When I was renovating my house I found names scratched into the plaster behind the drywall. Who were Mary, Elizabeth, Patrick, and Charles? Were they the children of the house? Were they renowned Philadelphians? Just how old was this graffiti? Who were these people who walked the same floors as me, slept in the same room, and ate in the same kitchen (well, maybe not — the kitchen was a later addition and not part of the original house). If I lived in Powelton Village I might be lucky enough to have answers.

The Powelton Village Civic Association has created an interactive map that compiles decades of information on the past residents of the area. Simply clicking on a house on the old 1927 map image will bring up a wealth of information, though some dwellings have more details than others; the map is still be updated on a weekly basis. The historical data is culled mostly from censuses between 1860 and 1930. It lists the occupants of each house as well as their occupations and often their places of birth (a good many are from Ireland. Others not from Philadelphia are from Maryland, North Carolina, or Virginia.) A lot of women are stenographers and men are clerks; other women are dressfitters in department stores, while men are locomotive engineers, foremen in lumberyards, or horsedealers. There are plenty of servants. Many properties also have big colorful pictures accompanying the listings.

If you don't live in a Powelton Village house yourself, there are still plenty of interesting things to check out. Look up famous Poweltonians — how about Kevin Bacon's father and grandparents at 3603 Baring Street? You can find corrupt politicians (Richard Peltz), anti-slavery leaders (George Washington Taylor) and architects (Frederick Thorne). Or check out the big mansions on Powelton Avenue or the "Opera House" (3604 Hamilton). You can even track ordinary people as they moved around the neighborhood, like a young woman who grew up on Baring St., got married and moved to Powelton Avenue where she raised a family, and then moved into her brother's house on Hamilton St. as an elderly widow.

Anyone with even a passing interest in Philadelphia or neighborhood history will think this map is really cool. We often don't stop and think about the actual people who lived in these gorgeous old Victorians, or who planted that now-towering tree when it was just a sapling. Taking a few minutes to click through the interactive map can give you a real glimpse into history and a whole new perspective on the area.

http://poweltonvillage.org/interactivemap

Related Category: Community Resources

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by Naomi on April 6, 2010

Used in conjunction with an inflation calculator (like this one: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ ) you can see that prices really haven't changed that much for the properties, rent, income, etc. Very interesting.

by Naomi on April 6, 2010

This is really cool! I love the stories and passage of time. Check out 3401 Baring - in 1870, the 32 year old owner was a "dental surgeon" who, at a very young age, successfully experimented to bring "very marked improvements" to "artificial teeth".

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Interactive Map of Powelton Village: Uncovering History

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