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City Cast Philly

People, places, and scenes from Philadelphia's past.

Bartram’s Garden, the nearly 50-acre public park and historical landmark in Southwest Philly, is considered one of the oldest surviving botanical gardens in North America. Here’s a brief background into how this oasis came to be.

It all started with John Bartram, a third-generation Pennsylvania Quaker and self-taught botanist. In 1728, Bartram 

 to farm in what was then Kingsessing Township.

Bartam threw himself into botanical studies, traveling widely around North America and trading plants with other naturalists of his day.

Bringing back new seeds and knowledge from his travels, he revamped the garden, building ponds and swamps for aquatic plants, sections for nursery seeds, grassland and forest areas, and greenhouses for tropical plants.

By the 1750s, Bartram was a well-respected authority in the field. In 1765, former King George III appointed him 

Bartram died in September 1777, and his two sons carried on his enterprise.

 is a National Historical Landmark, and operates as both a garden and a city park. 

You can go bird-watching, take guided boat tours on the Schuylkill River, visit the 

 in North America, or attend a workshop or special event. What’s coming up? Unwind with a 

Bartram’s Garden, the 50-acre public garden and historical landmark in Southwest Philly, is considered one of the oldest surviving botanical gardens in North America. Here’s a brief background into how this oasis came to be.

The Origin Story of West Philadelphia’s Bartram’s Garden

Philly History

The Slinky is one of the most popular American toys. Here’s the story of how Philly manifested this cultural phenomenon.

In 1943, mechanical engineer Richard James was 

, testing tensions springs that would stabilize sensitive instruments on ships.

One day, James accidentally knocked a box of spare parts off his desk, and watched in amusement as a loose spring “walked” down a series of books, a tabletop, and finally to the floor. Inspired, James spent the next two years perfecting the design.

In 1945, Gimbels Department Store let James demonstrate the Slinky’s moves for customers, and it quickly became a hit. Priced at just $1, he sold all 400 of them within an hour and a half.

James invented the slinky, but it was his wife Betty, who named it, developed the well-known 

, and ultimately made the company a success.

In 1960, the Slinky company was struggling with debt, and James left his family to join an evangelical group in Bolivia, leaving Betty with a company on the verge of bankruptcy.

Betty didn’t give up. She took out a mortgage on her house and 

 in 1963. Once again, orders began rushing in. To date, more than 300 million Slinkies have been sold.

The Slinky is one of the most popular American toys. Here’s the story of how Philly manifested this cultural phenomenon. 

 How Philadelphia Invented The Slinky

Psst, chocolate lovers. I’ve got a delicious story for you! Milton S. Hershey 

In June 1876, 18-year-old Hershey mastered his craft and opened the store at 935 Spring Garden Street. His shop sold candies, nuts, fruits, ice cream, and baked goods.

At first, the store was doing well, but Hershey 

 with production, ingredient suppliers, and business finances.

The store closed after only six years, but Hershey was determined, and continued his candy-making ventures in Denver, New Orleans and New York. Ultimately, he returned to Pennsylvania in 1886 and established the Lancaster Caramel Company.

His “big break” came in 1893, when he stumbled upon 

 at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Inspired by the possibilities, Hershey sold his caramel business and focused on milk chocolate bars using an original formula.

In 1900, Hershey introduced his iconic milk chocolate bars, and by 1903, he established the Hershey Chocolate Company. This thriving enterprise transformed Hershey, Pennsylvania, into a chocolate haven, earning it the moniker "the sweetest place on earth."

 The First Hershey Candy Store Opened in Philly

If you love bubblegum, you can thank Philadelphia's own Walter E. Diemer. H/T to WHYY host Avi Wolfman-Arent for 

In 1928, Diemer was working as an accountant at the Fleer Chewing Gum Company in Fairmount. One day, he was experimenting with gum formulas and discovered a super-stretchy variant.

Diemer kept tweaking the formula until he had gum that could form bubbles and be cleaned up relatively easily after it pops. The initial color was a dull gray, so he dyed it pink.

He showed it to the president of Fleer, who then dubbed it “Dubble Bubble.” Thus, an icon was born.

At first, the world wasn’t sold on bubble gum. The company had to finance a national ad campaign to shut down the idea that its product contained ingredients that are “harmful and injurious” to consumers. The rest, as they say, is history.

Diemer never received financial compensation for his discovery. But in 1998, he told the New York Times that 

What Philly history should I cover next?

Bubble Gum Was Invented in Philadelphia

 in the country. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, more than a million people, mostly from Southern and Eastern Europe, entered the U.S. at Pier 53 on the Delaware River, which is now known as Washington Avenue Pier.

The immigration station began operations in 1873. After immigrants 

completed a health inspection at Lazaretto Station

, they would head to Pier 53 to pass through customs and board trains to leave the city.

Those who couldn’t afford to leave settled down near the waterfront. Italian immigrants settled around Ninth Street, which later became known as the Italian Market.

The station received an average of 50,000 passengers a year until it was demolished in 1915. Washington Avenue Pier is 

 with wetlands, meadows, elevated boardwalks, and gathering spaces.

