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Kingsessing

    • What 8th and Race Street, near Franklin Square, could look like

Central, University/Southwest district plans adopted

Philadelphia now has long-range plans for future development within the Central and University/Southwest districts. The city planning commission adopted both comprehensive plans at its Tuesday (June 11) meeting. From now on,…

    • Neighborhood Bike Works youth set off down the greenway

58th Street Greenway officially open, connects Cobbs Creek and Bartram's Garden

After more than three years of planning, more than a year of construction and ongoing community involvement, the 58th Street Greenway opened Saturday. The 1.5-mile, $3.5 million trail provides a critical…

    • Atlantic Refining Co., June 22, 1926 (Image # 6111) | Aero Service Corp. | Courtesy of Aerial Viewpoint, Spring, TX

From Above: Refining along the Lower Schuylkill, 1926

In honor of the Lower Schuylkill Master Plan’s [pdf] release earlier this month, we head back into the past to look at a section of the Lower Schuylkill from above.…

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ABOUT KINGSESSING

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

UPCOMING EVENTS IN KINGSESSING

There are no upcoming events in this neighborhood. Feel free to contact us with your contributions.

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