Kingsessing / West Shore is a neighborhood in Southwest Philadelphia. This neighborhood is bounded by Cobbs Creek and 60th Street to the southwest, the Schuylkill River to the southeast, 53rd Street to the northeast, and Baltimore Avenue to the northwest. The name Kingsessing or Chinsessing comes from the Delaware Indian word for "a place where there is a meadow." This area was originally settled by Swedes beginning in 1644, making it the oldest settled area in Philadelphia County. The Kingsessing Township was created shortly after William Penn gained control of the county. Bartram's Garden, the oldest surviving botanical garden, was built here circa 1728 St. James Church was founded by these settlers in 1760 and is the oldest church that is west of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. In the consolidation act of 1854, the township was incorporated into Philadelphia proper. Up until the end of the 19th century, this area was under populated and made up of mostly farmland. At the beginning of the 20th century, this agrarian area became more residential and its population became made up of workingmen, clerks, and other lower middle class people. Today the neighborhood is predominately African-American with the majority of its residents under the age of 35.

RESOURCES

West Shore Civic Association

Wikipedia on Kingsessing