Stop 1: 6th Street, between Arch and Race Streets
This block holds the stories of Hannah and Isaac Till—as well as the burning of Pennsylvania Hall.
Isaac and Hannah Till
Now you see the National Constitution Center, the Federal Reserve, and WHYY studios on this block, but in the 1700 and 1800s, this street was once home to:
- Isaac and Hannah Till: The Tills lived next door to Ann Pounder at least in 1782 and perhaps longer but not recorded. This couple worked as salaried cooks for families in Philadelphia, including the Washingtons. During the Revolutionary War, Hannah Till was an enslaved cook and servant leased to General George Washington at the Valley Forge encampment in 1777-78. She purchased her freedom from enslaver Reverend John Mason during the American Revolution and continued to work as a salaried cook. Her husband Isaac was also leased to Washington and his wartime staff by his enslaver Captain John Johnson of Bergen County, New Jersey. Isaac also purchased his freedom during the Revolutionary War.
Hannah Till
The Black Community in Revolutionary Era Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Hall
Dedicated on May 14, 1838, this meeting place for abolitionists burned down just three days after opening. As abolitionists from all over the Northeast attended a convention inside, an anti-abolition crowd threw bricks through the windows. The attack heightened as a crowd broke down the doors and set fires. Pennsylvania Hall burned to the ground as firefighters sprayed water only on neighboring buildings. Some of the people/groups connected to Pennsylvania Hall include:
- James Forten, a wealthy sailmaker, abolitionist, and financial contributor to the building
- Robert Purvis, the son-in-law of James Forten, ardent abolitionist, and an operator of a safe house
- Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, a group attending the convention the day of the attack
Portait of James Forten, 1818
FIND: "Burning of Pennsylvania Hall" historical marker, west side of 6th Street near Race Street
Text: “Built on this site in 1838 by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society as a meeting place for abolitionists, this hall was burned to the ground by anti-Black rioters three days after it was first opened.”
Pennsylvania Hall - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia (philadelphiaencyclopedia.org)
