Germantown (german: Deutschstadt) is an area in

Northwest Philadelphia Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill River to the southwest, Northwestern Avenue to the northwest, Roosevelt Boulevard to the south, and Wister Stree ...

, Pennsylvania. Founded by

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

, and Mennonite families in 1683 as an independent borough, it was absorbed into Philadelphia in 1854. The area, which is about six miles northwest from the city center, now consists of two neighborhoods: 'Germantown' and 'East Germantown'. Germantown has played a significant role in American history; it was the birthplace of the American antislavery movement, the site of a Revolutionary War battle, the temporary residence of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, the location of the first bank of the United States, and the residence of many notable politicians, scholars, artists, and social activists. Today, the area remains rich in historic sites and buildings from the colonial era, some of which are open to the public.

Boundaries

Germantown stretches for about two miles along Germantown Avenue northwest from Windrim and Roberts Avenues. Germantown has been consistently bounded on the southwest by Wissahickon Avenue, on the southeast by Roberts Avenue, and on the east by Wister Street and Stenton Avenue, but its northwest border has expanded and contracted over the years. When first incorporated as a borough in 1689, Germantown was separated from the rural Germantown Township by Washington Lane; later, the border was expanded to Carpenter and East Gorgas Lanes; it was then rolled back to Washington Lane in 1846, () and remained there until the borough was absorbed into the city of Philadelphia in 1854. GermantownBorders-modern

Today, the western part of the former borough is the neighborhood known simply as 'Germantown' (though is sometimes called 'West Germantown') and the eastern part is the neighborhood of 'East Germantown'. While the boundary between the two neighborhoods is not well-defined and has varied over time, these days 'Germantown' usually refers to the part of the former borough that lies west of Germantown Avenue, up through West Johnson Street, and 'East Germantown' to the part that lies east of Germantown Avenue, up through East Upsal Street. The neighborhood of Mount Airy lies to the northwest, Ogontz and West Oak Lane to the northeast,

Logan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gover ...

to the east, Nicetown–Tioga to the south, and East Falls to the southwest. The majority of Germantown is covered by the 19144 zip code, but the area north of Chew Avenue falls in the 19138 zip code.

History and demographics

Although the arrival by ship of the

Original 13 Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion ...

, the later founders of Germantown in Philadelphia on October 6, 1683, was later to provide the date for

German-American Day German-American Day (german: Deutsch-Amerikanischer Tag) is a holiday in the United States, observed annually on October 6 under . It celebrates German-American heritage and commemorates the founding of Germantown, Pennsylvania (now part of Phil ...

, a

holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

in the United States, historical research has shown that nearly all of the first thirteen

and Mennonite families were in fact Dutch rather than Germans. These families, which were mainly Dutch but also included some Swiss, had relocated to Krefeld (near the Dutch border) and Kriegsheim (in Rhineland-Palatinate) some years prior to their emigration to America to avoid persecution of their Mennonite beliefs in the Dutch Republic and Swiss Confederacy. The town was named Germantown by the group's leader Franz Pastorius, a German preacher from Sommerhausen. The town's population remained largely Dutch-speaking until

1709 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...

, after which a number of the Dutch families set out west and a series of major German emigrations reached Germantown and Pennsylvania as a whole. Their initial leader, Pastorius, later aligned himself with newer German arrivals and as the only university-trained and legal and literary man among the early settlers, chronicled and stressed the town's German origins. Adding to the assimilating of Dutch culture was the fact that the direct vicinity of the settlement was already inhabited by fifty-four German families who had accompanied Johan Printz to the Swedish settlement on the Delaware several years before 1683 and had resettled themselves. Pastorius was the first bailiff. Jacob Telner, Derick Isacks op den Graeff and his brother Abraham Isacks op den Graeff, Reynier Tyson, and Tennis Coender (

Thones Kunders Thones Dennis Kunders (c. 1654 – September 1729, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an early settler of colonial Pennsylvania. He was born in Gladbach, Germany, and was a citizen of Krefeld. A dyer by trade, he was the head of one of th ...

) were burgesses, besides six committeemen. They had authority to hold "the general court of the corporation of Germantowne", to make laws for the government of the settlement, and to hold a court of record. This court went into operation in 1690, and continued its services for sixteen years. In 1688, five years after its founding, Germantown became the birthplace of the anti-slavery movement in America. Pastorius, Gerret Hendericks and the brothers Derick and Abraham op den Graeff gathered at Thones Kunders's house and wrote a two-page condemnation of slavery and sent it to the governing bodies of their Quaker church, the

Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

. The petition was mainly based upon the Bible's Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Though the Quaker establishment took no immediate action, the

1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery The 1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery was the first protest against enslavement of Africans made by a religious body in the Thirteen Colonies. Francis Daniel Pastorius authored the petition; he and three other Quakers living in G ...

was a clear and forceful argument against slavery and initiated the process of banning slavery in the Society of Friends (1776) and Pennsylvania (1780). In 1723, Germantown became the site of the first congregation of Schwarzenau Brethren in the New World. The Church of the Brethren - among other churches - have their roots in the Schwarzenau Brethren. When Philadelphia was occupied by the British during the American Revolutionary War, British units were housed in Germantown. In the

Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American Con ...

