Northern Liberties: The Story of a Philadelphia River Ward

by Harry Kyriakodis, Matt Ruben (Foreword)

Visit the Philadelphia neighborhood that has gone from Leni-Lenape territory to an amazing industrial riverside community. Since the time of William Penn, the Philadelphia neighborhood of Northern Liberties has had a tradition of hard work and innovation. This former Leni-Lenape territory became one of the industrial River Wards of North Philadelphia after being annexed by the city in 1854. The district's mills and factories were powered not just by the Delaware River and its tributaries but also by immigrants from across Europe and the city's largest community of free African Americans. The Liberties' diverse narrative, however, was marred by political and social problems, such as the anti-Irish Nativist Riots of 1844. Local historian Harry Kyriakodis traces over three hundred years of the district's evolution, from its rise as a premier manufacturing precinct to the destruction of much of the original cityscape in the 1960s and its subsequent rebirth as an eclectic and vibrant urban neighborhood. In this first history of Northern Liberties, Kyriakodis unearths the story of this remarkable riverside community.

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2012

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely easier to read if you have a connection to this currently trendy urban neighborhood right next to Center City along the Delaware River. Though I grew up in the suburbs, and live there again now, I used to belong to a knitting group that met in bars in the area, and had several other activities that took me there on occasion. With the help of Google Maps, I'm really enjoying getting to know the history and geography of this locality in much greater detail. Urban neighborhoods have so many layers of history with traumatic episodes of decline and, usually worse, traumatic episodes of intentional redevelopment. Sorting out the history of these neighborhoods simply helps us connect with the spirit of the place in the present landscape. I can think of no more appealing rationale for writing or reading such books.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting history here, but the audience is probably limited to those living in the neighborhood or at most students of Philadelphia history. The writing style is somewhat sterile -- mostly laundry lists of names, places and facts.