Philly’s Immigration Station
It’s where over 1 million people entered the US
Engraving of landing place of European Steamers, and Pennsylvania Railroad Station, Philadelphia, c. 1887. Reproduced from Tariff of Immigrant Fares from Philadelphia Issued by the Immigrant Clearing House Committee, in Effect April 1st, 1887.
To me, Philadelphia’s Immigration Station at Washington Avenue Pier (formerly Pier 53) is a sacred spot. It’s where over one million immigrants entered our country, most of them fleeing religious persecution or devastating poverty.
But many current residents don’t even know the Immigration Station once existed at the foot of Washington Avenue and Columbus Boulevard––near what used to be called Pier 53.
I know I didn’t. Even though I’ve lived my entire life within 10 miles of this spot, I never realized Philadelphia had an immigration station. I assumed, incorrectly, that our ancestors all came through Ellis Island in New York.
Obviously, I was wrong. A blue and gold Pennsylvania historic marker — at the foot of Washington Avenue — says, “Since the 1870s, the station was an entry point and processing center for immigrants, primarily from Southern and Eastern Europe. From here, newcomers moved into the city or other parts of the state. It was demolished in 1915.”
Building the Immigration Station in Philadelphia was part of strategic plan by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to compete with its rival, the New York Central Railroad, on a global basis.
Then the most powerful and influential business enterprise in the U.S., the PRR hoped to steer immigrants away from New York and transport them to the hinterlands on Philadelphia trains.
100 Miles nearer to the West
than New York, ads proclaimed
After joining joined forces with the International Navigation Company to build four transatlantic liners at Kensington’s William Cramp and Sons Shipbuilding Company, the railroad began advertising its Philadelphia station in Eastern Europe as a shorter, more direct route to the U.S. — with lower fares. And the marketing plan worked.
One publication, Hamagid (The Preacher), considered the first Hebrew language weekly newspaper, praised the port of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Railroad as “the best and most reliable for emigrants who are going to the American West.”
“Within a short few years,” said the National Archives at Philadelphia, “the railroad was able to increase its profits by 40%. This vertical integration helped the Pennsylvania Railroad become the largest railroad by traffic and revenue in the U.S. throughout the first two-thirds of the 20th Century.”
Interesting Oddities
Under the United States Immigration Act, single women could be prohibited from entering the country “unless expected by relatives who give bond for their support.” That probably was why part of the examination room at the station was called the “Altar.” And why author Frederic R. Miller says in “Philadelphia: Immigrant City” that “many hurried unions were celebrated on the spot.”
As an entry point, Philadelphia, then the largest freshwater port in the world, had several disadvantages. One, it was 200 miles further from Europe than New York. Two, ships coming here traveled almost 110 miles from the ocean up the Delaware River. So land was in sight during much of the two-week voyage around Cape May and up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. That could be very frustrating to travelers. Three, the river was often ice-covered in winter, disrupting schedules.
Even so, 19,807 immigrants entered the U.S. at Philadelphia in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1894. Of that number, 8,398 stayed in Pennsylvania. More than 4,200 were heading to New York, and 93 as far as California. Germany (4,227), Ireland (3,747), and Russia (3,385) represented the home countries of the largest arriving groups. Only 53 Italians entered here that year; most of them came into New York and traveled to Philadelphia by train.
Celebrate your immigrant ancestors and go to the Washington Avenue Pier. It’s just a short walk on a gravel path from Washington Avenue at Columbus Blvd. Head between the Coast Guard Station and the Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Training Center.
Sit down on the many wooden benches and enjoy the greenery and scenery. Be sure to walk up the 16-foot spiral staircase of the “Land Buoy,” a sculpture offering you a birds-eye view of the river and the city.
Think about how your relatives felt as they first stepped on American soil.
And thank them for all they went through to get here. You owe them that much.
FAST FACTS:
Name: Immigration Station, Washington Avenue Pier
Opened: 1873
Demolished: 1915
Marker Location: Christopher Columbus Blvd. at Washington Ave., next to the US Coast Guard Station, Philadelphia
Dedication Date: September 14, 1994
Claim to Fame: Over 1 million immigrants entered the U.S. here
Some sources:
https://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/jqp-steamship.htm
http://www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/jqp-02.jpg
http://www2.hsp.org/exhibits/Balch%20resources/phila_ellis_island.html