, on October 4, 1777, the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

attacked the garrison. During the battle, a group of civilians fired on the British troops as they marched up the avenue, mortally wounding British officer

James Agnew Sir James Willson Agnew (2 October 1815 – 8 November 1901) was an Irish-born Australian politician, who was Premier of Tasmania from 1886 to 1887. Early life Agnew was born in Ballyclare, Ireland and educated at London, Paris and Glasgow; h ...

. The Americans withdrew after firing on one another in the confusion of the battle, which resulted in the battle becoming a British victory. The American losses amounted to 673 men and the British losses consisted of 575 men, but along with the American victory at Saratoga on October 17 when John Burgoyne surrendered, the battle led to the official recognition of the Americans by France, which formed an alliance with the Americans afterward. During his presidency,

and his family lodged at the

Deshler-Morris House The Germantown White House (also known as the Deshler–Morris House) is a historic mansion in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest surviving presidential residence, having twice housed Founding Father George Was ...

in Germantown to escape the city and the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. The first bank of the United States was also located here during his administration. Germantown proper, and the adjacent German Township, were incorporated into the City of Philadelphia in 1854 by the Act of Consolidation. Italians began settling Germantown in 1880, and comprised an active and vibrant part of the community.Di Giacomo, Donna J. ''Italians of Philadelphia''. Arcadia Publishing, 2007. , 9780738550206. p
9
The significant changes that occurred in Philadelphia's demographics at the start of the 20th century caused major shifts in Germantown's ethnic makeup as well. When the first wave of the Great Migration brought more than 140,000 African Americans to the city from the South, long-established Philadelphians started to move to the outskirts. During this time, many German, Scots-Irish, and Irish families moved to Germantown. During the 1940s, a second mass migration of African Americans from the south to Philadelphia occurred. While the majority of middle-class African American newcomers first settled in North Philadelphia, the housing shortages in this area that followed the end of World War II caused later arrivals to move instead to the Northwest. This led to a wave of new housing construction. To meet the housing needs of the growing numbers of African American families moving into southern Germantown, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority allocated $10.6 million for the creation of public housing. Between 1954 and 1956, Germantown experienced an influx of lower-income African Americans, resulting in a decline in property values and triggering a " white flight" of the majority of white residents to the suburbs. The demographic shift caused a slow but steady decline in central Germantown's upscale shopping district, with the last department store, a

J. C. Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...

branch, closing in the early 1980s. The current demographics of Germantown reflects this shift. As of the 2010 US Census, Germantown proper is 77% black, 15% white, 3% non-white Hispanic, and 2% Asian, and East Germantown is 92% black, 3% white, 2% non-white Hispanic, and 2% Asian. Eugene Stackhouse, a retired former president of the Germantown Historical Society says that the demographic transition of Germantown into a predominantly black neighborhood was the result of the now illegal practice of blockbusting. "It was a great disgrace. Cheap houses would be sold to a black family, then the realtors would go around and tell the neighbors that the blacks are invading", said Stackhouse. The practice was used to trigger panic selling.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Germantown is zoned to the School District of Philadelphia, as is all of Philadelphia. Public schools located in Germantown include the Anna L. Lingelbach School (K–8), the John B. Kelly School (K–6), the John Wister Elementary School (K–6), the Hill Freedman Middle School (6–8), the Theodore Roosevelt Middle School (7–8), the Fitler Academics Plus School (1–8), and the Martin Luther King High School (9–12). The Robert Fulton Elementary School and Germantown High School, a regional public high school located in Germantown, were both closed in 2013.

Charter schools

Mastery Charter Schools operates the Mastery Charter Pickett Campus (7–12, MCPC) in Germantown. The school opened in August 2007.Pickett Campus : About
." Mastery Charter Schools. Retrieved on September 10, 2012. "Our Location 5700 Wayne Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19144" The charter system headquarters is located at Pickett. Germantown Settlement Charter School (5–8), Imani Education Circle Charter school (pre-K to 8), and the Wissahickon Charter School's Awbury Campus (6th–8th) is located in the neighborhood . The Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, a private state-chartered school, occupies the former site of Germantown Academy, which moved to Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in 1965.