Visitors can also climb a 55-foot spiral staircase called “Land Buoy.” The art installation emits a soft blue light, commemorating those who started new lives at Pier 53.

What part of Philly history should I cover next?

Philly’s Own ‘Ellis Island,’ Pier 53 

During hot Philly summers, public pools are a haven for many residents. But these essential public spaces have a dynamic and sometimes difficult history.

In 1884, Philly built the nation’s first outdoor city pool, 

Wharton Street Bath in South Philadelphia

, creating a model that other cities soon replicated. Eight more pools opened by the end of the decade, more than any other U.S. city. Men and women swam separately, with three days each week set aside for each sex.

When pools first opened, they were largely used as tools for sanitation and public health. In 1850, most residents had no indoor plumbing access and would use rivers and streams for bathing. Residents that couldn’t afford to travel down the shore 

would bathe in the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers

Initially, the pools were not segregated. But as the racial demographics of the city shifted, tensions rose at local pools.

In 1941, at a rec center pool in Brewerytown, three white boys dunked a Black boy under the water, leaving him gasping for air. The incident resulted in a violent riot that left 20 people injured. (H/T to 

 for their deep dive into the fraught racial legacy of city pools.)

white residents mostly abandoned Philly public pools

, fleeing to the suburbs, or choosing to swim in residential pools and at private swim clubs. For years, Philly failed to properly fund and maintain the pools, leaving the city's mostly Black and Brown residents with very limited swimming options.

However, Philly’s public pools continue to serve as vital summer spaces. This year, the city launched an intense recruiting campaign to hire enough lifeguards to open 61 of its public pools. Hear from a local aquatics director and lifeguard about 

how the city attempted to solve this staffing shortage

 From The Archives: The Complicated History of Philly's Public Pools

The Phillie Phanatic turned 45 this year. How did a 

giant, flightless bird from the Galápagos

Former Phillies owner and vice president Bill Giles wanted a mascot that would attract more families to the ballpark. They sought out Jim Henson, the creator of The Muppets, who turned them down but recommended his colleague 

, who was the creator of Miss Piggy. Erickson got to work, and created the Phanatic to be a “

Phanatic first hit the field on April 25, 1978

, during a Phillies and Chicago Cubs game at Veterans Stadium. Erickson remembers Phanatic being loved from the get-go and getting a ton of laughs from the crowd. Dave Raymond, an intern at the home office, was enlisted to play the mascot. He would portray Phanatic for fifteen years and has been dubbed the 

 for his role in inventing the modern sports mascot.

From its beginnings to now, how did Phanatic become such a beloved and cherished sports mascot? We’ve got 

 for you on the City Cast Philly podcast.

Are you a Phanatic fanatic?

The History of the Phillies Phanatic

On April 3, 1793, British performer John Bill Ricketts 

gave America’s first full circus performance

Ricketts began performing at age 17, and acquired some jaw-dropping skills like juggling while standing backwards on top of a horse, and even riding two horses at once.

He officially launched Ricketts’ Circus as a one-man show, but later added singers, dancers, acrobats, and clowns.

its first season. He called Ricketts one of the most “graceful and expert” performers in the world. Throughout the 1790s, his company toured other U.S. cities, including Albany and Baltimore.

At the time, much of the public viewed circus performers as untrustworthy. To combat this perception, Ricketts donated money to low-income families to heat their homes in the winter. He also housed yellow fever patients in the circus building in 1793.

After his amphitheater accidentally burned down in 1799, Ricketts set sail for the West Indies, but was kidnapped by a French warship commander and taken to the island of Guadalupe. He performed there for long enough to buy a small ship, but it sank on his way back to England, killing him and his performing horses.

What part of Philly's history should I cover next?

How Philly Introduced the Modern-Day Circus Show

When you think of cowboy hats, Pennsylvania probably doesn’t come to mind. But the iconic Western accessory 

In 1865, New Jersey-born hat manufacturer John B. Stetson founded his own company and began selling a durable and fashionable hat for outdoor use, called the “Boss of the Plains.” He first opened a shop on 4th and Chestnut Street, but once sales exploded, Stetson moved production to a factory on the edge of Kensington.

 of the cowboy lifestyle, and by 1886, Stetson was a household name.

about Philly’s claim to this classic American hat.

The Cowboy Hat Was Invented in Philly

The Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Square is a popular summer hangout spot for residents. Swimming isn’t actually allowed, but many kids do it anyway! It’s also a major tourist spot, close to hotels, restaurants, and the museums along Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

While it’s now a public wading pool, this fountain was originally built to honor someone who championed a different kind of public water feature.

, founder of the Philadelphia Fountain Society, which campaigned to have more drinking water fountains installed across Philadelphia.

Swann believed that the lack of access to potable water led people to drink alcohol. “The suffering caused by the absence of water in our streets is beyond description,” he 

The 124-foot, water-spewing sculpture is also known as the “Fountain of the Three Rivers.” It has three bronze Lenni Lenape human figures that represent the Delaware, Schuylkill, and Wissahickon Rivers.

On the fountain's first day in operation, 