Volumes
(17 items)
Regional Overview: The Sights of the City, Loosely Defined
Philadelphia,defined here as the Quaker region of three formerly Quaker states, contains an astonishing number of interesting places to visit. Three centuries of history leave their marks everywhere. Begin by understanding that William Penn was the largest private landholder in history, and he owned all of it.
Tourist Walk in Olde Philadelphia
You've seen the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
Come now on a tour of the city the Founding Brothers lived in, a smaller city than today which they knew intimately. Their Colonial Philadelphia can be seen in a day's walk through the center of town.
History: Philadelphia and the Quaker Colonies
Philadelphia and the Quaker Colonies
America's Capital City, 1774-1800
The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia from 1774 to 1788. Except for some urgent interruptions, the new republic had its capital here from 1790 to 1800. Except for John Marshall's Supreme Court, Quaker Philadelphia thus formed the social environment for those twenty-five years which shaped the enduring political institutions of America.
Philadelphia Since the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution began about the time America declared Independence. The young nation faced a clean slate and boundless opportunities.
Invaders of Pennsylvania
For a peaceful state, Pennsylvania has suffered many invasions. It's all been one-way; Pennsylvania has never invaded anyone else.
Tourist Trips:
Philadelphia and the Quaker Colonies
The states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey all belonged to William Penn the Quaker. He was the largest private landholder in American history. Using explicit directions, comprehensive touring of the Quaker Colonies takes seven full days. Local residents may need a couple dozen one-day wanderings to match it.
The Right Angle Club of Philadelphia
The Exchange luncheon club of Philadelphia, then meeting at the Bourse, withdrew from association with other Exchange Clubs on a point of principle -- hence the name it adopted, the Right Angle Club.
Culture: The Flavors of Philadelphia Life
Philadelphia began as a religious colony, a utopia if you will. But all religions were welcome, so Quakerism mainly persists in its effects on others, both locally and in America, in Art, clubs, and the way of life.
Sociology: Philadelphia and the Quaker Colonies
Colonial Times
More than half of American history took place before 1776, but after 1492. For Philadelphia, Colonial history lasted about a century.
Colonial Days
More than half of American history took place before 1776, but after 1492. For Philadelphia, the Colonial period lasted about a century.
Philadelphia Medicine
Several hundred essays on the history and peculiarities of Medicine in Philadelphia, where most of it started.
Computers, Websites, and other Digital Gadgetry
What is novel today is old-hat tomorrow; but what is old-hat to someone today is still novel for someone else. These are our own thoughts about a variety of electronic novelties, for whoever finds them of interest.
Recent Convulsions in World Finance
Few people choose to study economics; most people don't want to. But world economics have got in such a state that lots more of us had better give it some thought.
BANKS REDEFINED
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Topics
(131 items)
Escape Path of the Philadelphia Tories
Grievances provoking the American Revolutionary War left many Philadelphians unprovoked. Loyalists often fled to Canada, especially Kingston, Ontario. Decades later the flow of dissidents reversed, Canadian anti-royalists taking refuge south of the border.
Litchfield to Wilkes Barre, Today
The journey of Connecticut's invasion path into Pennsylvania has changed little in two centuries. But some pretty important history has since taken place along that route.
Military Philadelphia
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New Jersey (State of)
The Garden State really has two different states of mind. The state motto is Liberty and Prosperity. (www.Philadelphia-Reflections.com/topic/96.htm)
Delaware (State of)
Originally the "lower counties" of Pennsylvania, and thus one of three Quaker colonies founded by William Penn, Delaware has developed its own set of traditions and history.
Tourist Trips Around Philadelphia and the Quaker Colonies
The states of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and southern New Jersey all belonged to William Penn the Quaker. He was the largest private landholder in American history. Using explicit directions, comprehensive touring of the Quaker Colonies takes seven full days. Local residents would need a couple dozen one-day trips to get up to speed.
Food and Drink in Philadelphia
A flowing abundance of food sources made Philadelphia the capital of food and drink, right from earliest times.
Haddonfield
Haddonfield is a bit of a secret. It's Philadelphia's "Main Line, East".
Whither, Federal Reserve? (1)
The Federal Reserve seems to be a big black box, containing magic. In fact, it's high-wire acrobatics that must not be allowed to fail.