Private schools

Germantown's private schools include the DePaul Catholic School (K–8), Waldorf School of Philadelphia (PreK-8), the High Street Christian Academy (K–4), the Germantown Islamic School, the Green Tree School (special education, ages 6–21), and two Quaker schools: Germantown Friends School and Greene Street Friends School. Nearby private schools include Mount Airy's Revival Hill Christian High School (9–12), Blair Christian Academy (PreK–12), Islamic Day School of Philadelphia (PreK–5), Project Learn School (K–8), Classroom on Carpenter Lane (K-2), and Holy Cross School (K–8), as well as Chestnut Hill's

Springside School Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (also known as SCH Academy or SCH) is an independent, non-sectarian Pre-K through grade 12 school located in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles from C ...

(PreK–12), Chestnut Hill Academy (K–12), and

Crefeld School The Crefeld School is an alternative school for students in grades seven through twelve, located in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. History and mission The Crefeld School was founded as The Miquon Upper School in 1970 by Arnold Greenberg. Greenberg, ...

(7–12). The William Penn Charter School (commonly known as Penn Charter), the oldest Quaker school in the world, is located in nearby East Falls.

Higher education

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

is in both Germantown and historic Belfield. Its west campus is centered on the old Germantown Hospital buildings and property, which it purchased in 2007. Other universities and colleges close to Germantown include Drexel University College of Medicine's Queen Lane Medical Campus, Arcadia University, Chestnut Hill College, The

Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia (LTSP), also known as the ''Philadelphia Seminary,'' was one of eight theological seminaries associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in North ...

, Philadelphia University, and

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh olde ...

.Education
". Mt. Airy USA. Retrieved on January 20, 2009.

Other teaching institutions

Settlement Music School, the largest community school of the arts in the United States, operates one of its six branches in Germantown. Phila FLP NorthwestRegional

Public libraries

Free Library of Philadelphia operates public libraries. The Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library is located in Germantown. The library was given its current name in 2002, after Joseph E. Coleman, a member of the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...

Transportation

The first railroad in Philadelphia was the Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, which linked Germantown to a station at 9th and Green Streets in Center City. It opened in 1832, and was initially powered by horses. The inventor

Matthias W. Baldwin Matthias William Baldwin (December 10, 1795 – September 7, 1866) was an American inventor and machinery manufacturer, specializing in the production of steam locomotives. Baldwin's small machine shop, established in 1825, grew to become ...

built his first commissioned

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

for the new railroad. Nicknamed ''Old Ironsides'', it eventually reached a peak speed of 28 mph."Matthias William Baldwin", in Lance Day and Ian Mcneil (eds.), ''Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology.'' London: Routledge, 1995; pg. 39. Today two SEPTA

Regional Rail Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster serv ...

lines connect the neighborhood to Center City: the Chestnut Hill West Line with stops at Queen Lane, Chelten Avenue, and Tulpehocken stations; and the Chestnut Hill East Line with stops at Wister, Germantown, and Washington Lane stations. The neighborhood is also served by bus routes 18, 23 (formerly a trolley line), 26, 53 (formerly a trolley line), 65, H and XH, J, and K. File:Old-Irosides-1832.jpg, Baldwin's "Old Ironsides", 1832 File:2093 Germantown ave april 85 - Flickr - drewj1946.jpg, Route 23 trolley on Germantown Avenue, 1985

Parks and recreation areas

Germantown has numerous parks and recreation areas. These include: *

Awbury Arboretum Awbury Arboretum (55 acres) is a nonprofit arboretum and estate located at 1 Awbury Road in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its grounds are open daily without charge. Established in 1916, it then became a nonprofit organization in 1984. Hi ...

, a historic 55-acre arboretum and estate *Carpenter Park *Clifford Park *Cliveden Park *Cloverly Park *East Germantown Recreation Center *Fernhill Park * Germantown Cricket Club (private) *Hansberry Garden and Nature Center *Happy Hollow Playground *Howell Park *Kelly Playground *Loudoun Park *Vernon Park *Waterview Recreation Center * Wissahickon Valley Park (bordering), a 1400-acre park that is part of the

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

system. *Wister's Woods Park (bordering)

Historic sites

National Historic Landmark Districts

* Colonial Germantown Historic District * Rittenhousetown Historic District

National Historic Districts

Awbury Historic District The Awbury Historic District is a historic area in the Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, East Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It encompasses the former summer homes and farms of the extended Cope family, who moved to ...

* Tulpehocken Station Historic District

National Historic Landmarks

* Cliveden, the estate of Benjamin Chew, an important site during the

, open to the public * Germantown Cricket Club * John Johnson House, a site on the Underground Railroad, open to the public * Charles Willson Peale House * Wyck House, open to the public

National Register of Historic Places

Other sites listed separately on the

NRHP The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

: *

Alden Park Manor Alden Park Manor is a living community located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. History Built in the Jacobean Revival style, Alden Park Manor was founded and built in 1926. The complex has thr ...

* Beggarstown School * Conyngham-Hacker House * Delmar Apartments *

Fitler School Edwin Fitler Academics Plus School is a historic school located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is part of the School District of Philadelphia. The building was built in 1897–1898 and is a 3 1/2-story, schist bu ...

