Before the arrival of Europeans, the
Lenni Lenape Indians inhabited the region. Explorer
Henry Hudson in 1609 was the first European to set foot in this region, and based on his findings these Indians were considered to be the first inhabitants of the area.
New Sweden In 1638, the
Swedes bought land east of the
Delaware River from the Indians and named it
New Sweden. The Swedes lived with the Indians on friendly terms. By 1645 the Swedes had expanded to the Northeast of modern-day
Philadelphia, and in 1647 the Dutch arrived. But it was not until the 1680s when the English came with
William Penn that the area was actually developed. After 1750,
Germans then settled the area, particularly in Bridesburg and Frankford. Founded in the early 19th century, Bridesburg, a tract of land formerly belonging to Point-no-Point, took its name from
Joseph Kirkbride, who for many years owned land there and was proprietor of a ferry over
Frankford Creek, and to whom the Legislature gave the right to build a bridge and receive toll for passage over the same by act of March 20, 1811. On April 1, 1833,
Philadelphia County bought the Kirkbride bridge and two-and-a-half acres of land annexed for $5,500. Kirkbridesburg was considered too long a name for convenience, and the shorter "Bridesburg" was adopted. Bridesburg was incorporated as a borough on April 1, 1848. In 1854, the borough was annexed to the city of Philadelphia in the
Act of Consolidation.
Point-No-Point The region was known in Colonial times as Point-no-Point, due to the deceptive appearance of the blunt cape at the mouth of Frankford Creek. When first seen going northward it appeared to be a point, sharply jutting into the stream, but upon approaching, it lost its character and seemed to be an ordinary portion of the right bank; on further approach it seemed to again jut out into a point. Principal T. Worcester Worrell used to teach his pupils the ditty: Point look out, point look in, Point no Point, and point ag'in. Many famous personalities in history have passed through the lands of Point-no-Point. The second President of the United States wrote a letter to his wife Abigail describing his travels in Point-no-Point. On 25 May 1777
John Adams wrote: The road to Point-no-point lies along the river Delaware, in fair sight of it and its opposite shore. For near four miles the road is as strait as the streets of Philadelphia. On each side, are beautiful rows of trees, buttonwoods, oaks, walnuts, cherries and willows, especially down towards the banks of the river. The meadows, pastures and grass plats are as green as leeks. There are many fruit trees and fine orchards set with the nicest regularity. But the fields of grain, the rye and wheat exceed all description. These fields are all sown in ridges and the furrow between each couple of ridges is as plainly to be seen as if a swath had been mown along. Yet it is no wider than a ploughshare and it is as strait as an arrow. It looks as if the sower had gone along the furrow with his spectacles to pick up every grain that should accidentally fall into it. The corn is just coming out of the ground. The furrows struck out for the hills to be planted in, are each way as straight, as mathematical right lines; and the squares between every four hills as exact as they could be done by plumb and line, or scale and compass.
Bridesburg Borough Bridesburg was incorporated as a borough on April 1, 1848; it included the peninsula between the lower Frankford Creek and the Delaware River, and beyond Richmond district, the boundary lying near the projected line of Pike street, not far from Wheat Sheaf Lane. It was first called Kirkbridesburg, for Joseph Kirkbride, who operated a ferry to New Jersey, and in 1811 built a toll bridge at Bridge street over Frankford Creek. The villagers decided the name was too long, and shortened it to Bridesburg. The Bridesburg Manufacturing Company was established in 1820 by Kirkbride. It was originally a textile mill on Frankford Creek. Industry followed the company into Bridesburg, especially with the establishment of the Bridesburg Manufacturing Company and the U.S. Arsenal in 1816. In 1854, the borough was annexed to the city of Philadelphia in the
Act of Consolidation. At the end of the 19th century,
Costello, Cooey & Co., a company specializing in
kidskin leather (from young goats) and the
chromium tanning process, employed more than 100 workers. It operated on the east side of Orthodox Street on the Frankford Creek between 1897 and 1914, "with three modern brick factory buildings and brick warehouse: up-to-date equipment for the manufacture of glazed leather and leather for a patent kid, side and horse, with the capacity of from 300 to 400 dozen daily." Robert Cooey (1840-1903), an emigrant from
Newtownstewart,
County Tyrone, arrived in Philadelphia on the packet ship
The Provincialist in 1851 with his sister Isabella at the age of 10. He went to work with his brother and father in the tanneries of the
Northern Liberties. In 1877, he partnered. partnered with Mark Costello (1844-1928), an emigrant from
Ballinderry, to form a
Philadelphia tannery, with Charles O'Neill, John McStay, and Christopher Conway. They rented a narrow store front at 2nd & Willow Street, with its rail lines down the center, bringing livestock and their valuable skin, especially goats, sheep and calves but also cattle and horses. The firm specialized in
moroccan leather and worked leather into products ranging from gloves to handbags to shoes. In 1897, Costello, Cooey & Co. moved to Bridesburg, into "the main building of two stories, containing offices, glazing room, toilets, dyeing and buffing room, one-story tannery building, containing vats and accessories thereto, the two buildings being connected by enclosed passage-way; a boiler and engine house, boilers and accessories for 250 horse-power, and steam engine of 150 horse-power, and piece of land…” Bridesburg Foundry has been in continuous operation since 1914. The company began in Bridesburg and then moved to its present location in Whitehall, Pennsylvania in 1941. Polish families migrated to Bridesburg between 1900 and 1920. "The Frankford leather plant of
Robert H. Foerderer Inc. originally hired Polish men to work in curing the hides. This process consisted of soaking hides for days in dog manure to soften it. The smell of the manure and the need to handle the soaked leather made this job unacceptable to most Philadelphia workers. However, the new Polish immigrant, excluded from most factory work in the city, flocked to Bridesburg for work." Bridesburg is home to the second oldest VFW Post in the world, founded in 1899. Bridesburg is also home to the Joseph A. Ferko String Band. The Ferko String Band is a member of the Philadelphia String Band Association, which is a division of the Philadelphia Mummers Parade. ==Population==