So, first, sorry for the lack of content recently–there have been a lot of things going on that have been preventing me from spending much (any) time on this blog, but the short version is that I’m moving to the Bay Area in less than two weeks. That doesn’t mean that I’ll be stopping this blog or that I won’t post Philadelphia-related material, it just means that I’ll probably start bringing a healthy dose of the Bay. In the end, I’d say that this can only lead to an improvement, since I’ll have a fresh load of history to investigate.
What I have for you today is a link to a digital version of a map of Philadelphia authored by Burk & McFetridge from 1886. The full-size version is as gorgeous as it is beefy (35 MB–seriously), but you can also check out a zoomable version on the site.
30th Street Station and the surrounding area as it looked in 1886.
One fact to note, which became apparent to me quickly as I started searching for places that I know on the map is that west, not north, is up, since back then, as now, Philly is taller than it is wide.
Since I probably won’t be blogging again for another few weeks, I’ll leave you with a link to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, where you can find more information about and images of Philadelphia 120-some years ago.
Urban Phantasy 