Germantown Grammar School Germantown Grammar School, also known as Lafayette Grammar School and Opportunities Industrial Center, Inc., are two historic school buildings located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Germantown Grammar School No. 1 ...

* Grumblethorpe * Howell House * Loudoun Mansion * Ebenezer Maxwell House *

Mayfair House The Mayfair House was a historic 14 story apartment building completed in 1926 and located at 401 West Johnson Street in the West Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Lincoln Drive between Johnson and Cliveden Streets. It wa ...

Oaks Cloister Oaks Cloister, is the name of the former residence of architect, Joseph Miller Huston. Constructed in 1900, the mansion is located at 5829 Wissahickon Ave,, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19141, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...

Thomas Meehan School The Thomas Meehan School is an historic, former American school building that is located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. History and archit ...

* Mennonite Meetinghouse *

Charles Schaeffer School Charles Schaeffer School is a historic former school building located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The building was renovated in 2019 and is now the corporate offices of the Philly Office Retail real estate company ...

* Upsala * Grumblethorpe Tenant House * St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Germantown *

William C. Sharpless House The William C. Sharpless House is an historic, American home that is located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. History and architectural features B ...

Smyser and English Pharmacy The Smyser and English Pharmacy building, also known as the Leedom & Wissler Pharmacy, is an historic, American pharmacy building that is located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register ...

Sally Watson House Sally Watson House is a historic home located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by architect Wilson Eyre and built in 1886 for Sarah R. ("Sallie") Watson (1844-1918). It is a three-story, rubble schist ...

* Wyck House * YMCA of Germantown

Gallery of historic houses and architecture

''For a more complete gallery of contributing properties in the Colonial Germantown Historic District see here'' File:4650 Germantown Loudon.JPG, Loudoun Mansion, 4650 Germantown Ave. File:Grumblethorpe Front.JPG, Grumblethorpe, 5267 Germantown Ave. File:6620 Germantown b.JPG, Winston Commons, 6620-6624 Germantown Ave File:4705 Germantown.JPG, Original Wakefield Presbyterian Church, 4705 Germantown Ave File:Germantown Civil War Monument & church.jpg, Market Square Presbyterian Church and Civil War Monument File:5218 Germantown Ave.JPG , Howell House, at 5218 Germantown Ave File:6026 Gtown Wyck.JPG, Wyck House, 6026 Germantown Ave. File:Germantown Mennonite Meeting.JPG, Germantown Mennonite Meetinghouse, 6119 Germantown Ave.

Other historic buildings, places, and sites

* Barron House *Boxwood, 156 W. School House Lane, 1897-98 * Concord School House *The Francis Strawbridge House, Wissahickon Avenue, Germantown *The Germantown Boys' Club, 23 W. Penn Street, 1898-1909 *Germantown High School, 5901-13 and 5915-41 Germantown Avenue *

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...

Studio * Green Tree Tavern (Germantown) *The Jonathan Graham House, 5356 Chew Avenue, Germantown *The King Green House, 5112-14 Germantown Avenue *The Leibert House, 6950 Germantown Avenue, ca.1800-08 *Little Wakefield, 1701 Lindley Avenue * Lower Burial Ground (Hood Cemetery) *The Lutheran Theological Seminary Historic District, Mt. Airy * The Connie Mack House *The Methodist Episcopal Church of the Advocate, 5250 Wayne Avenue, Germantown, Philadelphia, PA *St. Michael's Lutheran Church, 6671 Germantown Avenue, Mt. Airy, ca.1728-1897 *Mitchell, Fletcher, & Co., Inc., 5708 Germantown Avenue, Germantown, ca.1811-1911 * The

Upper Burial Ground The Upper Burial Ground is a cemetery in the Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable as the last resting place of 58 American soldiers from the Battle of Germantown in the American Re ...

* Vernon Park *The Wachsmuth-Henry House, 4908 Germantown Avenue, ca.1760 *Woodside, The Dorfeuille-Hacker Country Seat, 339 E. Wister Street, ca.1797

In popular culture

The 1946 book, ''

Bright April ''Bright April'' is a 1946 children's story book written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli, who later won the 1950 Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature for ''The Door in the Wall''. ''Bright April'' is a story a ...

'', written and illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli, features scenes of 1940s Germantown while addressing the divisive issue of racial prejudice experienced by African Americans. The 2015 novel '' Loving Day'' is set in Germantown.

Notable people

Herb Adderley Herbert Anthony Adderley (June 8, 1939 – October 30, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 1980, he was enshrined in th ...

, NFL Hall Of Fame defensive back for

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

and Dallas Cowboys *

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...

, author of the ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...

'' series of books *

M. K. Asante M. K. Asante (born November 3, 1982) is an American author, filmmaker, recording artist, and professor. He is the author of the 2013 best-selling memoir ''Buck''.

