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WATSON'S ANNALS of
PHILADELPHIA and
PENNSYLVANIA
Subtitled:
A COLLECTION OF
MEMOIRS, ANECDOTES, AND INCIDENTS
of the
CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS
and of the
EARLIEST SETTLEMENTS OF THE INLAND PART OF PENNSYLVANIA
from
THE DAYS OF THE FOUNDERS
Intended to Preserve the Recollections of Olden Time, and to Exhibit
Society in its Changes of Manners and Customs, and the City
and Country in their Local Changes and Improvements
by John F. Watson
Published in 1857, Written circa 1830-1850
[NOTE: from the Advertisement Section] The reader will please observe, that
this work having been CLOSED IN ITS MANUSCRIPT, in 1842, that therefore,
all reference to any given number of years back, respecting things passed or done
so many "years ago", is to be understood as counting backward from the year 1842.
Philadelphia County, July, 1842.
[ED. NOTE: Chapter numbers added as an identification aid for these on-line archives.]
Special thanks to EVC who transcribed this work from her 1868 copy of John Watson's history. Volumes I & II completed ! !
| Filename | Table of Contents -- Vol. I |
| Chapter 0 | Contents, Advertisement and General History |
| Chapter 1 | Epitome of Primitive Colonial and Philadelphia History |
| Chapter 2 | The Primitive Settlement and its Incidents |
| Chapter 3 - Part I | Facts and Occurrences of the Primitive settlement |
| Chapters 3 - Part II - 4 | Facts and Occurances of the Primitive settlement (concl) |
| Fragments of the Primitive History | |
| Chapters 5 - 8 | The Penn Family -- and facts concerning them |
| Penn's Descendants --- notices of them | |
| The landing of Penn at Chester | |
| The landing of Penn at the Blue Anchor Inn | |
| Chapters 9 - 14 | The Treaty Tree and Fairman's Mansion there |
| The Swedes' Church and House of Sven Sener | |
| Penny Pot-house and Landing | |
| Poole's bridge and its incidents | |
| Penn's Cottage in Letitia Court | |
| Slate-roof House --- Penn's residence | |
| Chapters 15 - 18 | The River - front Bank --- and how its original purpose was changed |
| The Caves --- and their inhabitants | |
| Habits and State of Society in Colonial Times | |
| Apparel --- Former Dresses | |
| Chapters 19 - 22 | Furniture and Equipage in Olden Time |
| Changes and Improvements in public and domestic comforts and conveniences | |
| Changes in Residences and Places of business | |
| Local changes in Streets and Places | |
| Chapters 23-24A | Innovations and new modes of Conducting Business |
| Progress and state of Society | |
| Changes in the Prices of Diet | |
| Chapters 25 - 27 | Superstitions and Popular Credulity |
| Sports and Amusements | |
| City Dancing Assembly | |
| Education in Early Times | |
| Chapters 28 - 33 | Primitive Courts and Trials |
| Crimes and Punishments | |
| The Excellencies of Penn's Laws | |
| Philadelphia Bar in Colonial Times | |
| Militia and Colonial Defence | |
| Duels in Olden Time | |
| Chapters 34 - 39 | The Drawbridge and Dock Creek |
| The Old Court House, and Friends' Meeting | |
| High Street Prison and Market Shambles | |
| The Stone Prison, S.W. corner of Third and High Street | |
| Market Houses in Primitive Days | |
| The Arch Street Bridge at Front Street | |
| Chapters 40 - 49 | Shippen's Great House |
| Benezet's House and Chestnut street Bridge | |
| Clarke's Hall, &c., --- Chestnut street | |
| Carpenter's Mansion | |
| Christ Church --- it's early history | |
| Friends' Bank Meeting, Front Street | |
| Friends' Meeting at Centre Square | |
| The London Coffee-house | |
| State House and Yard -- in the beginning | |
| State House Inn | |
| Chapters 50 - 71 | Washington Square in former Days |
| Beek's Hollow | |
| Norris' House and Garden | |
| Robert Morris' Mansion | |
| Loxley's House, and Bathsheba's Bath and Bower | |
| Duche's House, &c. | |
| Bingham's Mansion | |
| The British Barracks | |
| The Old Academy | |
| Carpenter's Hall and First Congress there | |
| Office of Secretary of Foreign Affairs | |
| Fort Wilson, corner of Third and Walnut Street | |
| Friends' Alms House | |
| Whitpain's Great House | |
| Wiggleworth's House | |
| The Old Ferry | |
| Offly's Anchor Forge | |
