Castner Scrapbook v.19, Disasters, Criminal Prisons 1, page 14
Historical Images of Philadelphia Castner Scrapbook Collection
Item Info
Historic Street Address: 6th & Walnut Streets, NE corner
Historic Street Address: 809 Walnut Street
Historic Street Address: Turner's Lane & Ridge Road (today, Ridge & Oxford)
Media Type: Scrapbooks
Source: Print and Picture Collection
Notes:
Item 1, top: Image of a fire that destroyed the Grand Central Theatre, at 809 Walnut Street. According to the caption, the sketch appeared in The Item, a Philadelphia weekly publication, on March 24, 1888. The Central Theatre was only one of a succession of theaters built on this site between 1863 and 1892 and destroyed by fires. Illustration for The Item, 17.5 x 20 cm, 3/24/1888.
Item 2, center left: Image of the Walnut Street Jail, at the NE corner of 6th & Walnut Streets. It was designed and built in 1775 by architect Robert Smith, initially as a traditional jail; in 1790, an additional building was added as the first "penitentiary", a Quaker concept intended to be safer and to encourage reflection and repentance. It became overcrowded and unsafe by 1838. The jail was demolished, and future prisoners were sent to the Eastern State Penitentiary. Engraving by Thomas Howland Mumford, reprinted in Watson's "Annals of Philadelphia", 11 x 8 cm, undated.
Item 3, bottom left: Image of the Stone Prison, depicted as it appeared in 1728, located at the SW corner of 3rd & High (now Market) Streets. It was occupied from 1723-1784. Having then become overcrowded, the jail was demolished, and the prisoners were transferred to the Walnut Street Jail. The building in the foreground housed the debtors' jail; the building to the left housed the workhouse, for criminals. Reproduction of a drawing in the Philadelphia Library collection, for an unidentified publication, 8 x 5 cm, undated.
Item 4, bottom right: Image of a map and legend, depicting the events of the robbery of the Reading Mail by James Porter and George Wilson, on Dec. 6, 1829. The coach was stopped at 2:00 a.m. on its way out of Philadelphia, at Turner's Lane & Ridge Road (today, Ridge Avenue & Oxford Street). The robbers were charged with several offences, including mail robbery and the capital crime of endangering the life of the mail coach driver. Porter, who pled not guilty to the charges, was convicted and executed on July 2, 1830; Wilson pled guilty, and was pardoned by President Andrew Jackson for the capital crime, but served 10 years for the robbery. Engraving and text for an unidentified publication, 11.5 x 12 cm, 1829.
Creation Year: 1845
Geocode Latitude: Geocode Longitude:-75.170281
Geocode Latitude:39.978837
Call Number: A917.481 P536 v.19
Creator Name: Castner, Samuel, Jr., 1843-1929 - Compiler
Thomas Howland Mumford - Engraver
Robert smith - Architect
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