, filmmaker, professor, rapper, author * James Barron, naval hero *

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

, singer-songwriter * Samuel Blair, second

Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives The chaplain of the United States House of Representatives is the officer of the United States House of Representatives responsible for beginning each day's proceedings with a prayer. The House cites the first half of Article 1, Section 2, Claus ...

Anna Richards Brewster Anna Richards Brewster (1870 – August 13, 1952) was an American painter. Biography She was born in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her parents were the poet and playwright Anna Matlack and the landscape painter Will ...

, painter * Elaine Brown,

Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxist-Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, Califo ...

leader * Martin Grove Brumbaugh, Governor of Pennsylvania, 1914–1919 * Mary Carr, film actress *

George Washington Carpenter George Washington Carpenter (July 31, 1802 – June 7, 1860) was an American scientist. Early life and education Carpenter was born July 31, 1802 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, a son of Conrad and Ann (Adams) Carpenter, of English-American herit ...

, scientist * Benjamin Chew, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania * Clarence Clark, professional tennis player, winner of the U.S. National Championships * Daniel Clark, Delegate from the Territory of Orleans to the U.S. House of Representatives * Walter Leighton Clark, American businessman, inventor, and artist *

Joseph Sill Clark, Sr. Joseph Sill Clark Sr. (November 30, 1861 – April 14, 1956) was an American tennis player. Clark won the 1885 U.S. National Championship in doubles with partner Dick Sears. He was also the inaugural singles and doubles national collegiat ...

, tennis player * Florence Van Leer Earle Coates, American poet *

William M. Colladay William McLean Colladay (April 12, 1809September 26, 1893) was an American carpenter, farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and State Assembly, representing eastern Dane County. He was the ...

, Wisconsin politician * John Conard, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania * Bill Cosby, comedian, actor, musician, author, educator * Charles Darrow, credited inventor of the '' Monopoly'' game * Marguerite de Angeli, writer and illustrator of children's books *

Amrit Desai Amrit Desai is a pioneer of yoga in the West, and one of the few remaining living yoga gurus who originally brought over the authentic teachings of yoga in the early 1960s. He is the creator of two brands of yoga, ''Kripalu Yoga'' and ''I AM'' ...

, yogi, founder of the Kripalu Center * Byron W. Dickson, college football coach * George Ege, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania *

James Engle James Engle (1757 – January 5, 1821) fought in the American Revolutionary War, was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Philadelphia County and served as speaker in 1809. Early life Engle was born in Germantown, Penns ...

, speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives * Lola Falana, singer, dancer, and actress * Mantle Fielding, architect *

Sidney George Fisher Sidney George Fisher (March 2, 1809 – July 25, 1871) was a Philadelphia lawyer, farmer, plantation owner, political essayist and occasional poet.Wainwright, Nicholas B"Sidney George Fisher: The Personality of a Diarist" ''Proceedings of the Ame ...

, author *

Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films. After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later ...

, film, stage and television actress and painter *

Frederic Gehring Frederic P. Gehring, C.M. (20 January 1903 – 26 April 1998) was an American people, American Catholic priest who served as a military chaplain during the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II. As well as serving as a parish priest, he was also fo ...

, Catholic priest, National Chaplain for the Catholic War Veterans * Henry Gibson, actor *

Walter B. Gibson Walter Brown Gibson (September 12, 1897 – December 6, 1985) was an Americans, American writer and professional magic (illusion), magician, best known for his work on the pulp magazine, pulp fiction character ''The Shadow''. Gibson, under the ...

, author known for the pulp fiction character The Shadow * Thomas Godfrey, inventor of the octant *

William Newport Goodell William Newport Goodell (1908–1999) was an American artist, craftsman, and educator. He was born August 16, 1908, in Germantown, Philadelphia and briefly attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), including its country school in ...

, artist, craftsman, and educator *

Jacob C. Gottschalk Jacob Gottschalk (Godtschalk) Henricks van der Heggen (c.1670 – c.1763) was the first person to serve as a Mennonite bishop in America. Life Gottschalk was born around 1670 in Germany, in Goch, a town at the Dutch border. In 1701, he receiv ...

, first Mennonite bishop in America * Abraham op den Graeff, one of the first settlers from Crevelt, Germany who established Germantown and its surrounding Township six miles northwest of Philadelphia, merchant, politician *

Nelson Graves Nelson Zwinglius Graves (August 10, 1880 – March 31, 1918) was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Graves was one of the Philadelphian cricketers that played from the end of the 19th century through the ear ...

, Philadelphian

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er *

Carolyn Green Carolyn Virginia Green (born November 6, 1933), also known by her married name Carolyn Lewis, is an American former competition swimming (sport), swimmer and two-time Pan American Games gold medalist. Green represented the United States as an 18 ...

