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stood unaltered, were buildings of very superior style. He, however, following the innovation of the day, tore out all the rich old pannelled and carved work of the rooms; removed the stately stone steps, and the ample pediments of the front doors; and let down all the basement floors,-thus destroying as much in a few hours, as took months to set up. We have scarcely a vestige left of things as they were, to refer to as an example of what we mean by the ornaments so laid waste. Such as they were, have now their last asylum on the walls of the grand entry in our State house, where we hope they will be perpetuated as long as that structure shall endure! Formerly, every large house, possessing a good entry, had from two to four bull-eye glasses let into the wood-work over the front door, for the purpose of giving light to the passage, when the door should be shut. Each of the window shutters had holes cut in the upper part of them, in the form of crescents and other devices, to give light to the rooms when they should be closed.

Stores altered.

The stores generally retained their old fashioned small windows, in no way differing from dwelling houses, until about 30 years ago. Some, indeed, of the oldest structure had the shutters different, having the upper one to hoist up, and the lower one to let down to the line of the horizon, where it was supported by side chains so as to enable the store keeper to display thereon some of his wares intended for sale. Long or deep stores extending the full depth of the house were unknown; none exceeded the depth of the usual front rooms. The most of them went up ascending steps. None were kept open after night, save grocery and drug stores. They presented no flaunting appearances of competition; no gorgeous nor alluring signs. Every thing was moderate.

The first fancy retail hardware store, with bulk windows, remembered, was the one opened by James Stokes, in what had been the Old Coffee house, at the south west corner of Market and Front streets. The buok-handled" Barlow" penknives, the gilt and plated buttons, and the scissors, curiously arranged on circular cards, (a new idea) and the bulk windows, lighted up at night, (a new thing) was a source of great gratification to the boys, and the country market people, lounging about with arms folded, on Tuesday and Friday evenings. One evening, among a group of gazers from about Conestoga, one of them exclaimed to the others in Pennsylvania German, "Cook a mole, har, cook do!" "meiner sale!" The first brilliant fancy retail dry goods shop, with bulk windows, as remembered, was opened by a Mr. Whitesides, from London, as 'twas said, in the true "Bond-street style," at No. 134, Market street, in the house now occupied by Mr. Thomas Natt. The then uncommon sized lights in the two bulks, and the fine mull mull and jaconet muslins, the chintses, and linens suspended in whole pieces, from the top to the bottom, and entwined

together in puffs and festoons, (totally new,) and the shopman, behind the counter, powdered, bowing and smilling, caused it to be "all the stare" for a time. There being too much of the "pouncet box" in the display, however, and the "vile Jersey half-pence, with a horse head thereon" being wrapped up, when given in change in whitey brown paper, with a counter bow to the ladies, seeming rather too civil by half for the (as yet) primitive notions of our city folks.

Cellar Kitchens,

Now so general, are but of modern use. "Cook's houses," on the south east corner of High and Third streets, and "Hunter's houses," on the north side of High street above Eighth street, built in my time, were the first houses erected among us with the novelty of cellar kitchens. Those houses were deemed elegant and curious in their day. After that time, cellar kitchens have been increasing in use, to the great annoyance of the aged dames who remembered the easy access of a yard kitchen on the basement floor.

Ice Houses.

These have all come into use among us since the war of Independence. After them came the use of ice creams, of which Mr. Segur had the honour, and, besides, the first advantage, to benefit himself and us. Public ice houses for the sale of ice, is a more modern enterprise than either, and when first undertaken was of very dubious success, even for one adventurer. But already it is a luxury much patronised. The winter of 1828, from its unusual mildness, they failed to fill their ice houses for the first time.

Shade Trees.

The chief trees seen in the streets of the city before the Revolution, were button woods and willows; several were used by the British for fuel. Such as remained, were attacked by an act of the Corporation "to guard against fire and stagnant air." To counteract so unphilosophical a remedy for "stagnant air," Francis Hopkinson, Esq. poet and satirical humourist of the day, wrote an amusing "Speech of the standing member of the Assembly against the act." It had the effect to save some. In William Penn's time they also talked of cutting off trees to purify the air. The long sky piercers, called Lombardy poplars, were first introduced among us by William Hamilton, Esq. of the Woodlands, who brought them with him on his return from Europe in 1786-7. William Bingham, Esq. first planted them in long lines and closely set, all round his premises in the city. As they were easily propagated and grew rapidly, they soon became numerous along our streets. In time they were visited by a large worm, the bite of which was considered poisonous. It received the name of the "Poplar worm." Many must remember it.

CHANGES

IN RESIDENCES AND PLACES OF BUSINESS.

IT may afford some surprise to the younger part of the present generation, to learn the localities in which the proper gentry formerly lived, or the central places in which certain branches of business were once conducted the whole marked by circumstances essentially different from the present.

Merchants lived in Water street.

When merchants and others within the last 20 to 25 years began to build dwellings as far west as Seventh street and thereabouts, it was considered a wonder how they could encounter such fatiguing walks from their counting-houses and business. Previous to this change, and especially before the year 1793, when they were dispersed from the river side by the fears of the yellow fever, all of the best and richest merchants dwelt under the same roofs with their stores, situated then in Water or Front street. Some of the richest and genteelest merchants dwelt in Water street till the year 1793, and several of them afterwards. After the merchants (always the most efficient improvers of the city) began to change their domicils from the water side to the western outskirts of the city, the progress of improvement there became rapid and great. It may mark the character of the change to state, that when Mr. Markoe built his large double house out High street, between Ninth and Tenth streets, in the centre of a fenced meadow, it was so remote from all city intercourse that it used to be his jest among his friends to say, "he lived out High street, next house but one to the Schuylkill ferry."

