History
The Lenape
The land we now know as Tacony was originally home to the Lenape Native American Tribe. They lived along the banks of the Delaware River for generations before they were displaced by European settlers over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, traces of Lenape culture can be found in our soil, our plants, and even in the name “Tacony,” which local historians believe comes from the Lenape word “tèkhane” for “cold river.”
Mid-17th Century
In the mid-17th century, the Swedish Empire established the New Sweden Colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River. Swedish influences extended into present-day Tacony, establishing several large farm holdings. They were soon followed by English settlers, who traveled West after the City of Philadelphia was established by William Penn in 1682. Until the 1854 Act of Consolidation, Tacony (known then as “Taconick”) was its own agricultural village separate from the hustle and bustle of Philadelphia.
In 1846, William Gatzmer secured a charter for the Philadelphia and Trenton railroad. Philadelphia initially refused the railroad, rendering Tacony the terminus of rail travel from New York. Passengers were made to disembark at the Tacony rail station and board a ferry to Walnut Street in Philadelphia. This led to the development of taverns and other traveller-serving businesses near the depot, but land was still largely consolidated in the hands of a few. Notably, St. Vincent’s German Catholic Orphanage opened along the river in the 1850s. The next big development, however, was not until the arrival of Henry Disston.
Keystone Saw Works
Beginning in 1871, Disston began moving his Keystone Saw Works to Tacony. From his initial purchase of a six-acre sawmill and lumberyard, Disston’s holdings grew to 390 acres, 40 of which remained industrial. Following his death in 1878, Disston’s wife and children continued to develop the other 350 acres into a village; complete with rowhouses that they assisted their workers to purchase, a school, a library, a bank, a park, and several churches of various denominations. Tacony remains as one of the only “Factory Towns” developed in the Industrial Revolution within a large urban area to this day.
Over the centuries, Tacony has made a name for itself as a neighborhood known for its industrial and innovative spirit. In the late 19th century, the Tacony Iron and Metal Works was selected to cast the bronze William Penn Statue which now sits atop City Hall. Just a few decades later, the area was home to the prolific inventor Frank Schuman, who built the very first solar-powered steam engine in his own back yard.
Visit the Tacony Historical Society or see www.storydaleavenue.com for more information about the history and stories of our historic neighborhood!