Whither, Federal Reserve? (2)
Whither, Federal Reserve? (2)
Re-Designing Old Age
A grumpy analysis of future trends from a member of the Grumpy Generation.
The British Attack Philadelphia
Fighting in the Revolutionary War lasted eight years; for two full years (June 1776 to June 1778) Philadelphia was the objective of military attack. Only the Civil War killed a larger proportion of the population.
Right Angle Club 2009
The 2009 proceedings of the Right Angle Club of Philadelphia, beginning with the farewell address of the outgoing president, John W. Nixon, and sadly concluding with memorials to two departed members, Fred Etherington and Harry Bishop.
Philadelphia, A Running Commentary
A series of observations in and around Philadelphia by notables over the last three and one-half centuries.
Japan and Philadelphia
Philadelphia and Japan have had a special friendship for 150 years.
The Proprietorship of West Jersey
The southern half of New Jersey was William Penn's first venture in real estate. It undoubtedly gave him bigger ideas.
Benjamin Franklin
A collection of Benjamin Franklin tidbits that relate Philadelphia's revolutionary prelate to his moving around the city, the colonies, and the world.
Land Tour Around Delaware Bay
Start in Philadelphia, take two days to tour around Delaware Bay. Down the New Jersey side to Cape May, ferry over to Lewes, tour up to Dover and New Castle, visit Winterthur, Longwood Gardens, Brandywine Battlefield and art museum, then back to Philadelphia. Try it!
Shaping the Constitution in Philadelphia
After Independence, the weakness of the Federal government dismayed a band of ardent patriots, so under Washington's leadership a stronger Constitution was written. Almost immediately, comrades discovered they had wanted the same thing for different reasons, so during the formative period they struggled to reshape future directions . Moving the Capitol from Philadelphia to the Potomac proved curiously central to all this.
Fanny Kemble
Fanny Kemble was more than the toast of the town, she was the most glamorous woman in the English speaking world. But far beyond that, she was a famous author, Shakespearean scholar, and had a major influence on the Civil War.
George Washington in Philadelphia
Philadelphia remains slightly miffed that Washington was so enthusiastic about moving the nation's capital next to his home on the Potomac. The fact remains that the era of Washington's eminence was Philadelphia's era; for thirty years Washington and Philadelphia dominated affairs.
Outlaws: Crime in Philadelphia
Even the criminals, the courts and the prisons of this town have a Philadelphia distinctiveness. The underworld has its own version of history.
Quakers: The Society of Friends
According to an old Quaker joke, the Holy Trinity consists of the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Connecticut Invades Pennsylvania!
The rest of the world fights wars about national grievances, both recent and long past. Meanwhile, Connecticut once waged a serious war with Pennsylvania, and we don't even remember it.
Nature Preservation
Nature preservation and nature destruction are different parts of an eternal process.
Charter of Pennsylvania, from Charles II to William Penn
William Penn suggested what he wanted, and the Royal bureaucracy suggested suitable modifications of the gift. The resulting charter is a shrewd and fair legal document, but contained a major geographical error.
Education in Philadelphia
Taxes are too high, but the tax base is too small, so public education is underfunded. Drug use and lack of classroom discipline are also problems. Business and employed persons have fled the city, must be induced to return. Deteriorating education, rising taxes and crime are the immediate problems, but the underlying issue is lack of vigor and engagement by the urban population itself.
Customs, Culture and Traditions
Abundant seafood made it easy to settle here. Agriculture takes longer.
Banking Panic 2007-2009
Mankind hasn't learned how to control sudden wealth, whether in families, third-world countries, or the richest nation in history. The world banking crisis of 2007 is the biggest example yet.
Legal Philadelphia
The American legal profession grew up in this town, creating institutions and traditions that set the style for everyone else. Boston, New York and Washington have lots of influential lawyers, but Philadelphia shapes the legal profession.
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Sporting Philadelphia
A few reflections about sports in and around Philadelphia.
Personal Passions
My own personal short list; eight decades in retrospect.
Quakers: All Alike, All Different
Quaker doctrines emerge from the stories they tell about each other.
Quakers: William Penn
Although Ben Franklin lately gets more ink, William Penn deserves at least equal rank among the most remarkable men who ever lived.
