worked but it could just as well be a derelict tavern. The architect was following modern proscriptions for crowd control on a busy sidewalk mirroring the letters describing her business. You can't DEFACE something that is most probably not the original (although by luck it may be). Restoring Colonial Williamsburg "defaced" a gas station when it was purchased, the only structure surviving into the 20th century from the 18th. Likewise assuming Betsy did live at the address tourist go to, there is no assurance the door wasn't somewhere else....
Thanks for this video. I once stayed in Philadelphia for 17 weeks on a business project. I walked a lot in the old town area. It has a special character.
The Shot Tower is still up. It was used by pouring molten lead into a collander thing, different size holes in different ones for the size you want, and when the lead came out the holes and fell it formed round balls of a specific size for the desired shot. Then it landed in water at the bottom solidifying it through. Very neat idea to make shotgun pellets
My family owned a grocery store at 3520 Market Street from the 1840's until sold to Drexel in 1940's. Listed as Philip Donohoe and Sons. I had a picture of it around 1860's showing two delivery wagons. The picture was mistakingly thrown out. If anyone out there ever sees it, please contact me. Surprisingly, it was on the West side of the city that was not considered Philadelphia proper. I loved all these photos. Would love to see more.
1840, you took a pontoon toll bridge to get over to there, Mantua then I think. Was undeveloped in a lot of farmes and open land. Had a train station built for a Army hospital during the Civil War. Was developed in the late Victorian era until the Depression. Then all building stopped until 1940 or so, and then the war shut it right down again until the late 40's. There was still shortages of vital materials for building for years until the economy switched and recovered. That is when the second building wave hit Mantua, Powelton, whatever. It was called Mantua the whole are north of the store on Market
Any shots of City Hall down the Parkway from the Art Museum steps, please?! Amazing how it's even changed just from the time of the old Rocky movie was staggering...
Wow I love this project! Something positive of Philadelphia. I love Philadelphia history and you capture it and show the city’s character. I have old pictures of from my family history. I am shocked to see myself some of the buildings I have still standing. Thank you for sharing this. Germantown is one neighborhood with a lot of old buildings I would love to see saved.
It never ceases to amaze me how modern "developers" manage to make the beautiful ugly! Such a shame to see once attractive streets reduced to sterile souless spaces.
In St Louis the half houses called flounder houses. City has lost dozens over the last 30 years but many have been fully renovated. Some just aren't in best parts of city.
Great comparisons here. In some cases we've made true improvements from the past. In other cases such as the half house, I wish we could have kept it the way it was. At it's best, Philly has a wonderful charm all it's own.
Very interesting until you mentioned slaves, but it does highlight America’s dark history which obviously wasn’t just limited to Dixieland. An inconvenience that doesn’t go away.
Americans always complain how their cities are so new compared to European ones and ''there is no history'' but most of what is left in Europe from ''old stuff'' in cities is the same 1800s buildings, just looks like Americans torn it down too... Looking at 0:32 and 2:00, those would still be standing in Europe unless destroyed by war.
At one point Philadelphia was the tourist city with the most "repeat" European visitors. NYC and others racked up more one time tourists. I was proud to take a few European visitors around the city and learned that drug stores and other boring everyday marts in Europe are 500 years old. No big deal to them. They sort of are quietly amused by the Americans who make so much of their 250 structures with millions spent restoring them for museum use only.....
@@tombirney7276 But if stuff is just torn down, then there will never be a lot of year old buildings in USA even in future. Not all Europe has 500 year old drug stores etc., still a lot has been destroyed either by wars or by Europeans themselves. Some smaller towns could have more of old architecture but city centers like in Paris, Barcelona, London, it's mainly stuff that even USA could have had more, like early 1800s and onwards. Also yes, I think Americans are more sort of focused on preserving some old individual houses, while in Europe the thinking is more of preserving old neighborhoods, whole streets, infrastructure, not to spotlight just some one house here and there.
It is kind of funny when you have tall glass skyscrapers around and in the middle there is a small wooden house from early 1800s and a proud American is saying ''look, we have preserved history, this is a house where this and that president was born''. Because people in Europe feel much more value in preserving whole streets, neighborhoods, smaller towns as a whole in how they were in the past.
