Touring: Washington Square
The other day while talking about the tours of the Todd House and Bishop White House I mentioned Washington Square. Washington Square was laid out in 1682 by the surveyor Thomas Holme and is 6.4 acres in size. It was one of the original five squares planned for Philadelphia by William Penn and was named Southeast Square.
Originally conceived as green space for contemplation, health, and aesthetics by 1704 the square was being used as a burying ground. Interred into the square were Catholics, Blacks, indigent, unknowns, and other … it was the potters field of Philadelphia and would remain this way until 1794.
The square conveniently abutted the historic Walnut Street Jail which stood facing the square from 1775 to 1835. This prison was the site of the earliest experiments in criminal rehabilitation in the United States. Some of these early experiments included; segregation of the sexes, separation of juveniles from adults, and the creation of distinct prisons for debtors and felons.
Prisoners in the Walnut Street Jail worked off the cost of their incarceration in prison workshops where they produced goods which were then sold to cover the cost of prison operations. The prisoner was given a moiety of whatever the product sold for less the cost of his incarceration. Court and attorneys' fees were also deducted from what a prisoner earned. Artisans trained prisoners in rewarding crafts, and as a result recidivism dropped sharply.
During the American Revolution the remains of dead Continental soldiers were interred in large pits in the square stacked up like cord wood. The rate of burial for Continentals increased when the British occupied Philadelphia and the conditions for the American Prisoners of War worsened.
The single greatest influx of dead residents to the square occurred during the two great Yellow Fever epidemics in Philadelphia. The first in 1792-1793 killed an estimated 5,000 people out of a total population of around 50,000. Since many families fled at the onset of illness leaving afflicted love ones to fend for themselves, many dead were buried in mass graves in the square as unknown.
During and after the Squares time as burying ground it also served as a grazing ground for cattle. This continued until 1815 when clean up and improvements were begun. Following improvements to the park in 1815 including an aggressive tree planting program the park was renamed in 1825 Washington Square in honor of George Washington. Today the square is home to over 60 types of trees.
Today the square reveals very little of its grim past. Occasionally, a bone or two will work its way out during building or remodeling in the area but little note is made of the thousands who still lay under the green grass, benches, paved walkways and pleasant inner city oasis. There are only two markers to tell otherwise. One is a small brass plaque and the other is the monument and flame of “The Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier”. On the memorial is a engraved “Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty." On the wall behind the flame the text reads as follows “Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness. The independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint councils and joint efforts of common dangers, suffering and success" (Washington Farewell Address, Sept. 17, 1796) In unmarked graves within this square lie thousands of unknown soldiers of Washington's Army who died of wounds and sickness during the Revolutionary War."
It is interesting to walk along the paths or people watch from the benches and note how no one seems to know what lays beneath their feet. How American it is to move forward, paving over what was. In many ways the square has returned to what William Penn envisioned it would be … a calm green oasis in a city.
Should you choose to visit this hallowed and storied ground take time to reflect on what has transpired here, the role of non-Quakers, of minorities, of war and fever, national politics and urban planning. Then take a short walk to the north side of the square and visit the Curtis Center.
The Curtis Center was home to the publishing company of the: Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal but it is what lays in its Beaux Arts structure which captivates. In the atrium is a large terraced, obsidian water fountain which provides the backdrop to a wonderful mosaic. The mosaic is 15 feet high by 49 feet wide, contains 100,000 Tiffany glass pieces in 260 colors and is called “Dream Garden. A fitting accompaniment to Washington Square.
Originally conceived as green space for contemplation, health, and aesthetics by 1704 the square was being used as a burying ground. Interred into the square were Catholics, Blacks, indigent, unknowns, and other … it was the potters field of Philadelphia and would remain this way until 1794.
The square conveniently abutted the historic Walnut Street Jail which stood facing the square from 1775 to 1835. This prison was the site of the earliest experiments in criminal rehabilitation in the United States. Some of these early experiments included; segregation of the sexes, separation of juveniles from adults, and the creation of distinct prisons for debtors and felons.
Prisoners in the Walnut Street Jail worked off the cost of their incarceration in prison workshops where they produced goods which were then sold to cover the cost of prison operations. The prisoner was given a moiety of whatever the product sold for less the cost of his incarceration. Court and attorneys' fees were also deducted from what a prisoner earned. Artisans trained prisoners in rewarding crafts, and as a result recidivism dropped sharply.
During the American Revolution the remains of dead Continental soldiers were interred in large pits in the square stacked up like cord wood. The rate of burial for Continentals increased when the British occupied Philadelphia and the conditions for the American Prisoners of War worsened.
The single greatest influx of dead residents to the square occurred during the two great Yellow Fever epidemics in Philadelphia. The first in 1792-1793 killed an estimated 5,000 people out of a total population of around 50,000. Since many families fled at the onset of illness leaving afflicted love ones to fend for themselves, many dead were buried in mass graves in the square as unknown.
During and after the Squares time as burying ground it also served as a grazing ground for cattle. This continued until 1815 when clean up and improvements were begun. Following improvements to the park in 1815 including an aggressive tree planting program the park was renamed in 1825 Washington Square in honor of George Washington. Today the square is home to over 60 types of trees.
Today the square reveals very little of its grim past. Occasionally, a bone or two will work its way out during building or remodeling in the area but little note is made of the thousands who still lay under the green grass, benches, paved walkways and pleasant inner city oasis. There are only two markers to tell otherwise. One is a small brass plaque and the other is the monument and flame of “The Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier”. On the memorial is a engraved “Beneath this stone rests a soldier of Washington's army who died to give you liberty." On the wall behind the flame the text reads as follows “Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness. The independence and liberty you possess are the work of joint councils and joint efforts of common dangers, suffering and success" (Washington Farewell Address, Sept. 17, 1796) In unmarked graves within this square lie thousands of unknown soldiers of Washington's Army who died of wounds and sickness during the Revolutionary War."
It is interesting to walk along the paths or people watch from the benches and note how no one seems to know what lays beneath their feet. How American it is to move forward, paving over what was. In many ways the square has returned to what William Penn envisioned it would be … a calm green oasis in a city.
Should you choose to visit this hallowed and storied ground take time to reflect on what has transpired here, the role of non-Quakers, of minorities, of war and fever, national politics and urban planning. Then take a short walk to the north side of the square and visit the Curtis Center.
The Curtis Center was home to the publishing company of the: Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal but it is what lays in its Beaux Arts structure which captivates. In the atrium is a large terraced, obsidian water fountain which provides the backdrop to a wonderful mosaic. The mosaic is 15 feet high by 49 feet wide, contains 100,000 Tiffany glass pieces in 260 colors and is called “Dream Garden. A fitting accompaniment to Washington Square.