Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grays Ferry, also known as Gray's Ferry, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded (roughly) by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north. [1] The neighborhood's name dates back to the 1970s.[2] The section of this neighborhood west of 34th Street is also known as The Forgotten Bottom.[3] Grays Ferry shares borders with Southwest Center City to the North, Point Breeze to the East, and Girard Estate to the South. Gray’s Ferry is across from where the Mill Creek debouches at about 43rd street.
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[edit] History
The area developed because it was an important crossing of the Schuylkill River. The river is now spanned by several bridges, [4] including the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge and several rail bridges.
Prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, this neighborhood was part of Moyamensing Township. Moyamensing was originally chartered by the Dutch governor Alexander d'Hinoyossa, and in 1684, William Penn confirmed the title. [5]
In the 1700s, Grays Ferry was the southern-most of three ferries that crossed the Schuylkill River to Philadelphia.
This neighborhood was once the site of the Schuylkill Arsenal.[6] [7]
[edit] Demographics
- Black, 56%; White, 39%; Other, 5%.
- More than 30% of the residents are under 18.
- Currently the neighborhood, which represents less than 1% of the city’s population, houses more than 10% of the city’s Section 8 residents.[citation needed]
[edit] Racial tension
Over the years the neighborhood has been the scene of numerous instances of racial violence. The Irish Catholics living in the neighborhood's modest row homes clashed with African Americans living in the deteriorating Tasker Housing Project. There have been riots and beatings and, sometimes, killings. Tensions peaked in 1997, when Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan joined marchers to protest racial violence. As the housing market has boomed in Philadelphia, the neighborhood has begun to see some resurgence.[citation needed]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official Tasker Housing Project Website - Information on the former Tasker Housing Project from the city of Philadelphia.
- South Philly Review The place where you live: Grays Ferry
- Philadelphia City Paper A Prayer for Grays Ferry
- Grays Ferry Redevelopment Area Plan, from 1968
- Grays Ferry Near Philadelphia, a sketch from 1789.
[edit] References
- ^ Official 1968 map of Grays Ferry Redevelopment Area
- ^ Philadelphia Neighborhoods and Place Names, A-K
- ^ The Forgotten Bottom Remembered: Stories From a Philadelphia Neighborhood. (2002) ISBN 0-9712996-3-3 [1]
- ^ History of Philadelphia Railroads
- ^ Early Moyamensing history from ushistory.com.
- ^ Short history of Schuylkill Arsenal
- ^ History of Defense Supply Center Philadelphia
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