KENSINGTON

Kensington was the original hub of working-class Philadelphia. Development had first spread along the early roads, such as Germantown and Frankford Avenues, and next to the canals created out of the Cohocksink and Aramingo creeks. Later the railroads spurred the greatest development.

Early 19th-century industries—relatively small in scale—included the making of wagons, glass, and pottery. By mid-century, textile trades dominated the area, in particular carpet making. Big manufacturers were Magee and John Bromley & Sons. Later, hosiery and knitting mills were added to the mixture. In the 1920s, one third of Kensington's work force was making socks, fabrics, scarves, and sweaters. Other industries included meat packing, tanning, and leather working.

FISHTOWN

Fishtown, originally within the core of Kensington, evolved over time into a distinct working-class neighborhood bounded by Frankford Avenue on the west, Norris Street on the northeast, and the Delaware River to the south and east. By the 1730s, owners of shipbuilding and repair facilities began moving north from the central city, and within 70 years, maritime trades dominated the community.

In 1830, at the foot of Otis Street (now East Susquehanna Avenue), William Cramp started a business that grew into one of the world's largest manufacturers of iron battleships and commercial boats. William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company was a major Philadelphia employer during the city's 19th-century manufacturing boom. (It closed in the 1920s, but reopened temporarily to serve the needs of World War II. The site is now called Riverside Industrial Park.)

After the Civil War, the markets of the western frontier helped spurt Fishtown's industrial and community growth, which peaked between 1880 and 1900. Industries included manufacturers of textiles, furniture, elevators, and sporting goods; foundries for brass and bronze; breweries; and sugar refiners. Nearly two-dozen piers extended along the riverfront, each with its own railroad track carrying substantial amounts of coal, manufacturing supplies, and finished goods.

POST-INDUSTRIAL CHANGES

The residents of Kensington and Fishtown lived in two- and three-story row houses within walking distance of manufacturing jobs. But the number of jobs dropped drastically in the second half of the 20th century. For example, in the Kensington neighborhood, the population declined by more than half (from 32,000 to 15,000). Over 30 years time, 2,000 of Kensington's 8,500 units of housing were demolished. Of the 6,500 that remained, 400 were unoccupied. Nonetheless, the Kensington neighborhood, as well as Fishtown, was relatively stable. Because the initial loss of population had been less severe and less rapid than in some other parts of the city, Kensington and Fishtown had not been victims of the "clean slate" urban-renewal demolition of the 1950s and 60s.

Cramps' Shipyard 1941
A festive launching at the William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Company. November 22, 1941.


   

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