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Bridesburg: The Old and New Frontier


Steve Kozakowski sheds light on the history and significance of Bridesburg

A friend of mine named John, who was originally from Kensington, recently moved to Bridesburg. The last time I hung out with him, I asked how he liked his new neighborhood. “I love it,” John replied, “This neighborhood is like the best kept secret in the city.” John continued to explain to me how great it was to be part of a working class community tucked away in this little corner of the city near the river.

Last week, I attended a monthly meeting of the Bridesburg Historical Society at Marian Hall at All Saints Church. Many of the attendees shared John’s sentiment, that they liked being part of this awesome neighborhood that was somewhat off the radar. So far, the tidal wave of gentrification that has been rippling through riverward neighborhoods like Northern Liberties, Fishtown, and East Kensington has hardly touched the tight-knit Bridesburg community.
The speaker at the Historical Society’s meeting was a man named Steve Kozakowski. Kozakowski wrote his master’s thesis on Bridesburg’s assimilation into Greater Philadelphia. While the neighborhood started out as a relatively isolated community, Bridesburg eventually developed into a vital component in the city’s economic growth. Steve demonstrated this point by analyzing the changes in the commuting to work habits of Bridesburg’s residents from around 1850 through the 1930’s.
Although the initial presentation was created several years ago, it was still full of valuable and relevant historical information about the neighborhood. It gave me some perspective not only on Bridesburg, but how all of the neighborhoods in the city sustained themselves as distinct communities that have evolved over generations.

Today, we see our neighborhoods as corner stores, retail businesses, schools, and parks. But it’s hard to imagine a place like Bridesburg being a rural community. Through statistics, census charts, and maps in his presentation, Kozakowski illustrated how Bridesburg has been a strong, self-sustaining community for over 160 years. Bridesburg was officially incorporated as a borough of Philadelphia County in 1848. Prior to that, Bridesburg was considered a non-incorporated civil entity. There were no taxes, no Philadelphia governance.

The borough was originally called Kirkbridesburg after Joseph Kirkbride. Kirkbride operated a ferry to New Jersey. He also built a toll bridge at Bridge Street over Frankford Creek. Later, residents decided the name of the borough was too long, and they changed the name to Bridesburg.

Not only did Steve enlighten with facts that related to Bridesburg residents, but also talked of the surrounding areas, like the small town of Aramingo. He spoke of landmarks in the neighborhood and how they came to be. In the 1800’s, when most of the area was still rural, most Bridesburg residents rarely traveled outside of the borough. There was no public transportation, no automobiles. They went everywhere on foot or by boat. Towns were built around waterways like Frankford Creek and grew out from those areas. Most of the economy was based around agriculture in the early days. Steve’s research revealed there were only 185 dwelling units before 1850.

After the Civil War, during the Industrial Revolution, the population surged drastically, increasing 167% from the 1850’s. With the rapid changes in industry, Bridesburg excelled in manufacturing with companies like Jenx, which led to smaller peripheral production businesses opening shop. Tacony Chemical and the Frankford Arsenal were also prominent Bridesburg businesses. Still, even with the swift changes happening all across the nation, most businesses in the area were operated by folks who lived and worked in Bridesburg. Kozakowski explained that this way of life really did not change until there were drastic developments in transportation, like automobiles, the el train, and the streetcar on Richmond Street. Many of the Historical Society members recalled how their families did not have a car until after World War II ended.

After 1930, Bridesburg officially became part of the City of Philadelphia. Many residents were taking employment beyond the neighborhood’s borders. However, many people were also traveling into Bridesburg with these new methods of transportation.

It’s amazing when you think how far these riverward neighborhoods have evolved over the past two centuries. Businesses in Bridesburg have come and gone: the coal yard, the chemical plant, leaving a great deal of space that can be developed for new business.
“If the riverfront could be developed, this could once again be a new frontier,” said Steve.

Bridesburg is still full of hard-working families who care deeply for their community. The fact that they have such a well-attended civic group like the Historical Society is a testament to this.

“Bridesburg has always been a nice community and still is,” Kozakowski said as he closed his presentation, “Hopefully the next generation will know well enough to appreciate it.”

To learn more about the Bridesburg Historical Society, visit the group’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/Bridesburg-Historical-Society/346411578320

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