@@lkrnpk I couldn't agree more that American building preservation to restore to a museum jewel piece with nothing but a tourist function is sort of blind sided to the life of a city and its inhabitants. Works well for corporate developers building hotels too tall in the "Disneyland Historic" part of town.
I really enjoyed your video here.The before gives an idea of what was there and today.I trually likef when both photos were shown. They looked great together. I had to sibscribe.I only wish I found you earlier.
Some day we might get the sound and smells from the past and really get a sense of the place. One might conclude that Philly in the late 1800s-early 1900s was down at the heels. I like that someone at the Captain's house was airing the bed linens.
Love the old homes and, what’s left of them. So sad that we are loosing them to the modern junk that the city is allowing. Thanks for sharing this. Next the mansion on north Broad street.
Nice job. A little low-key background music would enhance the experience. IMHO. But I did enjoy looking at the then and now photos. Fascinating to see how things change.
This was fantastic! Philadelphia is my favorite big city to visit (as long as I stay in Center City). The city made a lot of good changes, and a couple not so good. I really enjoyed this. Thank you
You can thank cars and the need for more parking spaces for the demolishment of many of these beautiful structures. Say NO to parking requirements. Just park and walk around. If you can do it at a big mall or amusement park, you can do it in a city too.
this is very enjoyable, some chill music in the background wouldn't hurt, but i like the no narration just text with information style you did here, i really like how you transition and show the side to side old and new much easier to compare and imagine.
Wouldn’t it be great if the dock street market from 1910 shown at 2:30 came back to present day!? Who needs limited parking on a cobblestone side street. I want street vendors 24/7! Night markets please!
Born and raised Philly, Holmesburg section, West Kensington prior to that. My wife's aunt lives behind Episcopal Hospital on N. Lee St. Holmesburg was called Lower Dublin Township prior. I lived a block off Frankford Ave, known as the kings highway.
My Great Aunt lived in Elfreth's Alley in the 1890's. I saw her expenses book she kept for her whole life. Rent was 12 cents a week, and her bread was a Hey Penny. (1/10th of a cent) A beef shoulder for a stew, was 3 cents!!! Wood for her stove, delivered, was 1 cent for a fascist.
The Betsy Ross House would have been part of an entire row of similar homes, all conjoined for the length of the block. Even the 1900 photo doesn't depict this. The taller buildings left and right are 19th century constructs.
Can u confirm or deny urban myth about Betsy Ross' House? No actual street number was ever preserved. The best guess was the type of structure and the block. When the historical preservationists started speaking with the modern owners of the properties on that block; one wily tavern owner not making a good living hyped his property in hopes he would get more foot traffic and money by doing so (it was greed not historical confirmation). The increased foot traffic never happened and he sold his nearly derelict property for a sum much higher than it would have had Betsy not lived/worked somewhere on that block centuries ago.
Philadelphia seemed to have back-to-back houses back then. And how different Dock Street would be today had the city decided to renovate the buildings and pedestrianize the street with trees.
Trajicly, many towns have lost some of their most important pieces of early architecture because of urban renewal. Philadelphia city planner, Bacon, did a real number on it, not for the better.
Absolutely superb. Very well done mate. I especially like that after the two then and now photos you do a side by side. Too, your ability to capture the spot from which the original photographer captured his shot to take yours is marvellous. Cheers!
Do u have old picture of 1548 Adams Ave ??? It’s the historical house where Thomas Jefferson recited the Declaration of Independence before it go large on public
Do anyone see what I am seeing in these old photos I see lies about history because the coble stone streets are very old as are the buildings in these old photo which means someone long ago had to build and produce all that was required to build which means things had to be in place for developmental planning in the many cities and towns all throughout the U.S.
Thank you for watching and for your kind comments. I remember as a kid going to Wanamaker’s, Strawbridges, and Lits during the Christmas season, as well as riding the trains, subway, and the el. Philadelphia has changed over the years, but there are always the memories.
@@craigsped Franklin Institute as a kid, baby!! And , if course, the Art Museum! (Back when you could drive a car right to the very top of the "Rocky" steps and chill!)
Capt. Spafford was a sea going merchant (fact). He advertised the sale of his cargo (fact). These sales included green tea (fact). He occasionally sold slaves (fact - NOT "unfortunately" when he did it). Viewed today - yes it was unfortunate but people do not need to apologize for what occurred (fact) yesterday. You might agree or not agree with what I say but the (fact) remains: it is what it was.