City of Rivers and Rivulets
Philadelphia has always been defined by the waters that surround it.
Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks Counties
The Philadelphia metropolitan region has five Pennsylvania counties, four New Jersey counties, one northern county in the state of Delaware. Here are the four Pennsylvania suburban ones.
Obamacare Examined
A short appraisal of the Obama Health Plan, its tricky politics, and a proposal of less disruptive health reforms that would suffice for the moment. www.Philadelphia-Reflections.com/topic/134.htm
Right Angle Club 2008
A report, to the year 2008 shareholders of the Right Angle Club of Philadelphia, by the outgoing president, Neale Bringhurst...
www.philadelphia-reflections.com/topic/120.htm
Investing, Philadelphia Style
Land ownership once was the only practical form of savings, until banking matured in the mid-19th century. Philadelphia took an early lead in what is now called investment and still defines a certain style of it.
Subcultures
A few reflections about the subcultures in and around Philadelphia.
Gardens Flowers and Horticulture
Gardening, flowers and the Flower Show are central to the social fabric of Philadelphia.
Historical Preservation
The 20% federal tax credit for historic preservation is said to have been the special pet of Senator Lugar of Indiana. Much of the recent transformation of Philadelphia's downtown is attributed to this incentive.
Philadelphia Medicine
The first hospital, the first medical school, the first medical society, and abundant Civil War casualties, all combined to establish the most important medical center in the country. It's still the second largest industry in the city.
Art in Philadelphia
The history of art, particularly painting and sculpture, has been a long and distinguished one. If you add in the art schools, the Philadelphia national influence on artists has been a dominant one.
Particular Sights to See:Center City
Taxi drivers tell tourists that Center City is a "shining city on a hill". During the Industrial Era, the city almost urbanized out to the county line, and then retreated. Right now, the urban center is surrounded by a semi-deserted ring of former factories.
Nobel Prizes
Some Philadelphians won Nobel Prizes for work done here, or elsewhere. Some prize winners would deny they are Philadelphians, but their work was nevertheless done here.
Franklin Inn Club
Hidden in a back alley near the theaters, this little club is the center of the City's literary circle. It enjoys outstanding food in surroundings which suggest Samuel Johnson's club in London.
Philadelphia Politics
Originally, politics had to do with the Proprietors, then the immigrants, then the King of England, then the establishment of the nation. Philadelphia first perfected the big-city political machine, which centers on bulk payments from utilities to the boss politician rather than small graft payments to individual office holders. More efficient that way.
The Main Line
Like all cities, Philadelphia is filling in and choking up with subdivisions and development, in all directions from the center. The last place to fill up is the Welsh Barony, a tip of which can be said to extend all the way in town to the Art Museum.
Reflections
(1249 items)
Newburgh NY: Washington Slept Here
After the battle of Yorktown the British knew they were beaten, but still stationed a menacing army in New York. Upriver at Newburgh, Washington struggled to keep his own army from deserting.
Litchfield's Past
Litchfield, Connecticut is a charming little country town, a good place for successful New Yorkers to retire. But the name of the town means "a place where heretics are burned".
Dingman's Ferry, Below Port Jervis
The northeastern corner of Pennsylvania has a deep gorge for the Delaware River. Just south of it, the river narrows to a crossing at Dingman's Ferry, now occupied by Dingman's Bridge.
Washington's Circular Letters
During the dismal days of1782-3, Washington was confronted with the first of many examples of the American tendency to quit a war before it is completely won.
Central Pennsylvania Settlers Before 1700
When German-speaking religious sects migrated into the "Pennsylvania Dutch" area around 1730, they found German Lutherans had been living there for nearly fifty years.
Ethics of Obamacare
The ethics of healthcare reform concentrate on the ethics of healthcare rationing.
America's New Theater Capital
New York's professional theaters have mostly become a tourist industry. The new capital of legitimate theater in America is -- Philadelphia.
Due North of Philadelphia, More or Less
Broad Street in Philadelphia was laid out due North and South, with a compass. From there you go due North up route 611, which splits into 6 and 11 at Scranton. Due North of that is the mouth of Lake Ontario, emptying into the St. Lawrence. Because of two large lakes in upstate New York, a trip due North is about the only reasonable way to get to Canada from Philadelphia, by land.