The

Thirty to thirty-five years ago it was much more genteel to "live up High street" than "up Chesnut street," as it is now called. Chesnut street and Arch street were not then even thought of for building upon, westward of Tenth street. streets were not even traced out. Frog ponds, the remains of former brick-kilns, would have dinned the ears of the gentry by the songs of their frogs. Those fine houses now out Chesnut street were set down before the streets were paved beyond Fifth street, and the house, which successively became the van, was, like a pioneer, to clear the way for others; for, the advanced house, even till now, was always exposed to a wild waste, or, if near any of the former settlers, they were generally mean or vile. Indeed, it was often a question of inquiry among the citizens, in the paved and

old improved parts of the city, how genteel families could encounter so many inconveniencies to make their "western improvements," so called. Even when Waln built at the corner of Seventh and Chesnut streets, and Sims afterwards at the corner of Ninth and Chesnut streets, they had no street pavements, and they were wondered at to leave their former excellent old dwellings in the neighbourhood of the Delaware. A few such examples made it a fashion; and now men build out as far and in as waste places as they please, hoping for, and generally realizing, that others will follow. Penn street was once a superior residence. There dwelt such families as Robert Morris', Craig's, Swanwick's, Cuthbert's, &c.

To illustrate a little more the state of families resident in Water and Front streets, it may suffice to give a few facts. Abel James, famous as the greatest merchant of his day, had his dwelling on Water street, by Elfreth's alley, and his stores on the wharf. Adjoining him, northward and southward, were other distinguished families in the shipping business.

On Front street, adjoining to Elfreth's alley-steps, were "Callender's grand houses," and about four doors above them stood a large double house, once Waln's, and afterwards Hartshorne's. Nearly opposite stood Drinker's house, at the corner of Drinker's alley, large and elegant, and next door, northward, stood the present Henry Pratt's house. The house of Drinker's became a fashionable boarding house in 1766 to '70, kept by Mrs. Graydon, (mother of the author of Graydon's memoirs) at which lodged the Baron de Kalb, Colonel Frank Richardson of the Life Guards, Lady More and daughter, Lady O'Brien, Sir William Draper of Junius notoriety, and others. There generally dwelt all the British officers usually in the town.

An aged lady, S. N. told me, that in her youth the ladies attended balls held in Water street, now deemed so unfit a place! There too, they deemed themselves well dressed in figured chintses. There too, former Governors have held their clubs; and Pegg Mullen's beef-stake house, near the present Mariners' church, was once the supreme ton.

Places of Business and Stores changed.

It is only within twenty-five years, that any stores have been opened in High street above Fourth street westward. It was gradually extended westward as a place of business. Before this, it had for a few years been deemed the chief street for wealthy families as retired residences. Houses, therefore, of grand dimensions were running up for dwellings above Fifth and Sixth streets, even while stores were following close after from Fourth street. In a little while the reputation for stands in High street became so great and rapid, that the chief of the large dwellings were

purchased, and their rich and beautiful walls were torn to pieces to mould them into stores.

Front street was the former great street for all kinds of goods by wholesale. Second street, both north and south, for the length of Arch to Chesnut street, were places of great resort for goods. Then no kinds of stores could have succeeded in any part of Chesnut street westward of Second street, and now we behold so many. Some places of business are strangely altered. Once Race street, from Second to Third street, had several retail dry goods stores, generally kept by women; now there are none, or scarcely any. Arch street in no part of it had any kind of stores till within twenty-five years. The milliners first clustered there, from Second to Third street, and it was for a time quite the place of fashion in that way. Then millinery stores and ladies' shoe stores opened in Second street, from Dock street to Spruce street, where no kind of stores, trades or offices had been found twenty-five years ago. Within thirty-five years all the shoe stores opened in High street. Henry Manly began first, below Second street, and was the only shoe store in the city for several years. Before that time all shoes were made to fit customers by the tradesmen. It is, however, true, that before the Revolution John Wallace had a store for the sale of worsted, satin and brocade shoes for ladies only; most or all of which were imported. Stores of any kind in Third street, either north or south, were very rare even thirty years ago, and none were to be found at all in Fourth or Fifth street. When they began to open here and there in those streets, the general surprise was "how can they think to succeed!" Wholesale grocery stores were once so exclusively in Water street, that when the first attempts at such in High street were made it was regarded as a wonder. The western world has so rapidly increased as to make a great increase of all kinds of stores in the western part of the city necessary for their demands.

When General Washington and Robert Morris, dignitaries of the nation, lived in the houses in High street, east of Sixth street, only little more than thirty years ago, no stores, save Sheaff's wine store, were near them; and probably not an inhabitant could then have been found to guess that that square, and to the westward of it to Broad street, would ever become a street of trade! So limited were the western wagons then in High street, that none appeared above Fifth street, and few or none thought of seeing more!

It may serve to show the early attachment to Water street as a place of residence and genteel business, to state a few of the facts in the case. The earliest news papers show, by their advertisements, that much of the goods for retail for gentlemen and ladies' wear, were sold in that street. As early as 1737, Mrs. Fishbourne, living in Water street, below Walnut street, advertises a full store of ladies' goods for sale at her store on the wharf, back of her house! In 1755, at Sims' house in Water street, above Pine street, is ad

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