London Coffee House, commonly referred to as the Old London Coffee House, was a coffee house in Philadelphia in the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania, located on the southwest corner of Market (formerly High Street) and Front Streets. It was the scene of political and commercial activity, and also served as a place to inspect black slaves recently arrived from Africa and to bid for their purchase at public auction. [1] [2]
Opened by William Bradford in 1754, the London Coffee House was built with funds provided by more than 200 Philadelphia merchants, and it soon became their meeting place.
At the London Coffee Shop, merchants, ship masters, and others talked business and made deals that they often sealed with nothing more than a simple handshake. The governor of Pennsylvania and other colonial officials also frequented the coffee house, where they held court in their own private booths. [1]
It was named the London coffee house, the second house in Philadelphia to bear that title. The building had stood since 1702, when Charles Reed, later mayor of Philadelphia, put it up on land which he bought from Letitia Penn, daughter of William Penn. Bradford was the first to use the structure for coffee house purposes. [3] Many real estate lots were offered over pots of coffee. [4]
Shuttered in the aftermath of the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777 and 1778, the London Coffee House reopened in 1783. But the 1780s were a difficult time in which to establish or revive a business in the city.
In 1791, unable to weather the economic hardship, the London Coffee House was converted into a residence and general store. [1]
In 1883, the building was demolished. [5]
William Bradford was an early American colonial printer and publisher in British America. Bradford is best known for establishing the first printing press in the Middle colonies of the Thirteen Colonies, founding the first press in Pennsylvania in 1685 and the first press in New York in 1693. Bradford operated continuously printing establishments for sixty-two years, heading a family that would include printers and publishers for 140 years. He was also known for controversies regarding freedom of the press. Starting his printing career in London, Bradford emigrated to America in 1685. He established, with others, the first paper mill to appear in the Thirteen American Colonies.
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn, who received the land through a grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania was derived from "Penn's Woods", referring to William Penn's father Admiral Sir William Penn.
William Allen was a wealthy merchant, attorney and chief justice of the Province of Pennsylvania, and mayor of Philadelphia during the colonial era. At the time of the American Revolution, Allen was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in Philadelphia. A Loyalist, Allen agreed that the colonies should seek to redress their grievances with British Parliament through constitutional means, and he disapproved of the movement toward independence.
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Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 6,215 as of the 2010 United States Census. Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia. After urban decay developed between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an urban renewal program began in the 1950s, restoring the area and its many historic buildings. Society Hill has since become one of the most expensive neighborhoods with the highest average income and second-highest real estate values in Philadelphia. Society Hill's historic colonial architecture, along with planning and restoration efforts, led the American Planning Association to designate it, in 2008, as one of the great American neighborhoods and a good example of sustainable urban living.
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The Lombard Street riot was a three-day race riot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1842. The riot was the last in a 13-year period marked by frequent racial attacks in the city. It started on Lombard Street, between Fifth and Eighth streets.
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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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