Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love

by Thomas H. Keels

Historian Thomas Keels tells many ribald stories in his book, ""Wicked Sin in the City of Brotherly Love,"" including various methods of body snatching and murder. --Marty Moss-Coane, WHYY-FM Prim and proper Philadelphia has been rocked by the clash between excessive vice and social virtue since its citizens burned the city's biggest brothel in 1800. With tales of grave robbers in South Philadelphia and harlots in Franklin Square, Wicked Philadelphia reveals the shocking underbelly of the City of Brotherly Love. In one notorious scam, a washerwoman masqueraded as the fictional Spanish countess Anita de Bettencourt for two decades, bilking millions from victims and even fooling the government of Spain. From the 1843 media frenzy that ensued after an aristocrat abducted a young girl to a churchyard transformed into a brothel (complete with a carousel), local author Thomas H. Keels unearths Philadelphia's most scintillating scandals and corrupt characters in this rollicking history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Local History, American History

124 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2010

About the author

Tom Keels is the author of five published books on Philadelphia, with one work in progress:

-- Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love. The History Press, 2010.
-- Forgotten Philadelphia: Lost Architecture of the Quaker City. Temple University Press, 2007.
-- Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries. Arcadia Publishing, 2003.
-- Philadelphias Rittenhouse Square (with Robert Morris Skaler). Arcadia Publishing, 2008.
-- Chestnut Hill (with Elizabeth Farmer Jarvis). Arcadia Publishing, 2002.
-- Rainbow Cities: Philadelphia's Three World's Fairs. Under contract to Temple University Press, 2012.

In addition, he is a lecturer, tour guide, writer, and radio commentator specializing in Philadelphia history and architecture.
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Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far very interesting. For anyone who lives in or around Philly it's an interesting history.

[Jennifer Hoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having grown up in the Northeast section of the city, I know about the corruption that still exists today alongside the rich history of the city. I thought nothing would surprise me but there were stories in here that I didn't even know about! I will always love Philly despite the corruption that somehow never gets cleaned up. Corrupt and contented is a good description about Philly residents although I believe that is changing in recent years as progressive politics have made the city even more corrupt and dangerous than it ever was. Thomas Keels provided an entertaining as well as informative story here. I would recommend it to residents and non residents alike!

[Zach Strassburger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but I was really hoping to learn about what made Philadelphia the city it is today. Instead I mostly read about sin that could have occurred in any city. Very white, too. The last few chapters, including the one about grave robbing and the one about the world’s fair, were the most interesting to me. The role of the mob and almost anything about city politics —those are completely absent. Bizarre.

[Dan Trubman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book would just be a few salacious stories, but it actually gives some pretty interesting insights in to gender roles, race relations, land-use, government regulations, and other critical issues in the city of Philadelphia, particularly in the 18th & 19th centuries.

Each brief chapter is it's own story, so one can jump around and skip and sections that aren't interesting.

[Virginia Marie Wiegner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will give you a very new perspective of the city of brotherly love! You may fin yourself walking around the city, thinking that there’s more than just the subway beneath the city. I had the pleasure of meeting Thomas Keels in Philly and he was as engaging and entertaining as his book!

[Broken Lifeboat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad things happen in Philadelphia...and these 11 short, true stories tell some of the forgotten scams, swindles, mayhem and murder in the City of Brotherly Love over the last 200 years.

A fun read for locals who will recognize many of the crime scenes.

[Sue Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like Philly history, this was really good.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of vintage tales.

[Melissa Loucks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was not as interesting as some of the other wicked books.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think corruption and vice are a recent addition to the City of Brotherly Love? Think again. While the Revolutionary War waged around them the proper citizens of Philadelphia were up to plenty of Loyalist shenanigans.

Long before Eddie Murphy & Dan Ackroyd were scamming folks there were confidence schemes a plently

And almost 2 centuries before OJ's bronco chase and subsequent trail of the century; Woodbury NJ hosted a trial where the defense's dream team took a victory lap through the streets of Philadelphia.

You don't need to be a Philadelphia resident or former resident to appreciate the stories but it may add to the fun.

[Jim McIntosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the end of this short book, my feeling was, "That's it?" There are a couple of cute events, such as the merry-go-round that functioned as a kid's ride in the day and a brothel at night, but many stories are about cheating husbands, which - - regardless of how rich they were - - doesn't constitute much of a major crime.

[Shaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was short, but it had some very interesting stories. I felt that other stories were lacking and maybe a filler but all in all very good. I would five this 3 and 1/2 stars. Love to learn the history of places you live.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of well-documented anecdotes about some of the seamier events in the long history of the city of brotherly love. Well worth a read for an fans of local history, particularly those with an interest in theatre and entertainment. h/t to Peter Schmitz for the suggestion.

[Marianne Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family stories of 12th and Pine in the second half of the 1800's have long been told of our Kelly Dairy business. This little book fills in the cracks with stories of 12th and Pine being the brothel area of center city. I got such a kick out of this book. This is a good read.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read; nothing earth-shaking. I liked imagining my Philadelphia ancestors reading about some of these scandals in the papers.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories of Philly history.