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Fishtown in Philly Pa.
updated 6-01-2003
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All About Fishtown
Fishtown is a Neighborhood in Philadelphia Pa. located very close to Olde City and Center City Philadelphia.The neighborhood is in lower Kensington,which was once a suburb of Philadelphia when the city was small and the northern boundaries ended at what is now Vine Street. Fishtown is one of the last truly "Family Neighborhoods" in Philadelphia. Most of the people here are cousin's or 2nd cousin's, and have lived in the same homes for most of their lives.
The Neighborhood has some historical locations, for instance Penn Treaty Park. This is where William Penn is said to have made His Treaty with the local Native Americans. The area is now occupied by mainly Irish Catholics. But the First People to set foot in what is now called Fishtown were probably Swede's or Finn's. Two Families that were first to settle here were the "Cocks and Rambo's", the Cock's being Swede's and Rambo's may have been English Quaker
.
Two Men whose name's are synonomous with Fishtown are William Cramp and Anthony Palmer. Cramp opened a shipyard on the Delaware river at Fishtown in 1830, which at that time built wooden sailing ships. The ship yard was still producing ships during world war 2, and employed over 18,000 people at that time.
Anthony Palmer was an English Merchant from Barbados, before arriving in Philadelphia in 1730. Captain Palmer purchased about 600 acres for his plantation. All that remains of the Palmer plantation are the Palmer Burial Grounds, Palmer Park ( St Mary's Park) and the street named after him, Palmer Street. Palmer later sold his original lands and purchased the "Fairman Estate" which was a smaller parcel of land, but closer to the delaware River, and included the Fairman Mansion at what is now Penn Treaty Park.
During the Revolution for Independence, the English soldiers headed by General Howe, camped in the area, after taking control of the city of Philadelphia, which was then a couple of miles south of Fishtown. The British supposedly camped out close to the roads heading north tow New York, which was Kings Highway, or Frankford Road.
The name "Fishtown, may or may not have come from Charles Dickens, as I once believed it did, but from the businesses along Girard Avenue at that time. There is no indication that Dickens even visited this area. In the 1830's, refrigeration was for the rich (Ice Houses), so the ships that brought their catch into the docks along the Delaware River would take their bounty to the smoke houses along the Ave, and the fish would be pickled, salted or smoked for preserving. Because of the odor's from this area, the name Fishtown was born and remains the name to this day, although the odor's have long since gone. Fishtown was a very small part of Kensington, and is also called "lower Kensington" by many.
In the 1855, The Bishop of Philadelphia, John Neumann founded the Third Order of St Francis, within 5 years, these Sisters opened a fifteen bed hospital. which grew larger(42 beds) after the civil war. St Mary's quickly became known in the Medical World. On december 19th,1887, the first sucessful brain surgery was performed at St Mary's, by Dr. W.W. Keen.The process of cleaning wounds was also perfected at St. Mary's, by Sister Mary Xavier, when she decided to wrap the dressing to be applied to the wound, in a clean towel, and "baked" it in the oven. It worked!
In 1915, the first fireproof hospital bulding was erected at St. Mary's to replace the original structures. Although the Hospital is now little more then a nursing home or drug treatment center and known as "Neumann", St Mary's Hospital was where most of the Fishtowner's were born.
Although there are no signs at the off ramps from I-95 that say" Fishtown ", the people who come from this area know where it is. You won't see the name Fishtown on many maps either. Old maps show this area as being a part of the" District of Kensington ", But being a Fishtowner is a way of life or a frame of mind. A Fishtowner clings to the name like he would to his most precious possessions. Even when people move away, they always say that they are from "Fishtown". Thats what makes the neighborhood so special. A spirit that will never die.
The area has changed some in recent years. But it hasn't gone to the dog's. Many people are realizing how nice and convenient Fishtown really is. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to get into center city by the "el" or by car. Many people from Fishtown commute the short distance to work in center city each day. Many outsiders have bought homes in the neigborhood because of its location to center city,much like they did in Fairmount in the 70's and 80's.
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Since the last update of this webpage, Fishtown has become
very attractive to outsiders. The property value in Fishtown has increased tremendously, which is causing many of the Older Fishtowner's to sell their homes and move to the Jersey Shore or to the "suburbs". This will create a new chapter in Fishtown History. I believe that there can be a positive change in Fishtown, but I hope we don't forget what being a "Fishtowner" is all about. It's about the spirit of community, of helping one another, of unity. The people who love Fishtown, whether you still live here or not, will always be willing to help the Old Neighborhood.
For the "New Fishtowner's", Welcome! Soon you will see what I have been saying about the spirit of Fishtown. We are not perfect, and maybe what you bring to the neighborhood will make us that much better.
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DID YOU KNOW...
Major League Baseball's were made right here in Fishtown? The A.J. Reach Sporting Goods Co. was located near Palmer and Tulip Streets. The company was started in the 1880's by Al Reach, a former Major Leaguer who played for Boston the Old National League. His partner in the Sporting Goods Co. was Ben Shibe, who was President of the Philadelphia Athletics when Connie Mack was Managing in the early part of the 20th century. Ben Shibe was a team mate of Al Reach, Along with A.G.Spalding, who later purchased the Company from Al Reach.
Reach had a contract to supply Baseballs to the new American League as the Official Ball. He originally paid the teams a Dollar a Dozen to use his Baseballs.
Ben Shibe was the person responsible for building "Shibe Park" at 22nd and Lehigh Ave in 1909. Later the stadium name was changed to Connie Mack Stadium, who became President and owner of the Athletics in Later years.
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