Frankford is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia situated about six miles (10 km) northeast of Center City. Although its borders are vaguely defined, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by the original course of Frankford Creek on the south to Castor Ave and Roosevelt boulevard on the northwest and southwest, to Cheltenham Avenue on the north, and to Aramingo Avenue and I-95 on the east. Adjacent neighborhoods are Bridesburg, Juniata, Northwood, Summerdale, and Wissinoming.
Historically, Frankford had an unofficial division separating Frankford (proper) from East Frankford, which encompassed the area east of Frankford Avenue. The division divided the community first along racial lines, with African Americans to the east of Frankford Avenue and Caucasians to the west.
History The village of Frankford was established by the Quakers in about 1682 in an area formerly occupied by Dutch people (Nederlanders). At the time of Penn's arrival it was occupied by Swedes, Finns and Native Americans.
The land known as the Manor of Frank was purchased by the Free Society of Traders, a group of Quaker businessmen in England. The original settlers were Henry Waddy, Thomas Fairman, Robert Adam, and Edward Seary.
The village very likely took its name from the title of the Frankfurt Company, which took up ground there, along what is now known as Frankford Creek, in the lower part of Oxford Township.
Frankford Creek's upper tributaries were the Tacony Creek and the Wingohocking Creek; while its lower tributaries are the Little Tacony Creek and the Freaheatah.
Frankford was an early suburb of the town of Philadelphia. William Penn forged a trail through the village running from the original town (now Center City) to New York City, passing through Bucks County near the site of his home, Pennsbury Manor. That trail came to be known as "Frankford Pike" (later Frankford Avenue) and was the town's main street.
The village was incorporated into a borough on March 2, 1800, bounded by Leiper Street on the northwest, Little Tacony (or Tackawanna) Creek on the south and east, and Frankford Creek on the west.William Bucke Campbell, Old Towns and Districts of Philadelphia, City History Society of Philadelphia, 1942. By an act on April 4, 1831, the boundaries of the borough were extended to include land to the northwest of Leiper Street, the line running along Harrison and Horrocks Streets, to a point on Frankford Creek below Wyoming Avenue. In 1853, the part of Whitehall Borough lying between Torresdale and Frankford Avenues below what is now Whitehall Common was added, to encompass a total of 1.468 square miles. In 1854, the borough was annexed by the city of Philadelphia through the Act of Consolidation, 1854.
Frankford was historically a manufacturing center, beginning with a gristmill constructed in the 1660s. This same mill became famous during the American Revolutionary War due to the heroics of Lydia Darrah.
Before and during the Revolution, two lesser-known grist-mills operated on the creek above the town of Frankford.
In 1771, Robert Morris (a miller) purchased a mill at the junction of the Tacony Creek and Frankford Creek.Menkevich, Joseph J. Frankford Chronicles Agent Lydia Darragh - Intelligence Operative, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (self-published, 2012), 7
On November 25, 1773, after receiving permission to dam the creek from a Quaker named Nicholas Waln, a feme-sole trader named Mary Peters established a small grist mill. She was in a partnership with Richard Whitman of Oxford Township, Philadelphia County.Menkevich, Joseph J. Frankford Chronicles Agent Lydia Darragh - Intelligence Operative, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (self-published, 2012), 11, 17
Frankford also has the distinction of having played a role in the Declaration of Independence. "There is also a tradition that on the afternoon of that day, or possibly a day or two earlier, there was a joyful private celebration of the great event, by Jefferson and others, at the garden-house of a country-seat in Frankford (near Philadelphia), then occupied by Dr. Enoch Edwards, a leading patriot of that time."Pg. 281, A LARGER HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE CLOSE OF PRESIDENT JACKSON'S ADMINISTRATION, by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, NEW YORK, HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE, 1886
Frankford was also the site of a gunpowder mill that became famous because of its association with Oswald Eve and Paul Revere.
In the 19th century, the town became a center for textile production. Other manufacturing industries also flourished. An early description of industry in 1837: The borough of Frankford, on the Delaware, is the seat of numerous manufacturing establishments, including several cotton mills, calico print-works and bleacheries, woolen mills, ironworks, & etc. Here are also an Arsenal of the United States, and a Lunatic Asylum belonging to the Friends.THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF GEOGRAPHY: COMPRISING A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH, by THOMAS G. BRADFORD. VOL. III. PHILADELPHIA : CAREY, LEA, AND BLANCHARD. 1837
The Frankford Arsenal rivaled the Philadelphia Navy Yard during World War II. It provided over 22,000 jobs and at its peak, produced 8 million bullets per day.Bissinger, Buzz, A Prayer for the City, p. 57, Random House, NY 1997.
In 1922, the Frankford Elevated Line opened, connecting to the Market Street Elevated to provide rapid-transit access to Center City and West Philadelphia. The terminus of today's SEPTA Market-Frankford Line, now known as the Frankford Transportation Center, became a major transit hub, with connections to bus and trolley routes extending into Northeast Philadelphia. Residents of Frankford live within walking distance of the terminal. SEPTA's elevated train (the "El") runs through the neighborhood above Frankford Avenue.
