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In the year 1701, William Penn sets forth and ordains "that the land ing places now and heretofore used at the Penny Pot-House and Blue Anchor, shall be left open and common for the use of the city," &c.

The landing appears to have derived its name from the Inn built there, which was early famed for its beer at a penny a pot. The house itself was standing in my time as the Jolly Tar Inn, kept by one Tage. It was a two story brick house of good dimensions, having for its front a southern exposure. At first it had no intervening houses between it and the area of Vine Street; but when I last saw it, as many as three houses had filled up that space. aged Joseph Norris of that neighbourhood, who died a few years ago in his ninetieth year, told me he remembered in his youth to have seen a sign affixed to the house, and having thereon the words, "Penny-Pot Free Landing."

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At the time when the city was first formed, the general high bluffland of the river bank made it extremely difficult to receive wood, lumber or goods into the city, except by the "low sandy beach" at the Blue Anchor, (i. e. at Dock Creek,) and at Vine Street, which lay along "a vale," and therefore first caused that street to be called "Valley Street." As a landing of more width than usual to other streets, it still belongs to the city at the present day.

On the same area, and on the first water lot above it, was for many years the active ship-yards of Charles West, who came out with Penn, and began his career by building him a vessel, for which in part pay he received the lot on which the present William West, Esqr., his grandson, has his salt stores and wharf. The vessels once built on that site extended their bowsprits up to Penny-Pot House, and those built upon the area of Vine Street extended the jib-boom across Front Street to the eaves of West's House-then a two story building on the north-west corner of Vine and Front Streets. Ship building was for many years a very active and profitable concern,-building many ships and brigs for orders in England and Ireland, and producing in this neighbourhood a busy scene in that line.

The aged John Brown and some others told me there were originally rope-walks along the line of Cable Lane; from which circumstance it received its title; and much ship timber and many saw-pits were thereabout. Mrs. Steward, an old lady of 93, told me she remembered when the neighbourhood of Cable Lane was all in whortleberry bushes; and, as late as 1754, it may be seen in the Gazette, that William Rakestraw then advertises himself as living "in the uppermost house in Water Street, near Vine Street," and there keeping his board yard.

The occasional state of Penny-Pot may be learned from the several presentments of the Grand Jury at successive periods, to wit:

* The "Duke of York's law," still preserved in MS. on Long Island, shows that the price of beer was fixed in his colony at a penny a pint; and Penn, in 1683, speaks of abundance of malt beer in use then at the Inns.

In the year 1706, they present the "Free Landing of Vine Street" as necessary to be secured with the banks of the same, whereby the Front Street may not become, as it threatens to be, unfit to be passed with carts.

In 1713, they present as a nuisance the east end of Vine Street, where Front Street crosses it.

In 1718, they present a gully running down Vine Street and crossing Front Street, for that the same is not passable by coaches, wagons or carts, to the endangering of lives.

In 1719, they present several dangerous breaches, and among them that near the Penny-Pot House as almost unpassable.

In 1720, they again present a breach in the upper end of Front Street, near the Penny-Pot House, as unpassable for carts, and the cross-way of Vine Street and the Front Street, by Sassafras Street, almost unpassable.

In 1724, they present the bank at the end of Vine Street, being worn away to the middle of Front Street, and very dangerous. We thus perceive that the breach was the tumbling down of the river side bank, which, by successive rains rushing down Vine Street, had worn away the Front Street road half across that street.

Finally, in 1740, they present again "the Penny-Pot Landing and the east end of Vine Street," as encumbered with timber and plank, &c., by Samuel Hastings and Charles West.

In the original foundation of the city, it having been of easier access as a landing, it was chosen, as the best location for a cave, for the parents of John Key, from which cause he came to have his birth there as the first born of Philadelphia. The founder, in consideration of that distinction in his colony, presented a patent in his name for a large lot in Race Street-the same which he sold at his majority, in 1715, to Clement Plumstead, for only £12.

The lot adjoining Penny-Pot on the north was once distinguished by a row of threble stone houses of two stories, having a front and court yard on Front Street, shaded by great buttonwood trees, and The front on Water Street of three stories, projecting quite into the present street. Its original appearance was striking from the river, and its own river prospect unrivalled. This then notable building, now down, received the name of "the College ;" and, in 1770, the principal and owner, Mr. Griscom, advertised it as his beautiful private academy, far out of town, "free from the noise of the city, at the north end." It afterwards fell into decay and neglect, but still retained the name of "the College," but (as was said in my boyish days) because every chamber held separate families after the manner of a college,-the original use of it having been forgotten, and many poor families thus filling it up.

• The street there, as Water Street continued, was not recorded till about 48 years ago.

