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Informed by current scholarship and richly illustrated with full-color photographs and maps, The Greater Philadelphia Region and its companion volumes Greater Philadelphia and the Nation and Greater Philadelphia and the World bring to the public an up-to-date, diverse history of Philadelphia across its many dimensions.
As early as the 1890s, the term “Greater Philadelphia” was already in use in newspaper ads for the Wanamaker’s and Gimbel Brothers department stores. The self-proclaimed “Furniture Center of Greater Philadelphia,” J. B. Van Sciver Co., was actually located in Camden, New Jersey. And by the 1920s organizations and businesses ranging from sports clubs to real estate firms adopted names starting with “Greater Philadelphia” to associate their activities not only with the city but also its suburbs.
This visually stunning reference—assembled by the editorial team of the online Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia—adopts “Greater Philadelphia” to indicate a regional scope, but not one limited by a fixed geographical boundary. Instead, “Greater Philadelphia” refers to the interdependence between the city and its periphery across parts of three states: southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and northern Delaware. The book is arranged thematically, with chapters containing:
-- Depictions of the rivers and valleys that created natural territorial boundaries for the region as well as the histories of the treaties, map lines, and legislative acts that further defined the region;
-- Exploration of the histories of the different sections of the city as well as the histories of surrounding counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware;
-- Historical accounts of the many trails, canals, rails, and roads that not only enabled residents to get around the city but also formed the network that connected the central city to the suburbs and outlying areas;
-- A review of how the “Greater Philadelphia” region has been governed, from the first treaty negotiations with Native Americans to the development of the Delaware River and Philadelphia Regional Port Authorities.
Each chapter also features an “Explore More” section that provides opportunities for further reading and research, including places to visit and sites to investigate, to encourage discovery beyond the book’s pages.
The Greater Philadelphia Region represents a collection of stories fundamental to the Philadelphia area’s history and evolution based on the belief that regions work best when residents, divided in space but linked in multiple ways through social and economic connections, possess shared knowledge about the people and the places that surround them.
— The Philadelphia Citizen
Howard Gillette, Jr. is Professor of History Emeritus at Rutgers University–Camden and co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. He is the author of Camden After the Fall and The Paradox of Urban Revitalization, among other works.
Carolyn T. Adams, Emeritus Professor and Dean of Liberal Arts at Temple University, has published a half dozen books, including four focused on the Philadelphia region.
Contents
Preface
Charlene Mires xiii
Chapter 1 WHY REGIONS MATTER
Howard Gillette, Jr. 1
Chapter 2 GREATER PHILADELPHIA EXAMINED
Carolyn T. Adams 7
Chapter 3 NATURAL FEATURES
Introduction 17
Topography by Michael Nairn 18
Delaware Bay by Michael J. Chiarappa 22
Delaware River by Carolyn T. Adams 27
Schuylkill River by Howard Gillette, Jr. 32
Lehigh Valley by Robert F. Smith 36
Brandywine Valley by W. Barksdale Maynard 40
New Jersey Pine Barrens by Skylar Harris 44
Trees by Laura Turner Igoe 46
Explore More 50
Chapter 4 REGIONAL FOUNDATIONS
Introduction 53
Native Peoples Before 1680 by Jean R. Soderlund 54
New Sweden by Mark L. Thompson 57
West New Jersey by Jean R. Soderlund 59
Pennsylvania Founding by Stephanie Grauman Wolf 62
Lower Delaware Colonies by Lu Ann De Cunzo 65
Walking Purchase by Tim Hayburn 67
Proclamation Line by Austin Stewart 69
Mason-Dixon Line by Cameron B. Strang 69
Hinterlands by Jordan AP Fansler 71
Explore More 74
Chapter 5 THE CITY AND ITS PEOPLES
Introduction 77
Consolidation by Andrew Heath 78
Center City by Catharine Dann Roeber and Charlene Mires 82
North Philadelphia by David Amott 87
Northwest Philadelphia by Abigail Perkiss 90
South Philadelphia by Mary Rizzo 93
Southwest Philadelphia by Anne E. Krulikowski 97
West Philadelphia by Jake Blumgart 101
Northeast Philadelphia by Matthew Smalarz 105
Explore More 110
Chapter 6 NETWORKS: TRAILS, CANALS, RAILS, AND ROADS
Introduction 113
Trails (Native) by Matthew A. Zimmerman 114
Turnpikes by Charlene Mires 116
Great Wagon Road by Charlene Mires 118
Ferries by Stephen Nepa 120
Bridges by Andrew Slemmon 122
Canals by Christopher F. Jones 126
Main Line of Public Works by Charlene Mires 129
Omnibuses by John Hepp 132
Streetcars by John Hepp 133
Red Arrow Lines by Fallon Samuels Aidoo 136
Railroads by John Hepp 139
Subways and Elevated Lines by John Hepp 143
Buses by Stephen Nepa 145
Automobiles by Stephen Nepa 147
Gas Stations by Alison Kreitzer 149
Lincoln Drive by Bradley Flamm 151
Admiral Wilson Boulevard by Bart Everts 155
Roosevelt Boulevard by Matthew Smalarz 156
Vine Street Expressway by Mary Yee 159
Schuylkill Expressway by John F. Bauman 162
Blue Route by James J. Wyatt 164
Interstate by Dylan Gottlieb 166
PATCO by John Hepp 167
Trails (Recreational) by Silas Chamberlin 169
Explore More 172
Chapter 7 CORE AND PERIPHERY
Introduction 175
Fairmount Park by Elizabeth Milroy 177
Benjamin Franklin Parkway by Lynn Miller 179
Department Stores by David Sullivan 183
Railroad Suburbs by Charlene Mires and John Hepp 188
Manufacturing Suburbs by Carolyn T. Adams 191
Streetcar Suburbs by Dylan Gottlieb 194
Inner Suburbs by Suzanne Lashner Dayanim 196
Public Education: Suburbs by William W. Cutler III and Catherine D’Ignazio 200
Automobile Suburbs by Carolyn T. Adams 205
Shopping Centers by Matthew Smalarz 208
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania by Carolyn T. Adams 210
Sprawl by Robert J. Mason 213
Explore More 216
Chapter 8 COUNTIES
Introduction 219
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania by Andrew Heath 221
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania by Carolyn T. Adams 225
Delaware County, Pennsylvania by Jodine Mayberry and Carolyn T. Adams 232
Bucks County, Pennsylvania by Carolyn T. Adams 239
Chester County, Pennsylvania by Carolyn T. Adams 247
Burlington County, New Jersey by Howard Gillette, Jr. 254
Camden County, New Jersey by Howard Gillette, Jr. 260
Gloucester County, New Jersey by Howard Gillette, Jr. 266
Cumberland County, New Jersey by Penelope S. Watson 272
Salem County, New Jersey by Bonny Beth Elwell 279
New Castle County, Delaware by W. Barksdale Maynard 284
Explore More 292
Chapter 9 REGIONAL GOVERNANCE AND STEWARDSHIP
Introduction 295
Treaty Negotiations with Native Americans by Stephanie Gamble 297
Native and Colonial Go-Betweens by Stephen T. Staggs 300
Philadelphia Maritime Exchange by Terry L. Potter 302
Fairmount Park Commission by Elizabeth Milroy 303
Delaware River Port Authority by Peter Hendee Brown 305
Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission by Dylan Gottlieb 308
Delaware River Basin Commission by Gail Friedman 311
SEPTA by John Hepp 314
Philadelphia Regional Port Authority by Elizabeth M. Marcello 316
Explore More 318
Contributors 321
Subject Index 325
Place Index 337
Biographical Index 345
Acknowledgments 351