Although the Frankford Line helped catapult Frankford Avenue into a major shopping district in the early 20th century, the traditionally working-class neighborhood saw decline in the 1950s as many Philadelphians moved to the suburbs. White flight eventually took its hold on the neighborhood throughout the 1970s and 1980s. By 1990, over 30% of the storefronts on Frankford Avenue were vacant.Wright, David J., It Takes a Neighborhood: Strategies to Prevent Urban Decline p48, The Rockefeller Institute Press, Albany NY 2001.
Since this time, Frankford has seen a push for improvement. In 1993, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission adopted the Frankford Plan as a blueprint for revitalizing the neighborhood. Although many vacant storefronts remain, businesses catering to new customers have opened in recent years.
Many business owners hope that gentrification of neighborhoods such as Fishtown and Kensington will spread north into Frankford. Others worry that previous attempts at improving Frankford have not been as effective as hoped, with most areas of the neighborhood still suffering from street crime and open-air drug sales. Between 1985 and 1990, a serial killer known as the "Frankford Slasher" murdered several women in the neighborhood. Although several suspects were taken into custody, the actual killer has never been identified.
Notable sites
Museums Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library, 4278 Griscom St. Historical Society of Frankford, established 1905, 1507 Orthodox St.
Churches The Baptist Worship Center, 4355 Paul St. St. Bartholomew R.C. Church, 5600 Jackson St. By Grace Alone Christian Reformed Church, 1300 Dyre Street Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1657 Kinsey St., founded 1804 Central United Methodist Church, 4620 Griscom St. Christ Independent Baptist Church, 1618 Womrath St. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4610 Frankford Ave. Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, 4720 Leiper St. Crossroads Community Church, 4624 Leiper St. Faith Assembly of God, 5049 Charles St. Faith Tabernacle, 1744 Foulkrod St. Frankford Friends Meeting House, 4371 Waln St., established 1684 Frankford Memorial United Methodist Church, 1300 Dyre St. Hermon Presbyterian Church, 4835 Frankford Ave. Holy Cross Church of Christ, 1822 Orthodox St. International Druidic Society, 4455 Frankford Ave. St. James Lutheran Church, Pratt St. and Castor Ave. St. Joachim Church, Philadelphia, 1527 Church St., established 1845 St. John Apostolic Church, 4404-06 Paul St. St. Mark's Church, Frankford, 4442 Frankford Ave., is an Episcopal Church, established 1832 Mar Thoma Church St. Mary's Malankara Orthodox Syrian Cathedral, 1424 Orthodox St. Mizpah Seventh-day Adventist Church, 4355 Paul St. Church Of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo), 1676 Ruan St. By Grace Alone Frankford Fellowship, 4730 Oxford Ave. New Beginning Church of Philadelphia, 4200 Roosevelt Blvd, 19124 Northeast Baptist Church, 4744 Tackawanna St. Christ Fellowship Christian Church, 1639 Harrison St., The Presbyterian Church of Frankford, 4302 Frankford Ave., dating to 1605, was begun as a German-speaking reformed church Rehoboth United Methodist Church, 4229 Paul St. Second Baptist Church of Frankford, 1801 Meadow St. Second Spanish Baptist Church, 4917 Frankford Ave. (began as North Frankford Baptist Church – given to Second Spanish Baptist in the early 1990s) Strait Gate Church of Faith and Deliverance, Inc., 4265 Frankford Ave. St. Thomas United Methodist Church, 4701 Tackawanna St. St. Valentine's Polish National Church, 2330 Margaret St. Word of Faith Christian Center, 4355 Paul St. Strait Gate Ministries, Inc. 4460-2 Frankford Ave.
Schools The Charter School of Arts & Science: String Theory (formerly Henry R. Edmunds School), 1197 Haworth St. First Philadelphia Charter School for Literacy, 4300 Tacony St. Frankford Friends School, 1500 Orthodox St. Frankford High School, 5000 Oxford Ave. Frankford Hospital School of Nursing, 4918 Penn St. Warren G. Harding Middle School, 2000 Wakeling St. John Marshall School, Sellers and Griscom Sts. Northwood Academy Charter School, 4621 Castor Ave. Smedley Elementary School, Bridge and Mulberry Sts. Allen M. Stearne Elementary School, 1655 Unity St. Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, 1840 Torresdale Ave.
Historic sites Garden-House, owned by Dr. Enoch Edwards, where Jefferson and others celebrated the passage of the Declaration is present-day Womrath Park. (Demolished) Cedar Hill Cemetery, established 1849 Oswald Eve's gunpowder mill, built 1774. (Demolished) Frankford Community Memorial Stadium, opened 1922, site of several games of the Frankford Yellow Jackets professional football team. Frankford Avenue, formerly Main Street, and before that the King's Highway
Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Source:
Campbell African Methodist Episcopal Church of Frankford (sometimes called Second Bethel or Little Bethel), 1657 Kinsey St., founded circa 1804. After an earlier application for the National Historic Register was rejected, Campbell AME was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1982. The burial ground was nominated in a separate application because archeology was not a criterion listed on Philadelphia's early nomination applications. This burial ground was approved and placed onto the Philadelphia Register 11 February 2022. Comly Rich House (built 1826), 4276 Orchard Street, was the first house in the United States to receive a mortgage (1831) David Wilmot School The Free Burying Ground of Frankford aka Potter’s Field or Wilmot Cemetery, 1801 Meadow St., enacted into Ordinance the 15th day of October 1811 by Isaac Worrell Chief Burgess. The Nomination was approved and was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places 30 August 2021.