Kingston: Birthplace of Canada
Kingston is where modern Canada began. Sadly, the capital has moved upstream to Ottawa, and commerce has migrated downstream to Toronto. It has the air of genteel poverty, while looking prosperous.
Thousand Islands: U.S. Side
The Lake Ontario towns of Sackets Harbor, Clayton and Alexandria Bay are about the same size, had much the same early history, but are demonstrating quite a different present and future direction.
Wilkes-Barre, Site of the Wyoming Massacre
Wilkes-Barre has certainly seen better days, but if you speed by without knowing its past, you are missing a lot.
Ms. Mayor
The current, and long time, Mayor of Haddonfield New Jersey is a lady from Odessa, Texas.
Marcellus, Where the Shale Comes From
The Marcellus shale formation stretches from Canada to Texas, mostly 5 thousand feet underground. But at Marcellus NY, you can really see it, pick it up, and take it home.
Delaware Water Gap
Somehow, we all got tired of the Delaware Water Gap and forgot it was there. It's one of the great scenic places in America.
Sackett's Town at Sackets Harbor
For a town of 1200 residents, Sackets Harbor NY holds a lot of history.
A Tip of the Hat to Skaneateles
Skaneateles is at the top of Skaneateles Lake, and has become a tourist attraction in spite of itself.
Cornell, For the Birds
The Cornell Ornithological Center may not be the largest institution devoted to birds, but it certainly looks as though it might be.
La Cosa Nostra Has an Apalachin Outing
For many years it was widely denied by many, including J. Edgar Hoover, that there was such a thing as organized crime. And then, on November 14, 1957, the State Police stumbled on their national convention in Apalachin, NY.
Mauch Chunk, Jim Thorpe, and All That
Pennsylvania's Switzerland was founded on the anthracite business and died when it did. The Jim Thorpe business is an embarrassment, but a sign of revival.
Addressing the Flaws of Republics
We need some local, not national, think tanks. To understand why, it helps to have been elected to something, yourself.
A Grievance Carried to the Grave
Neither Benjamin Franklin nor his (illegitimate) son William fully described the reasons for their falling-out, but Benjamin carried the bitter grievance to his grave.
Cataracts and Deference to Seniors
traction is now the commonest surgical operation in America. It doesn't receive the deference it deserves.
Killer Instinct
A former Marine and carrier pilot reflects 
on the non-boastful risk takers who drive themselves toward success, but not for riches, promotions, or power. Many other nations seem to exclude these people, and while many women go wild over them, feminists want to civilize them, at our peril.
Inalienable Rights Before the Magna Carta
Human rights of some sort can be traced back to 1800 B.C The question is not whether they are ancient, but who gave them out.
QR Codes
QR Codes are becoming common in print ads to encode the sponsor's URL
How Does New Jersey State Aid Affect School Districts?
State aid for schools is like health insurance: costs go up faster when you aren't spending your own money. At least, that's what the New Jersey statistics seem to show.
Unalienable Rights Before 1776
Lawyers commonly say the Declaration of Independence "informs" the Constitution. But prior informing was performed by William Penn, the Roman Empire, and Hammurabi.
Cost of K-12 Education
The Philadelphia Inquirer just published the average school expenditures, per district, in our region of 166 districts within 8 counties. The City of Philadelphia comes in dead last, at $11,460 per pupil.
Home Heating Issues
There are very few places in America where home heating is unnecessary. Here are a few thoughts, from the home owner's point of view.
Three Revolutions at Once, Maybe Four
Asking the cause of the American Revolutionary War may be a little simplistic; civil wars pop up, all over the place, all the time. The more important question to ask, is why did this American Revolution have such a dramatic effect on the whole world?
School Tax Seldom Equates to School Spending
Voting today on school budgets, local districts in New Jersey do not seem to realize how poorly school spending correlates with school tax rates.
Special Education, Special Problems
Until recently, mentally retarded children weren't even considered in school budgets. But in recent decades, they have become one of the biggest challenges.
Willow Grove Park
There were dozens of Amusement Parks run by trolley companies in 1900, but Willow Grove was the acknowledged Queen of the trolley parks.
