"The Clear Grit of the Old District": Fire Company-Related Artifacts from Fishtown, Philadelphia

Author(s): Thomas Kutys

Year: 2016

Summary

Recent archaeological excavations conducted for PennDOT under Interstate 95 in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia have produced a number of artifacts related to the volunteer fire companies that once existed in the neighborhood. Between 1736 and 1857, over 150 volunteer companies came into existence across the city, and two of those were once situated within the current project area. With the creation of the paid Philadelphia Fire Department in 1871, the era of the volunteer companies passed into history. The fire company-related artifacts recovered from Fishtown will be presented, as well as the stories of the local companies likely associated with them and their significance to the neighborhood.

Cite this Record

"The Clear Grit of the Old District": Fire Company-Related Artifacts from Fishtown, Philadelphia. Thomas Kutys. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434387)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

min long: -129.199; min lat: 24.495 ; max long: -66.973; max lat: 49.359 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 465