POOLE'S BRIDGE.

THIS bridge, crossing Pegg's Run at Front Street, was named as well as the neighbourhood, after one foole, a Friend, who had his ship yard and dwelling on the hill there, called "Poole's Hill" in early days. It was then an establishment quite separate from the city population, and even from Front Street itself; for neither Front Street nor Water Street, which not long since united there, were then extended so far. "Poole's Hill" was therefore the name before the bridge was constructed there, and designated a high bluff, abruptly terminating the high table land of the city at its approach to Pegg's Run, and the overflowing marsh ground beyond it northward as high as Noble Lane and Duke Street. Poole's dwelling house was picturesque, and pleasantly situated on the west side of present Front Street, on a descending hill sloping westward, and giving a prospect up the Creek and into the adjacent country. A fine peach orchard lay along the line of the present Front Street as far south as Margaretta Street, and extended eastward, down the sloping green bank into the river. To this add his ship yard close to the margin of the creek, and the whole scene is grateful. The well of water, for which the place was famous, stood in the middle of the present Front Street. These facts were confirmed to me in general by Mr. Tallman, the butcher, and Mr. Norris the ship carpenter, near there, and by Mr. John Brown; all of whom, if now alive, would be severally about 100 years of age. They all concurred in saying that Front Street, when it reached near to present Margaretta Street, went off (down the hill) westward, so as to pass over Pegg's marsh meadow, 150 feet further westward than the present Front Street, which was itself a cause-way of late years.

It may serve in corroboration of some of the preceding facts to state, that by the Minutes of Friends, it appears that one Nathaniel Poole passed Meeting with Ann Till in the year 1714. In the year 1701, his name appeared on a jury list in my possession, and in 1708-9, William Poole appears as part owner of a vessel and seaadventure. In the year 1754, a Mr. Carpenter advertises in the Gazette, that he has then "for sale, boards and staves on Poole's Hill, at the upper end of Front Street." This intimates, I presume, that before the building of Poole's Bridge, and making the causeway from it, northward, "the hill" ended the then town; and as the ship yard was probably then discontinued, the place was converted into a northern landing place for lumber, &c.

In the year 1713, the Grand Jury recommend a tax of one penny

per pound to be assessed, to pay for repair of road at Poole's Hill, and at the new bridge at Governor's Mill-Cohocksinc.

Mr. John Brown informed me that when Poole's Bridge was built, the Philadelphia masons would not undertake it, and Israel Roberts, from Maryland, was sent for to construct it. This was done about 85 years ago. The same year a northeast September gale beat it down. It was soon rebuilt again-say in 1755. The time is probably more accurately fixed by Secretary Peters; he, writing to Penn in 1747, says, “A new bridge made on the present line of Front Street over Pegg's Run, whereby the street now makes a fine view by a north entry of the town." The former low wooden bridge

was further west.

The causeway from Front Street, which was formed in connection with the bridge in 1755, has been described to me by Mr. Thomas Bradford and J. Brown, to the following effect, to wit:

The road was formed with sluices made under it, so that tidewater flowed into the pond then along the eastern end of Pegg's meadow. This pond was probably caused by the former parallel causeway further to the westward making a barrier to the water. On the eastern side of Front Street, opposite to present Noble Street, was a long barrier or wharf, up to which the river came, and in the time of the war, seventeen of the row gallies lay there quite up to the street.

The late aged Timothy Matlack, Esq., told me there was a tradition of a sloop of war having once wintered at the creek at Poole's Bridge, and that when they were digging for a foundation for the bridge, they found articles which must have been dropped from such a vessel. There is in this relation something like an attempt at the story of the sword dug up at Second Street Bridge, on this run. But, as "sloops of war" in old times meant any sized armed vessels, it would be easy enough to conceive that vessels would be found getting out of the ice at Poole's ship yard. Of the once greater depth of the creek there can be no doubt, as Colonel A. J. Morris told me that his grand-parents had gone up it to Spring Garden Spring, in a boat, and made their tea there amid the trees and shrubbery.

The earliest built houses, near Poole's Bridge on the causeway, were Anthony Wilkinson's row on the western side, and Doctor Cliffton's row on the eastern side. They had in that day some attempt at display, having brick columns in relief; but they were deemed an abortive speculation in both.

On the occasion of an extreme great freshet, the river water over. flowed all the mounds and embankments, deluging the whole area of Pegg's meadows, and giving occasion to the Tallman family, who dwelt near there, to get into a boat and sail about to and fro as high up as to Third Street. This fact was told to me by Mrs. Tallman when she was past seventy,-and spoke of it as an event of fifty years before.

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