| Baptisterion --- on the Schuylkill | |
| Fort St. David | |
| Bachelor's Hall | |
| The Duck Pond, corner Fourth and High Street | |
| Pegg's Run, &c.--- Early notices and changes there | |
| Chapters 72 - 81 | Specimens of the best Houses |
| Rare Old Houses | |
| Churches --- their early history | |
| Hospitals --- their early history | |
| Poor Houses --- earliest ones | |
| Libraries --- their early history | |
| Taverns in former days | |
| Theatres --- their origin | |
| Custom Houses --- earliest ones | |
| Banks --- in their beginning | |
| Chapters 82 - 89 | North End |
| South End and Society Hill | |
| Western Commons, &c. | |
| Springs -- in earliest days | |
| Gardens --- notices of earliest ones | |
| Ponds and Skating Places | |
| Fires and Fire Engines --- early notices | |
| Friends --- in early times | |
| Chapter 90 | Persons and Characters - Part I |
| Chapter 90 | Persons and Characters - Part II |
| Chapters 90 -92 | Persons and Characters - Part III |
| Aged Persons | |
| Childhood and its Joys | |
| Filename | Table of Contents -- Vol. II |
| Contents & Chapter 1 |
Contents & Olden Time Affections and Researches |
| Chapter 2 - Part I | Pennsylvania Inland : Germantown - Part I |
| Chapter 2 - Part II | Pennsylvania Inland : Germantown - Part II |
| Chapter 2 - Part III | Pennsylvania Inland : Part III | Frankford | Byberry | Gwynedd, in Montgomery County | Norristown | Chester County | Chester | Bucks County | Pennsbury |
| Chapter 2- Part IV | Pennsylvania Inland : Part IV | Historical Notices of Lancaster and Lancaster County | Harrisburg, &c. | Wyoming and its Massacre | Pittsburg and Braddock | Frontier Towns |
| Chapter 3- Part I | Indians : Part I | Indian Visits to the City | Indian Alarms and Massacre | Association for Preserving Peace with the Indians -- Year 1756 | The Paxton Boys, and Indian Massacre | Present State and Refuge of the Delaware Indians | Tedyuscung | Isaac Still | Miscellanea | Frontier Indians, Incidents, Hostilities, &c. |
| Chapter 3- Part II | Indians : Part II | Indian Names of Places, by Heckewelder | The Indian Alarms and Hostilities | Indian Ravages and Incidents, near Carlisle and Harrisburg | The Indians on Susquehanna | The Assault and Burning of Hanna's town, in 1782 | Some Indian Facts | Conestoga Indians and Shawanese | The Captivity of Benjamin Gilbert and His Family, 1780 | Final Notes |
| Chapters 4 - 5 | Chapter 4 - Pirates | Captain Kid | Blackbeard | Other Pirates | Chapter 5 - The Swedes |
| Chapters 6 - 12 | Chapter 6 - The Germans | Chapter 7 - The Irish | Chapter 8 - Negroes and Slaves | Chapter 9 - Redemption Servants | Chapter 10 - The Stamp Act resisted | Chapter 11 - British Duties and Tea Act Resisted | Chapter 12 - Governors of Colonial Days |
| Chapter 13 - Part I | Occurrences of the War of Independence - Part I |
| Chapter 13 - Part II | Occurrences of the War of Independence - Part II |
| Chapters 14 - 16 | Chapter 14 - Alliance Frigate | Chapter 15 - The Federal Procession | Chapter 16 - Seasons and Climate |
| Chapters 17 - 19 | Chapter 17 - Medical Subjects | Chapter 18 - The Post | Chapter 19 - Gazettes and Printing Press |
| Chapters 20 - 22 | Chapter 20 - Statistic Facts | Chapter 21 - Remarkable Incidents and Things | Chapter 22 - Curiosities and Discoveries |
| Chapters 23 - 31 | Chapter 23 - Whales and Whalery | Chapter 24 - Grapes and Vineyards | Chapter 25 - Beasts of Prey and Game | Chapter 26 - Culture of Silk | Chapter 27 - Ships and Shipbuilding | Chapter 28 - Paper Money | Chapter 29 - Lotteries | Chapter 30 - Steamboats | Chapter 31 - Waterworks |
| Chapters 32 - 37 | Chapter 32 - Anthracite Coal | Chapter 33 - Watering Places | Chapter 34 - Canals, Railroads, Turnpikes | Chapter 35 - River Delaware | Chapter 36 - River Schuylkill | Chapter 37 - Country Seats |
| Chapters 38 - 40 | Chapter 38 - Miscellaneous Facts | Chapter 39 - Relics & Remembrancers | Chapter 40 - List of Unpublished Papers |
| Chapter 41 - Part I | Appendix - Part I |
| Chapter 41 - Part II | Appendix - Part II |
| Chapter 42 | Chapter 42 - Final Appendix of the Year 1856 |
| Chapter 43 | Chapter 43 - Variety of Passing Brief Facts |
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