Rowhouses
1300 block of Bainbridge St.
Nikon FM2
12/16/99 3:30pm
Historical Tidbits:
The lane through the lands of the first elected mayor of Philadelphia, Edward Shippen, was laid out as a public highway by the Commissioners of Survey under the Act of February 29, 1787. The Supreme Executive Council confirmed Shippen's Lane three years later. The original section, from Passyunk Ave. to 4th Street,was added to in the early nineteenth century, and the street now runs from river to river.
Shippen's Lane became a street at the time of consolidation.* But the name "Shippen" was not held in very high esteem by most Philadelphians and many Americans. Shippen's daughter, the vivacious and cunning Peggy, was married to Benedict Arnold, and she shared in his treason. The Shippen family is not completely forgotten in Pennsylvania lore, however. The town of Shippensburg commemorates Edward.
It was not until 1870 that Philadelphia legislated to change the name and give the street some modicum of respect. The new name, Bainbridge, commemorated a native son, William Bainbridge (1774-1833), who rose through the ranks of the early American navy to become a Commodore. At Tripoli, Bainbridge captained the frigate Philadelphia. A few years later, during the war of 1812, he commanded a squadron of famous American fighting vessels, including the U.S.S. Constitution(Old Ironsides), the Essex, and the Hornet. Bainbridge is buried at Christ Church.
Records indicate that only one section of Bainbridge Street has ever been altered. That section, between 3rd and 5th Streets, was widened in 1834.**
*Between 1691 and 1854, twenty-nine separate governing districts were established within the confines of the County of Philadelphia. Prior to 1854, the city of Philadelphia was limited to the boundaries of Vine and South Streets, the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Thinking to the future, public-spirited citizens, led by Eli Kirk Price (Price Street), launched a drive in 1849 to consolidate all the smaller divisions into one gigantic city.
The Consolidation Act of 1854 effected this dream and created the new City of Philadelphia-contiguous with Philadelphia County.**
Also in the niegborhood:
The recently imploded Martin Luther King Plaza Housing Projects
and the Abandoned Buildings at 13th and Fitzwater Sts.
** from Mermaids, Monasteries, Cherokees and Custer: the stories behind Philadelphia street names by Robert I. Alotta
Bonus Books, Inc. ©Robert I. Alotta, 1990