Philadelphia is the largest and historic city in Pennsylvania state. After the American Civil War, a large number of European and African American immigrants arrived in the town. In the late 19th Century, Philadelphia became a major industrial center and railroad hub. Major industries were the Baldwin Locomotive Works, William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Philadelphia had taken on a poor reputation as “Corrupt but content.” The political corruption was at its peak, and one official estimated that US$5 million was wasted each year from graft in the city’s infrastructure programs. Philadelphia began to modernize; several new fractures, including the City Hall, Roosevelt Boulevard, Benjamin Franklin Bridge and skyscrapers were built. In 1907, the city’s first subway was constructed.
Here below are some historical photographs of Philadelphia from the early 20th Century that show street scenes, cityscapes, and everyday life. Vote your favorites, and don’t forget to share.
There’s no doubt that we used to be a much prettier city.
The streets and sidewalks are cleaner than they are today
It’s amazing how well dressed everyone is. Comparatively, we look like slobs.
In 50 years, people might be saying that about us. By then, Grittys may not be the dominant species.
Ah, but the smells might be different.
I’d rather wear Nike Dri Fits over moist wool booty stink from the days before tide
sometimes feel sick to my stomach when I see the historic architecture that has been lost in this city.
buildings should have windows like that. Google Maps shows a beautiful view of it. It’s time for us to come up with a better identity than “random square shapes on the skyline”.
Buying a building for a higher price is the way to go. Sheet metal and glass buildings aren’t built because they look better; they’re built because they’re cheaper than 20 stories of stone
Looking at these photo, so long ago, and thinking that my grandpa was born eleven years later is strange, he remembered dead horses being left on the street. In the future, what will the children of people born now see? It would be nice if it were a better world, but I fear that it won’t be. He remembered an old Civil War vet encampment where horse shit was a problem. Even a tenuous connection to the Civil War freaks me out. The subject of trolleys is interesting. Millions of lines of track were laid within a few years. Life was changed by them.
Future developments are happening so quickly, like a stone rolling downhill and picking up speed. As we try to gauge its momentum, we end up just keeping up.
Yesterday, my friend and I discussed the speed of time. Summer, for example, seems to last forever when you are a child. It seems that my college romances lasted longer than those in my thirties.
With age, time has begun to slow down. There are some events that seem like they happened yesterday when they happened years ago and there are some events that seem like they happened ages ago when they happened just a couple of years ago.
I remember reading a book about the public transit systems in NYC and Boston that even in Philly. Basically, before cars became a big deal, people walked, used horses or omnibuses, and eventually trollies. As no one stopped and there were no traffic signals, if someone was crossing the street, they were lucky not to get killed. If you tried to cross, you had to look for traffic and cross quickly. Since subways took most traffic below ground and made it easier for people to walk, they were supposed to solve the problem.