BEN FRANKLIN’S OWN STORY ABOUT PHILADELPHIA STREETS
Benjamin Franklin wrote a story about himself for his son to read. In this story, or autobiography, he tells a great deal about the streets of Philadelphia in 1755. As may be imagined, they were very unlike the streets of that city to-day.
You may read below in his own words, which seem quite old-fashioned and quaint to us now, what he says:
“Our city, though laid out with a beautiful regularity, the streets large, straight, and crossing each other at right angles, had the disgrace of suffering those streets to remain long unpaved.
“In wet weather the wheels of heavy carriages plowed them into quagmire, so that it was difficult to cross them; and in dry weather the dust was offensive.
“I had lived near what was called the Jersey Market, and saw with pain the inhabitants wading in mud while purchasing their provisions.
“A strip of ground down the middle of the market was at length paved with bricks, so that being once in the market, they had firm footing; but were often over shoes in dirt to get there.
“By talking and writing on the subject, I was at length instrumental in getting the streets paved with stone between the market and the brick foot pavement that was on the side next the houses.