Did you know? Washington Square was one of Philadelphia’s five original squares laid out in 1682. Known as Southeast Square, it served as a cemetery from about 1704 until 1794. Read more.
Did you know? America’s oldest botanical garden, Bartram’s was founded by father/son botanists. They discovered and saved from extinction the Franklinia tree, named for their friend, Benjamin Franklin Read more.
Did you know? Mosaic art has been around for thousands of years. As early as the 4th century BC, elaborate mosaic floors were features in many Ancient Greek homes. Read more.
Did you know? The first Phillies game was played on May 1, 1883. That makes the Phillies the oldest, continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in professional sports! Read more.
Did you know? Reading Terminal Market opened in 1892, though public markets had been in existence since the city’s founding. Two of the market’s 80 merchants are descendants of original stall-owners. Read more.
Did you know? Though many visit just for “the Rocky steps” in front, this is in fact one of the largest art museums in the country – the main building alone has 200 galleries! Read more.
Did you know? Formerly known as Northeast Square, the square was renamed in Franklin’s honor in 1825. It is one of the original five squares planned by William Penn. Read more.
Did you know? Franklin discovered the gulf stream, developed Daylight Savings Time, started the postal service & first public library, invented swim fins, bifocals & lightning rods-among other things! Read more.
Did you know? The huge 24,000 sq. foot playhouse was built in 1899, expressly as a play space for young children – it was never a residence. The unique Giant Wooden Slide was added in 1905. Read more.
Did you know? Early Pennsylvania settlers at Penn’s Landing lived in caves dug into the banks of the Delaware while they built their houses. Read more.
Did you know? When the Morris family bought the land that is now the Arboretum, it was barren, with poor soil quality and bad drainage. Today there are more than 13,000 plants here! Read more.
Did you know? The oldest natural science institution in the Western Hemisphere, early members of the Academy included Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, and John J. Audubon. Read more.
Did you know? Benjamin Franklin founded the nation’s first firefighting company in 1736. Read more.
Did you know? Beetles alone make up 1/4th of all known species of plants and animals. Read more.
Did you know? When it opened in 1874 as America’s first zoo, admission was 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. Read more.
