Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/417

 PHILADELPHIA 403 LIBRARIES. Mercantile library Library company of Philadelphia Academy of natural sciences Apprentices' library Athenaeum of Philadelphia American philosophical society German society of Pennsylvania Historical society of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania hospital Southwark library Law association of Philadelphia Library association of Friends Franklin institute American Baptist historical society Spring Garden institute Mechanics 1 institute of Southwark Numismatic and antiquarian society of Phila. . Moyamensing literary institute Handel and Haydn society Catholic Philopatrian literary institute Dial library St. Philip's literary institute No. of vols. 112,000 100,000 26,000 20,000 20,000 15,000 15,000 13,000 8,000 8,000 7,814 7,500 7,815 5,728 3,650 8,500 2,900 2,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 The Walnut street theatre, at 9th and Wal- nut streets, seating 1,500, is chiefly devoted to the standard drama; it has a front of 90 ft. and a depth of 146 ft., presenting from Wal- nut street a facade in marble of two stories, with a range of Doric columns. The principal other theatres are the Arch street, in Arch near 6th street, with a marble front, seating 1,800; the Chestnut street, in Chestnut near 12th street, one of the finest theatres in the country, seating 2,500 ; the American, in Chestnut near 10th street, seating 2,800; and the Grand Central, in Walnut near 8th street. The museum is in 9th and Arch streets. Min- strel entertainments are given in the Arch street opera house, in Arch near 10th street, and in the Eleventh street opera house, in llth near Chestnut street. The academy of music, in Broad and Locust streets, seating 3,000, was opened in 1857; it has a front of 140 ft. and a depth of 238 ft. The exterior is of fine pressed brick, with handsome brown stone trimmings, the facade beingf in the Byzantine style. The interior is elaborately ornamented. It is chiefly devoted to operas and classic con- certs. Classic music may also be heard in the musical fund hall, Locust near 9th street ; in Concert hall, Chestnut near 12th street ; and in Horticultural hall. There are 105 newspa- pers and periodicals, viz. : 17 daily (3 German), 2 tri-weekly, 1 semi-weekly, 40 weekly (5 Ger- man), 6 semi-monthly, 37 monthly (1 German), and 2 quarterly. The number of church or- ganizations according to the census of 1870 was 388, with 424 edifices, 302,239 sittings, and $18,330,667 property. The statistics of the principal denominations are as follows : DENOMINATIONS. Organizations. Sittings. Baptist 48 32,800 Episcopal. ... 68 44,061 Evangelical Association 8 2950 Lutheran 27 17,800 Methodist 68 44,300 Presbyterian. 67 66,378 Reformed (late Genn'n Reformed) Roman Catholic... 13 87 10,050 50,000 8,000 German and 7,000 English. The city directory enumerates 488 churches and missions, viz.: 61 Baptist, 3 Congrega- tional, 2 Disciples of Christ, 90 Episcopal, 7 Evangelical Association, 14 Friends' (7 Hicks- ite and 7 Orthodox), 11 Jewish, 26 Lutheran (14 English and 12 German), 91 Methodist Episcopal (several colored), 1 Methodist Prot- estant, 4 Moravian, 77 Presbyterian, 4 Re- formed (late Dutch Reformed), 15 Reformed (late German Reformed), 11 Reformed Presby- terian, 42 Roman Catholic, 2 Second Advent, 3 Swedenborgian, 2 Unitarian, 11 United Pres- byterian, 3 Universalist, and 8 miscellaneous. Philadelphia was founded by William Penn, as his first act in taking possession of the grant of a province by Charles II. He sent out a body of colonists in August, 1681, but the town was not laid out till near the close of 1682, Penn arriving meanwhile. The name was se- lected more because of its intrinsic significance than from historical regard to the city of that name in Asia Minor. The Swedes had settled in considerable numbers on both shores of the Delaware below the site of the city before Penn came, and several proprietors of Swedish origin at this time held small tracts on the present site of the city by titles derived from the Dutch and English governors of New York. None of these had serious difficulty with the proprietor of the province. Emigra- tion to the colony was very rapid at the outset, 23 ships arriving in 1682. In 1682 and 1683, 357 houses were built. In 1683 and 1684 a large emigration arrived from Holland and Germany as well as from England and Wales. They were nearly all Friends, and the city con- tinued to be almost exclusively occupied and controlled by Friends for half a century after it was founded. The population in 1684 was estimated at 2,500. In 1683 the first legisla- tive assembly held in Philadelphia was con- vened, the first sheriff was appointed, and the first grand jury summoned. A court house was not completed till 1707. Penn presented Philadelphia with a city charter, Oct. 28, 1701. It prospered in a high degree, and was the most important city in the country during the colonial period and for more than a quarter of a century subsequent to the declaration of independence. In 1719 Andrew Bradford be- gan to publish the " American Weekly Mer- cury." In 1741 the city was divided into 10 wards, which divisions were retained till 1854. In 1744 the population was estimated at 13,000. The first continental congress met in Philadelphia in Carpenters' hall on Sept. 5, 1774, and continued in session till Oct. 26, 1774. The second assembled in the state house on May 10, 1775, and on July 4, 1776, adopted the declaration of indepen- dence. Other sessions of congress were com- menced here on March 4, 1777, and July 2, 1778. The British forces occupied the city from September, 1777, to June, 1778. A cen- sus was then taken by Gen. Cornwallis, and there were found to be 21,767 inhabitants and
 * 15,000