, competition swimmer and two-time

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

gold medalist *

Albert M. Greenfield Albert Monroe Greenfield (August 4, 1887 – January 5, 1967) was a real estate broker and developer who built his company into a vast East Coast network of department stores, banks, finance companies, hotels, newspapers, transportation companies ...

, businessman, political activist, philanthropist; lived in Germantown 1920s–1930s * Rufus Harley, jazz musician *

Alfred C. Harmer Alfred Crout Harmer (August 8, 1825 – March 6, 1900) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Harmer was born in Germantown section of Philadelphia. Began work as a shoe manufacturer. ...

, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania *

Ross Granville Harrison Ross Granville Harrison (January 13, 1870 – September 30, 1959) was an American biologist and anatomist credited for his pioneering work on animal tissue culture. His work also contributed to the understanding of embryonic development. Harrison ...

, biologist and anatomist * Charles Hoffner, pro golfer, member of first Ryder Cup team * Bernard Hopkins, professional boxer * Marcus Jastrow, Talmudic scholar * Eve, rapper, actress *

Edwin Jellett Edwin Costley Jellett (November 22, 1860 – March 8, 1929) was an American engineer, botanist, gardener, photographer, artist, and diarist who wrote books and articles about Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its flora. Biography His wri ...

, writer * Lindley Johnson, Philadelphia architect *

Lloyd Jones Lloyd Jones or Lloyd-Jones may refer to: People Sports * Lloyd Jones (athlete) (1884–1971), American athlete in the 1908 Summer Olympics *Lloyd Jones (figure skater) (born 1988), Welsh ice dancer *Lloyd Jones (English footballer) (born 1995), En ...

, Olympic athlete * Florence Kelley, social and political reformer * Khia, rapper, record producer *

Florence Kirk Florence Kirk (1909 – June 6, 1999) was an American dramatic soprano who had an active international performance career in operas and concerts from 1937 to 1954. Born in Philadelphia and trained at the Curtis Institute of Music by Elisabeth Sc ...

, American soprano * Adam Kuhn, physician, professor, and botanist * Maggie Kuhn, activist, founder of the Gray Panthers * Maxine Kumin, poet and author *

George Cochran Lambdin George Cochran Lambdin (1830–1896) was an American Victorian artist, best known for his paintings of flowers. Biography The son of portrait painter James Lambdin, he was born on January 6, 1830, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied at the ...

, Victorian flower painter *

George Landenberger George Bertram Landenberger (May 12, 1879 – January 15, 1936) was a United States Navy Captain and the 23rd (and 21st unique) Governor of American Samoa, from May 12, 1932 to April 10, 1934. Landenberger commanded many ships during his naval c ...

, 23rd

Governor of American Samoa This is a list of governors, etc. of the part of the Samoan Islands (now comprising American Samoa) under United States administration since 1900. From 1900 to 1978 governors were appointed by the Federal government of the United States. Since ...

Noyes Leech Noyes E. Leech (August 1, 1921 – July 1, 2010) was an American lawyer and professor. Early life and education Leech was born in Ambler, Pennsylvania, to Charles Sherman and Margaret (Reid) Leech. He attended Lower Merion High School (1939), an ...

(1921–2010), law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School * George Lippard, novelist, journalist, playwright, social activist, labor organizer * Eric Lobron, German chess grand master of American descent * James Logan, statesman *

Sarah Logan Wister Starr Sarah Logan Wister Starr (1873 - August 21, 1956) was a prominent member of Philadelphia society in the early 1900s and a dedicated humanitarian. Family Named after her grandmother, Sarah Logan Fisher, Wister was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania, n ...

, humanitarian *

John W. Lord, Jr. John Whitaker Lord Jr. (December 19, 1901 – May 16, 1972) was an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania. He served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 6th district from 1947 to 1951 and the Philadelphia City Cou ...

, Pennsylvania State Senator, Philadelphia City Councilman, United States District Judge *

Airrion Love The Stylistics are an American, Philadelphia soul group that achieved their greatest chart success in the 1970s. They formed in 1968, with a lineup of singers Russell Thompkins Jr., Herb Murrell, Airrion Love, James Smith and James Dunn. All of ...

, member of the R&B group The Stylistics * G. Love, born Garrett Dutton III, front man of the musical band G. Love & Special Sauce * Alexander Mack, leader of the

German Baptists German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

* Connie Mack, the longest-serving manager in Major League Baseball history *

Abe Manley Abraham Lincoln Manley (December 22, 1885 – December 9, 1952) was an American Negro league baseball executive. He co-owned the Newark Eagles baseball franchise in the Negro leagues with his wife, Effa Manley, from 1935 to 1946. Biography ...

, sports executive *

J. Howard Marshall James Howard Marshall II (January 24, 1905 – August 4, 1995) was an American billionaire businessman, academic, and government official. He was involved with and invested in the petroleum industry via academic, government and commercial ende ...

, wealthy magnate and husband of

Anna Nicole Smith Anna Nicole Smith (born Vickie Lynn Hogan; November 28, 1967 – February 8, 2007) was an American model, actress, and television personality. Smith started her career as a ''Playboy'' magazine centerfold in May 1992 and won the title of 1993 ...

Logan Marshall Logan Marshall (born 18 November 1883), was the pen name of Logan Howard-Smith of Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Howard-Smith was the son of Robert Spurrier and Elizabeth (McKinney) Howard-Smith. The father was an executive of Link-Belt. ...

, author * John Alden Mason, archaeological anthropologist and linguist * Jimmy McGriff, jazz musician *

Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Robert Lincoln McNeil Jr. (July 13, 1915 – May 20, 2010) was an American chemist and pharmaceutical industry executive. He was responsible for, among other things, the commercial development, naming, and introduction of the pain reliever T ...

, developer of Tylenol and chairman of McNeil LaboratoriesSinger, Natasha
"Robert L. McNeil Jr., Chemist Who Introduced Tylenol, Dies at 94"
'' The New York Times'', June 3, 2010. Accessed June 4, 2010. * Thomas Meehan, botanist and author *

Thomas Lynch Montgomery Thomas Lynch Montgomery (March 4, 1862 – October 1, 1929) was an American historian and librarian of the Pennsylvania State Library, Harrisburg. Thomas Lynch Montgomery was born in the Germantown area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 4, ...

, historian and librarian *

George T. Morgan George Thomas Morgan (November 24, 1845 – January 4, 1925) was a United States Mint engraver who is famous for designing many popular coins, such as the Morgan dollar, the reverse of the Columbian Exposition half dollar, and the reverse of the ...

former chief engraver at the United States Mint *

James K. Morrow James Morrow (born March 17, 1947) is an American novelist and short-story writer known for filtering large philosophical and theological questions through his satiric sensibility. Most of Morrow's oeuvre has been published as science fiction ...

, writer *

James St. Clair Morton James St. Clair Morton (September 24, 1829 – June 17, 1864) was an American military officer who served as chief engineer of the Army of the Ohio, the Army of the Cumberland and the XI Corps in the Union Army during the American Civil War. ...

(1829-1864), Military officer in the United States Civil War *

Eleanor Myers Eleanor Emlen Myers (1925December 1996) was an American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and national ...

, archaeologist * William Jackson Palmer, founder of

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

* Francis Daniel Pastorius, leader of the Germantown settlement * James DeWolf Perry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church * Christian Frederick Post, Moravian Church missionary *

Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle Ellen Bernard Thompson Pyle (November 11, 1876 – August 1, 1936) was an American illustrator best known for the 40 covers she created for ''The Saturday Evening Post'' in the 1920s and 1930s under the guidance of ''Post'' editor-in-chief, George ...

, illustrator known for her ''

Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...

'' covers * Sun Ra, Jazz musician * Edmund Randolph, the first United States Attorney General * Theodore William Richards, recipient of 1914 Nobel Prize in Chemistry * Mary Davis Ridgway (1873–1927), physician who ran a homeopathic hospital open to poor patients in Germantown * David Rittenhouse, astronomer, mathematician, first director of the United States Mint *

William Rittenhouse William Rittenhouse (1644 – 1708) was an American papermaker and businessman. He served as an apprentice papermaker in the Netherlands and, after moving to the Pennsylvania Colony, established the first paper mill in the North American colon ...

, founded the first paper mill in the colonies *

Owen J. Roberts Owen Josephus Roberts (May 2, 1875 – May 17, 1955) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1930 to 1945. He also led two Roberts Commissions, the first of which investigated the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the seco ...

, Supreme Court Justice *

Ralph J. Roberts Ralph Joel Roberts (March 13, 1920June 18, 2015) was an American businessman who was the founder of Comcast, serving as its CEO for 46 years. In 2011 he served as founder and chairman emeritus of Comcast's board of directors until his death. E ...

, co-founder and former CEO of

Comcast Comcast Corporation (formerly known as American Cable Systems and Comcast Holdings),Before the AT&T merger in 2001, the parent company was Comcast Holdings Corporation. Comcast Holdings Corporation now refers to a subsidiary of Comcast Corpora ...

* Charley Ross, four-year-old kidnapping victim in 1874 * Charles Frederick Schaeffer, Lutheran clergyman * Francis Schaeffer, Christian theologian *

William I. Schaffer William Irwin Schaffer (February 11, 1867January 15, 1953) was an American lawyer and judge from Pennsylvania. He served briefly as the state's Attorney General, resigning to serve on the state's Supreme Court for over twenty years, including th ...

, lawyer, Pennsylvania Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice *

J. Barney Sherry J. Barney Sherry (March 4, 1874February 22, 1944) was an American actor of the silent film era. He appeared in more than 210 films between 1905 and 1929. He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from card ...