Wood Turning
Tucked underneath the Ben Franklin Bridge, a non-profit museum displays the work of turners, artists mostly working in their garages, a most endearing place to visit when you are near the Constitution Center in Philadelphia. A little hard to get there on one-way streets.
Philadelphia Chromosome
Just about everybody has 46 chromosomes in every cell in the body. Some people have more than that: they have the Philadelphia Chromosome.
Lumpers In Constant Combat With Splitters
The home dinner table is no longer the place most families teach the rules of conduct to each other, probably because of the invasion of homes by television. But there are places where friendly debate is still conducted and social issues are settled. In Philadelphia, newcomers are still taught what's what, in this manner.
Bill Gates Gets a Medal
The 2010 Bower Award was given to William Henry Gates, III by the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia. Although he might not agree, his life raises the topic of incentives.
Reservoir on Reservoir Drive
Philadelphia has a wildlife treasure within a mile of City Hall. The birds know all about it, but the citizens will need to wait a while.
stop play FT fraud hands cheaters room N 1 FU...
I have watched some players winning hand after hand defying the statiscal probabilities. After such a player leaves the room, I immediatley did a search on their ID and I was told that they are not in the database. This is impossible. It should say they are not sitting at a table. I made sure to type the ID exactly the way they had it. Nobody's account just disappears.
The strange part is that this is in the play money rooms. Why would someone cheat for play money? Are they testing something to be later used for real money? Are they full tilt employees? Are they just sickos?
Ever wonder why no one has even been arrested for all the fraud that caused the Global Depression? ... It's tilting back to a Lib Dem - Tory deal ~ link ~ Good! ...“The administration responded with all hands on deck from day one. ... in the Redflex Contract along with some garden variety payroll fraud, .
In a mean village in the backwater capital city of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, one of the oldest cities in the original 13 colonies, at one of the oldest inns in the country, the Long Ferry Tavern, there is a party going on. The Long Ferry Tavern was the two day rest stop between New York’s Battery ferry at Whitehall Slip and the overland stage route to Philadelphia. On this night a group of people are assembled for the purpose of finalizing a slave trading venture involving both New York and Perth Amboy.
It was in this tavern, removed from the everyday hustle and bustle of New York and Philadelphia that some of the most prominent and influential men in the young country gathered, shuttling between the two cities free to map out in secret and seclusion their most intimate plans and policies. Newspapers of the day advertised the Long Ferry Tavern as a place where “good entertainment for man and horse would be found at the house of Obadiah Ayers”.
The Long Ferry Tavern was built out of mortar and bricks in 1686. It was a sturdy structure. It withstood the fiercest hurricanes and the most frigid winters. It survived over 250 years. But New Jersey’s capitol offered intrigues born in the hearts and minds of men that would rattle the place to its foundations.
Perth Amboy was New Jersey’s main seaport and a duty-free slave importation center. Slave trading, both legal and illegal, took place in an attempt to rival New York City as the major center of slave commerce. The Royal African Company had representatives there to oversee the official operations. There were huge wooden barracks standing on pilings overlooking the Arthur Kill to house the slaves until they were sold. Because this market was patronized exclusively by whites, it was known as the “white market”. The underground slave trade was run by pirates and profiteers operating in a subterranean parallel which was coined coincidentally, the “black market”. That the town allowed this dual system to exist wasn’t strange to anyone. A steady supply of slaves would be assured and the buyers and sellers shuffled between both. Perth Amboy was wide open.
Bill Galetta excerpt from an upcoming book
Dr. Fisher's Blog and happy to
be able to read about
Philadelphia here in New York.
annburke@rcn.com
April 18,2010
Wish you were back. Take care and continue your good work.
Kimmer, volunteer for
genealogytrails.com/penn/philadelphia/index.html
Anita McKelvey
anitmckelvey@verizon.net
Why not contact them and suggest that they link to you and perhaps even recommend you to their visitors?
Ditto the local magazines and newspapers. One of their missions is to generate interest in the region and a recommendation from any of them would drive a great deal of traffic to your diary.
You would get the satisfaction of increased, and perhaps active readership; they would get a great source of interest in the local area.
I'm glad to see you're back on the air: rotating your articles and adding new content. A veritable encyclopedia on the Quaker Colonies and environs!