Ye Olde Mint / Being a brief description of the first U.S. Mint, established by Congress in the year 1792, at Seventh Street and Sugar Alley (now Filbert Street) Philadelphia

by Frank H. Stewart

His sixth annual address stated “the mint had entered upon the coinage of the precious metals, and there was a pleasing prospect that the institution would at no remote day realize the expectation which was originally formed of its utility.”

His seventh annual address called attention to “the necessity of further legislation for checking abuses in particular quarters, and for carrying its business more completely into effect.”

It will be seen from Washington’s reference in six out of eight of his messages to Congress to the currency and mint that he was deeply interested in the matter and considered it of more than ordinary importance.

It has been stated that he was a frequent visitor to the mint, and that the first silver dismes and half dismes were made from silver contributed by him. The will of John L. Kates, a former owner of the buildings, says that the corner-stone was laid by Washington, but this is unlikely, as he was not in Philadelphia the day on which it is supposed to have been laid. The contents of the corner-stone when found will undoubtedly contain something of great interest to antiquarians.

The original buildings, with the exception of the smelting house, still stand at 37 and 39 North Seventh Street, and in the rear of these numbers. There were three different brick buildings, all separated by yards and alleys, those facing Seventh Street were used for executive offices, etc. Immediately back of them was the one used as the coinage department, and back of that was the small two-story building facing Filbert Street and about twenty feet back of the line of that street. The old building used as the smelting house was torn down the latter part of 1907, and a four-story concrete building erected on the site.

The frontispiece shows the front buildings facing Seventh Street, and [the illustration opposite page 5] the coinage building back of them, which is separated from the front buildings by a court yard 18 feet deep. Inasmuch as considerable attempt at ornamentation was made on the front of the coinage building, it is quite probable that this was the first building erected. Tradition has it that this was originally three stories high and that the top story was burned off. If such was the case the third story was of wooden construction. The walled up windows in the rear show the window sills to be badly charred.

Remains of old arched brick vaults still exist in the basement of 39 North Seventh Street.

The building in the rear, used as the coinage department, has two arched and paved brick vaults in its basement intact except the doors. One of the vaults, [illustrated opposite page 9], has a smaller vault in its rear end, which was undoubtedly used as a storage place for the most valuable of the mint’s possessions. Strong brick arches and exceedingly heavy joists, averaging twelve inches square, were placed in the basement to support the coinage presses above.

The building formerly facing Filbert Street had no basement, and when excavations were made for the new building two old brick-walled wells were uncovered, one of which was four feet in diameter, with cesspool refuse in the bottom. The other well was about seven feet in diameter and the bottom was not reached, as the excavations only went down about 12 feet. These wells were between the old building and Filbert Street. The larger one was three or four feet back of the centre of the property at 35 North Seventh Street, and the other was just off the southeast corner of the demolished building. It is quite likely that the largest well furnished water for the distillery of Michael Shubart.