|
Frankford is a large and important neighborhood in the Near Northeast section of Philadelphia situated about six miles (10 km) Northeast of Center City. Although its borders are vaguely defined, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by the original course of Frankford Creek, now roughly Adams to Aramingo Avenues, Roosevelt Boulevard, and Cheltenham Avenue. Adjacent neighborhoods are Bridesburg, Kensington, Juniata, Oxford Circle, Summerdale, and Wissinoming. Historically, Frankford had an unofficial division separating Frankford (proper) from East Frankford encompassing the area east of Frankford Avenue. The division divided the community first along racial lines, with African Americans on the east of Frankford Avenue and Caucasians to the west. As the community has become less homogeneous, the division is more of a vestige of the past. In 2005, the 19124 ZIP code, which roughly contains Frankford and Juniata, had a median home sale price of $81,075, an increase of 22% over 2004. ==History== The village of Frankford was established by the Quakers in about 1682 in an area already occupied by Swedes and Germans. The land known as the Manor of Frank was purchased by the Society of Free Traders, a group of Quaker businessmen in England. The original settlers were Henry Waddy, Thomas Fairman, Robert Adam and Edward Seary. The village very likely took its name from the title of the Frankfurt Company, which took up ground there, along what is now known as Frankford Creek, in the lower part of Oxford Township.〔(Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854 )〕 Frankford Creek's upper tributaries were the Tacony Creek and the Wingohocking Creek. Frankford was an early suburb of the town of Philadelphia. William Penn forged a trail through the village running from the original town (now Center City) to New York City, passing through Bucks County near the site of his home, Pennsbury Manor. That trail came to be known as "Frankford Pike" (later Frankford Avenue) and was the town's main street. The village was incorporated into a borough on March 2, 1800, bounded by Leiper Street on the northwest, Little Tacony (or Tackawanna) Creek on the south and east, and Frankford Creek on the west.〔(William Bucke Campbell, ''Old Towns and Districts of Philadelphia'', City History Society of Philadelphia, 1942. )〕 By act on April 4, 1831, the boundaries of the borough were extended to include land to the northwest of Leiper Street, the line running along Harrison and Horrocks Streets, to a point on Frankford Creek below Wyoming Avenue.〔 In 1853, the part of Whitehall Borough lying between Torresdale and Frankford Avenues below what is now Whitehall Common was added, to encompass a total of 1.468 square miles.〔 In 1854, the borough was annexed by the city of Philadelphia through the Act of Consolidation, 1854. Frankford was historically a manufacturing center, beginning with a gristmill constructed in the 1660s. This same mill became famous during the American Revolutionary War due to the heroics of Lydia Darrah. Before and during the Revolution, two lesser-known grist-mills operated on the creek above the town of Frankford. In 1771, Robert Morris (a miller) purchased a mill at the junction of the Tacony Creek and Frankford Creek.〔Menkevich, Joseph J. Frankford Chronicles Agent Lydia Darragh - Intelligence Operative, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (self-published, 2012), 7〕 On November 25, 1773, after receiving permission to dam the creek from a Quaker named Nicholas Waln, a feme-sole trader named Mary Peters also established a small grist mill. She was in a partnership with Richard Whitman of Oxford Township, Philadelphia County.〔Menkevich, Joseph J. Frankford Chronicles Agent Lydia Darragh - Intelligence Operative, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (self-published, 2012), 11, 17〕 Frankford also has the distinction of having played a role in the Declaration of Independence. "There is also a tradition that on the afternoon of that day, or possibly a day or two earlier, there was a joyful private celebration of the great event, by Jefferson and others, at the garden-house of a country-seat in Frankford (near Philadelphia), then occupied by Dr. Enoch Edwards, a leading patriot of that time."〔Pg. 281, A LARGER HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE CLOSE OF PRESIDENT JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION, by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, NEW YORK, HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE, 1886〕 Frankford was also the site of a gunpowder mill that became famous because of its association with Oswald Eve and Paul Revere. In the 19th century, the town became a center for textile production. Other manufacturing industries also flourished. An early description of industry in 1837: The borough of Frankford, on the Delaware, is the seat of numerous manufacturing establishments, including several cotton-mills, calico print-works and bleacheries, woollen-mills, iron-works, & etc. Here are also an Arsenal of the United States, and a Lunatic Asylum belonging to the Friends.〔THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF GEOGRAPHY: COMPRISING A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH, by THOMAS G. BRADFORD. VOL. III. PHILADELPHIA : CAREY, LEA, AND BLANCHARD. 1837〕 The Frankford Arsenal rivaled the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II. It provided over 22,000 jobs and at its peak, produced 8 million bullets per day.〔Bissinger, Buzz, ''A Prayer for the City'', p. 57, Random House, NY 1997. ISBN 0-679-42198-X〕 In 1922, the Frankford Elevated Line opened, connecting to the Market Street Elevated to provide rapid-transit access to Center City and West Philadelphia. The terminus of today's SEPTA Market-Frankford Line, now known as the Frankford Transportation Center, became a major transit hub, with connections to bus and trolley routes extending into Northeast Philadelphia. Residents of Frankford live within walking distance of the terminal. SEPTA's elevated train (the "El") runs through the neighborhood above Frankford Avenue. Although the Frankford Line helped to catapult Frankford Avenue into a major shopping district in the early 20th century, the traditionally working-class neighborhood saw decline in the 1950s as many Philadelphians moved to the suburbs. White flight eventually took its hold on the neighborhood throughout the 1970s and 1980s. By 1990, over 30% of the storefronts on Frankford Avenue were vacant.〔Wright, David J., ''It Takes a Neighborhood: Strategies to Prevent Urban Decline'' p48, The Rockefeller Institute Press, Albany NY 2001. ISBN 0-914341-83-9〕 Since this time, Frankford has seen a push for improvement. In 1993, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission adopted the ''Frankford Plan'' as a blueprint for revitalizing the neighborhood. Although many vacant storefronts remain, businesses catering to new customers have opened in recent years. Many business owners hope that gentrification of neighborhoods such as Fishtown and Kensington will spread north into Frankford. Others worry that previous attempts at improving Frankford have not been as effective as hoped, with most areas of the neighborhood still suffering from street crime and open-air drug sales. Between 1985 and 1990, a serial killer known as the "Frankford Slasher" murdered several women in the neighborhood; although several suspects were taken into custody, the actual killer has never been identified. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Frankford, Philadelphia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|