'' (1800). The man standing in the foreground may be a portrait of Humphreys According to the
Genealogy of Philadelphia County Subdivisions, Pennsport was originally part of
Moyamensing Township. Most of the area north of present-day Mifflin Street was included in the
Southwark District from 1794 until the
consolidation of Philadelphia in 1854. At that point, it was mostly contained in the First Ward. The First and Second wards ran east of Passyunk Avenue and were divided by Wharton Street (First to the south, Second to the north). The southern boundary of the First Ward initially spanned south to the river, but it was stopped at Mifflin Street in 1898. The
Washington Avenue Immigration Station was an immigrant processing facility located at the end of Washington Avenue at Pier 53 on the
Delaware River. It operated from 1873 to 1915. During
King George's War in 1748, a young
Benjamin Franklin erected the "Association Battery" or "Grand Battery" here along the river. These were earthwork defenses fitted with artillery. The first United States naval yard started in the 1770s as a private commercial yard located in what is now Pennsport at Federal Street on the Delaware River. It was owned and operated by noted shipbuilder
Joshua Humphreys. He designed the
original six frigates of the United States Navy. In addition, the frigate , not one of those six, was also built at what became the official navy yard. The naval yard was designated for the US Navy in 1801 and was active until 1875. That year it was relocated to new facilities built on League Island. The shipyard expanded to support production and repair of ships. During World War II, some 40,000 people worked here in shifts that operated 24 hours a day. The shipyard was closed in 1991, as a result of a decision by the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission. Nearly 1000 acres was transferred to the City of Philadelphia for redevelopment. What is known as The Navy Yard has been developed for businesses and manufacturing. A part of the site is still devoted to shipbuilding. The neighborhood has other buildings and structures of historic interest.
Furness High School and the former
Abigail Vare School are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. The Historic rowhouse synagogue,
Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron-Ezras Israel, was featured in the Hidden City Philadelphia 2013 Festival. ==Education==