Fox Chase is a neighborhood in the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, located approximately 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Center City. Although its borders are not officially defined, the neighborhood is generally bounded by Pennypack Park to the north, Algon Avenue to the east, Cottman Avenue to the south, and Fillmore Street to the west. Adjacent neighborhoods include Bustleton, Rhawnhurst, Burholme, and Rockledge (a borough in Montgomery County). Fox Chase uses the 19111 zip code.

History

Fox Chase was historically part of Lower Dublin Township, also known as Dublin Township, a defunct

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

located in

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia County is the most populous of the List of counties in Pennsylvania, 67 counties of Pennsylvania and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, 24th-most populous county in the nation. As of the 2020 United State ...

. The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the

City of Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

following the passage of the

Act of Consolidation, 1854 The Act of Consolidation, more formally known as the act of February 2, 1854 (P.L. 21, No. 16), is legislation of the Pennsylvania General Assembly that created the consolidated City and County of Philadelphia, expanding the city's territory t ...

. Philadelphia's elite once flocked to opulent vacation homes built in the lush fringes bordering the city. The area's character changed with the arrival of the railroad in 1876. Many of Philadelphia's

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

began to discover the attractiveness of

suburban A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

living, and built mansions here, using the railroad for convenient transport into the city. The neighborhood was named after affluent colonists came to hunt in the region. A

chase (land) ''Chase'' is a term used in the United Kingdom to define a type of land reserved for hunting use by its owner. Similarly, a ''Royal Chase'' is a type of Crown Estate by the same description, where the hunting rights are reserved for a member of ...

is a specific area of land reserved for hunting. Knowlton

Fox Chase was the setting for one of America's longest running cold cases. In February 1957, the battered body of a small boy was found in a cardboard box off in the woods off Susquehanna Road. Investigators were mystified and were unable to determine his identity. Nicknamed " The Boy in the Box", "America's Unknown Child", and sometimes "The Fox Chase Boy". He was identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli in 2022.

Location and surrounding areas

The Fox Chase section is located on the border with Montgomery County and there is an active and cooperative business community that crosses the county line into Rockledge and Huntingdon Valley. One of many parks located within Fox Chase is Pennypack Park. It is composed of woodlands, meadows and wetlands. The banks of the Pennypack Creek runs through the park from Pine Road in Fox Chase all the way to the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. The area also includes playgrounds, hiking and bike trails as well as bridle paths for horseback riding. The Pennypack Environmental Center on Verree Road is also located within the neighborhood. Many historic structures are still intact throughout Fox Chase. The Verree House on Verree Road was the site of a raid by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

troops during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The trained eye can rediscover abandoned railroad grades, remnants of early mills, mill races and other reminders that generations of mankind have gathered in the "Green Heart" of

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Great Northeast, and known colloquially as simply "the Northeast", is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of betw ...

. Fox Chase Farm is one of the few remaining active farms in Philadelphia County and is used extensively by the

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...

. It began in 1683 as a land grant from

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

to Lord Stanley and then passed to the McVeigh family for over 100 years. Later, the Wistar family developed it into a self-sufficient farm until it became a Gentlemen's Farm owned by two farmers, Lorimer and Butler. Friends of Fox Chase Farm, an all-volunteer group, currently assists in maintaining and preserving this pastoral treasure for present and future generations. William Rhawn, president of the National Bank of the Republic in 1879, built a summer residence here. To design the project, he chose architect

Frank Furness Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 – June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often inordinately scaled ...

, whose work was synonymous with the mansions and public buildings of the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

. The banker's country estate includes a carriage house and gatekeeper's house. He called the estate “ Knowlton” because it resembled the estate in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

of Rhawn's wife's great-grandfather, John Knowles. It has since been converted into a catering establishment. Ryerss Mansion is also located in Fox Chase. The house was built by merchant Joseph Waln Ryerss in 1859 and dramatically overlooks Burholme Park, one of the highest vistas in Philadelphia. The mansion is home to a massive and eccentric collection of artifacts and antiquities from around the world, collected during the Ryerss family's extensive travels and exotic sojourns, from Europe, to Africa, to the Far East. Among the historic properties located in this neighborhood are: * Knowlton Mansion, designed by

; on the National Register of Historic Places * Ryerss Mansion, home of Joseph Waln Ryerss; on the National Register of Historic Places * The Verree House, site of a raid by British troops during the

Demographics

The median age is 36.6 years for males and 39.0 years for females. Married couples made up 40.3 percent of the neighborhood's population. The neighborhood was 80.37 Caucasian, 8.63 percent African American, 4.75 percent Asian, 2.58 percent mixed race, .07 percent Native Hawaiian and 3.6 percent other race. The median household income for Fox Chase was $54,870 in 2011, compared with $34,207 for Philadelphia as a whole. The population below the poverty level in Fox Chase was 10 percent, compared with 28.4 percent for Philadelphia.

Business

The largest employer of Fox Chase is the internationally known Fox Chase Cancer Center, a unique facility that merges cancer research with the treatment of cancer. Its researchers have won

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

s for their contributions.

Transportation

Public transportation is provided by several

SEPTA SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...

bus routes and the Fox Chase Line regional rail service which terminates near Rhawn Street and Oxford Avenue.

Education

Public libraries

The Fox Chase Branch of the Philadelphia Free Library is located at 501 Rhawn St. at Jeanes Street.

Schools

Fox Chase Elementary School a.k.a. Fox Chase Academics Plus School is a public elementary school of the

. Located at 500 Rhawn St. near the library, it serves children grades K to 5. Students move on to Baldi Middle School, and George Washington High School. Saint Cecilia is a Roman Catholic School, from grades Pre-K to 8. Saint Cecilia's is a part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Saint Cecilia School and church is located on 535 Rhawn St.

Houses of worship

*Fox Chase United Methodist Church is located at 201 Loney St. at the intersection of Filmore and Loney streets. *St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 535 Rhawn St., also has a school with grades from kindergarten to eighth grade. The "new" church opened in 1955 and the first church was located just to the west of the "new" church. It was built underground with the expectations of adding an upper level, but the depression in 1929 and World War II caused this addition to be held off until 1955. *St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral is located at 8598 Verree Road (next to Pennypack Park). *Bethel International Missions Center, 460 Rhawn St., a Brazilian congregation. *Memorial Presbyterian Church of Fox Chase, 7902 Oxford Ave., founded in 1884.

Location

Fox Chase's boundaries are: * Northeast/East, Pennypack Creek ( Bustleton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) * West/Northwest, Filmore Street ( Rockledge, Pennsylvania and Abington, Pennsylvania) * Southwest, Township Line Road ( Cheltenham, Pennsylvania) * South, Cottman Avenue ( Lawncrest, Philadelphia, Cheltenham Township and Elkins Park, Pennsylvania) * East, Algon Avenue ( Rhawnhurst section of

)

Notable residents

* Erick Stakelbeck (born 1976), author and television host