, silent film actor * William Shippen, Philadelphia physician, civic and educational leader who represented Pennsylvania in the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

Benjamin Shoemaker Benjamin Shoemaker (3 August 1704 in Germantown, Philadelphia – 1767 in Philadelphia) was a colonial Pennsylvania Quaker, merchant, and politician. He served as mayor of Philadelphia in 1743, 1752, and 1760, and as city treasurer from 1751 t ...

, mayor of Philadelphia * Ron Sider, founder of Evangelicals for Social Action *

Frederick Smith Frederick, Frederic or Fred Smith may refer to: In literature *Frederick Smith, 2nd Earl of Birkenhead (1907–1975), British peer and biographer *Frederick Smith, 3rd Earl of Birkenhead (1936–1985), British peer and author * Frederick E. Smith ...

, lawyer, Pennsylvania Attorney General and Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice * Patti Smith, punk rock singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist * Mike Sojourner, professional basketball player * Christopher Sower the elder, printed the first German-language Bible in America * Christopher Sower the younger, clergyman and printer *

Christopher Sower III Christopher Sower (27 January 1754 in Germantown, Pennsylvania – 3 July 1799 in Baltimore, Maryland) was a printer and publisher in Pennsylvania. Biography He was the son of Christopher Sower the younger and the grandson of Christopher Sower t ...

, loyalist printer *

Martin Luther Stoever Martin Luther Stoever (born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Germantown, Pennsylvania, 17 February 1820; died there, 22 July 1870) was a United States Lutheran educator and writer. His biographical work earned him the title of “The Pl ...

, Lutheran educator and writer * Witmer Stone, ornithologist and botanist *

, portrait artist *

Walter Stuempfig Walter Stuempfig (January 26, 1914 – November 29, 1970) was an American artist and teacher. Biography He was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on January 26, 1914, to a moderately wealthy family. After graduation from the Germantown Academy, he ...

, Romantic realism artist * Clyde Summers, lawyer and educator who advocated for labor union democracy *

Thomas De Lage Sumter Thomas De Lage Sumter (November 14, 1809 – July 2, 1874) was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina, and a grandson of American Revolutionary War General Thomas Sumter. Early life Sumter was born in Pennsylvania, in the Germantown area of P ...

, U.S. Representative from South Carolina * Frederick Winslow Taylor, engineer, management theorist, and consultant * Meldrick Taylor, professional boxer * Russell Thompkins, Jr., songwriter of the R&B group The Stylistics * Bill Tilden, tennis player * Henry van Dyke, author, educator, and clergyman *

, first president of the United States. Lived in Germantown briefly at the

* Grover Washington, Jr., saxophonist *

Ora Washington Ora Belle Washington (c. 1899 – December 21, 1971) was an American athlete from the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Washington excelled in both tennis and basketball, and she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall ...

, professional tennis player *

Jesse Watters Jesse Bailey Watters (born July 9, 1978) is an American conservative political commentator on Fox News. He frequently appeared on the political talk show '' The O'Reilly Factor'' and was known for his man-on-the-street interviews, featured in ...

, conservative political commentator * William Walter Webb, Episcopal bishop *

Langhorne Wister Langhorne Wesley Wister (September 20, 1834 – March 19, 1891) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. Biography Wister was born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1834. His father, William Wister, ...

, Civil War brevet brigadier general * Owen Wister, author *

Sally Wister Sally may refer to: People * Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military * Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, the Allied reporting ...

, Philadelphia campaign diarist * Jeremiah Wright,

Black theology Black theology, or black liberation theology, refers to a theological perspective which originated among African-American seminarians and scholars, and in some black churches in the United States and later in other parts of the world. It context ...

pastor *

John Zacherle John Zacherle ( ; sometimes credited as John Zacherley; September 26, 1918 – October 27, 2016) was an American television host, radio personality, singer, and voice actor. He was best known for his long career as a television horror host, oft ...

, television host, radio personality and voice actor * PnB Rock, R&B singer, rapper, composer * Mike Mentzer, Bodybuilder

References

External links

Art by Joseph Ropes (1812–1885), ''Scene in Germantown, Pa.'', 1874

Art by William Britton, ''Market Square, Germantown'', c. 1820

Atlas of the Late Borough of Germantown, 22nd Ward, City of Philadelphia, 1871

* ttp://www.ushistory.org/germantown/index.htm Clickable map of Historic Germantown (Independence Hall Association)
Germantown Historical Society

includes land disputes, apprenticeships, sales of goods, personal matters, etc.
History of Old Germantown (1907), online version

* ttp://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/northwest-philadelphia/ Northwest Philadelphia, The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
''Phillyhistory.org''
Historic Photographs of Philadelphia, City Archives {{Authority control 1683 establishments in Pennsylvania 1854 disestablishments in Pennsylvania German-American culture in Philadelphia German-American history Historic districts in Philadelphia Municipalities in Philadelphia County prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854 National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Populated places established in 1683