Harrowgate is a neighborhood in the River Wards section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

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located immediately northeast of Kensington adjacent to Kensington Avenue. It is bordered by Feltonville, Juniata and Frankford to the north, Fairhill to the west,

West Kensington West Kensington, formerly North End, is an area in the ancient parish of Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, England, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) west of Charing Cross. It covers most of the London postal area of W14, includ ...

and Kensington to the south, and Port Richmond and Bridesburg to the east.

History

Harrowgate was founded in 1784 by Capt.

George Esterly George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

, a Revolutionary War veteran, when he discovered springs in the vicinity of what is now Kensington Ave. and Tioga St., now the site of Harrowgate Square, a park covering one city block. The spring water was pronounced healthful by Dr.

Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States who signed the United States Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social reformer, humanitarian, educa ...

, and Esterly established a spa there, with gardens, overnight accommodations, food and drink, occasional concerts, and coach service from Second and Market Sts. in Philadelphia. The name was copied from the spa town of

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

in England. The spring dried up about 1800, but the town flourished. Nearby was Cedar Grove, country estate of the Paschall and Morris families. The first section of the modest mansion was built in 1746. The Morris family donated the house to the city in 1926, and it was moved, stone by stone, with much of the original furniture, to west Fairmount Park, where it is open to the public. Historically, Harrowgate was a working-class community whose residents could trace their ancestry to England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, Harrowgate was 48.5% Hispanic, 34.5% non Hispanic white, 10% black, 4.1% Asian, and 2.9% all other. Today, Harrowgate is primarily a low-income neighborhood largely populated by Puerto Ricans. But also has significant Polish, Irish, Dominican, African American, and West Indian populations. The neighborhood currently has rapidly growing Hispanic and black populations, and a declining white population. It is also divided by Kensington Avenue, with the area southeast of Kensington going towards Aramingo Avenue being predominantly white, with growing Hispanic and Black populations, and the area northwest of Kensington going towards Front Street being almost entirely populated by Hispanics and to a lesser extent Blacks.

References

{{NEPhila Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Irish-American neighborhoods Populated places established in 1784 Bridesburg-Kensington-Richmond, Philadelphia

History

Demographics

See also

References