Life In The River Wards: The History Of Kensington And Port Richmond

Samuel A Pickard

Life In The River Wards: The History Of Kensington And Port Richmond

Year: 2016

Summary

The Kensington/Fishtown and Port Richmond neighborhoods of Philadelphia were among the earliest areas in the city settled by Europeans. Though initially dominated by maritime trades, in the nineteenth century they developed into industrial districts centered on mills, shipyards, and the export of coal and grain. Much of Kensington and Port Richmond eventually became known as a tough working class areas with populace comprised mainly of Irish, German, and Polish immigrants, though the Fishtown section of Kensington remained a somewhat isolated pocket of nativist fishing families. This paper will discuss the history of these areas from the first half of the nineteenth century to the first decade of the twentieth century, with a focus on the blocks on which AECOM conducted excavations. It will seek to shed light on this area and its residents, who are all too often stereotyped or overlooked in the history of Philadelphia.

Cite this Record

Life In The River Wards: The History Of Kensington And Port Richmond. Samuel A Pickard. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington, D.C. 2016 ( tDAR id: 434768)