Torresdale, also formerly known as Torrisdale, is a neighborhood in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia. Torresdale is located along the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

between

Holmesburg Holmesburg began as a Village within Lower Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. It is now a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Holmesburg was named in Honor of Surveyor General of Pennsylvania Thomas Holme, who was a ca ...

and

Bensalem Township Bensalem Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The township borders the northeastern section of Philadelphia and includes the communities of Andalusia, Bensalem, Bridgewater, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, Flushing, Oakford, Sil ...

in neighboring Bucks County. The adjacent confluence of the Poquessing Creek with the

had been favored by William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme, as the site for the city that Penn planned to found. Although a more southerly site was finally selected, Holme and others acquired property there, where he is buried.

History

Torresdale, originally Torrisdale, was named by Charles Macalester for his family's ancestral Scotland home. Before the Act of Consolidation, 1854, Torresdale had been part of Delaware Township of Philadelphia County, and before 1853, part of Lower Dublin Township of the same county. In 1894, Torresdale was the site of the regatta of the Rowing Association of American Colleges. Long before there was what is referred to today as the Philadelphia Main Line, Torresdale, along with Holmesburg to its south and Andalusia to its north, had been Philadelphia's posh suburban neighborhood, as evidenced by Glen Foerd on the Delaware, a luxurious riverside estate and Andalusia, the Biddle estate, for which the village of Andalusia is named.

Notable sites

Torresdale is the site of

Holy Family University Holy Family University is a private Roman Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was chartered in 1954 by the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. In addition to the main Torresdale campus in the northeaste ...

and

Nazareth Academy High School Nazareth Academy High School is a private, Roman Catholic, all-girls high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Background Nazareth Academy was established in 1928 by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Nazareth Academy educates young wom ...

. The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, a

Donald Ross Donald Ross may refer to: *Donald A. Ross (1857–1937), Canadian politician * Donald Ross (golfer) (1872–1948), Scottish-born American golfer and golf course designer *Donald P. Ross (1902–1973), American horse racetrack and racing stable owner ...

–designed golf course, located at Frankford and Grant Avenues, is one of the finest golf courses in the Philadelphia region. In 2015, the Union League of Philadelphia undertook a complete restoration of the course and historic clubhouse, which drew significant national attention. The Frankford Avenue Bridge over Poquessing Creek is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All Saints' Episcopal Church was established in 1772. Eden Hall Chapel, built in 1849 as part of the former Convent of the Sacred Heart, was demolished in 2007. The municipal Baxter Water Treatment Plant opened in 1909 as the Torresdale Water Treatment Plant. Glen Foerd at T

Glen Foerd on the Delaware is a historic estate established in 1850, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Historic American Landscapes.

Education

Residents are zoned to schools in the School District of Philadelphia, including Thomas Holme Elementary School, Austin Meehan Middle School, and Abraham Lincoln High School.Abraham Lincoln High School Geographic Boundaries
" School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on December 10, 2016.

Notable people

* Gia Carangi (1960-1986), model *

Boake Carter Harold Thomas Henry "Boake" Carter (28 September 1903 – 16 November 1944) was a British-American broadcast news commentator in the 1930s and early 1940s. Early life He was born in Baku, Russian Empire (now the capital of Azerbaijan), the son o ...

(1903-1944), national news commentator * Francis Anthony Drexel (1824-1885), banker and philanthropist * Katharine Drexel (1858-1955), Roman Catholic saint * Edwin Henry Fitler (1825-1896), businessman and 75th mayor of Philadelphia *

Robert H. Foerderer Robert Hermann Foerderer (May 16, 1860July 26, 1903) was an American businessman and politician who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district from 1901 to 1903 and Penn ...

(1860-1903), U.S. Congressman and businessman * Virginia Knauer (1915-2011), politician *

William J. Green, III William Joseph Green III (born June 24, 1938) is an American politician from Pennsylvania. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Green served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1977 and as the Mayor of Philadelphia, 94th Ma ...

(born 1938), politician *

William J. Green Jr. William Joseph Green Jr. (March 5, 1910 – December 21, 1963) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography William J. Green was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Irish immigrants. ...

(1910-1963), U.S. Congressman

References

{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia