Society Hill

1886 Map of Philadelphia by Burk & McFetridge.

While it’s a wonderful part of the city to live in today, Society Hill was not so desirable in the 1950s and ’60s. In fact, it was really more of a slum until Ed Bacon and the city began renewing and preserving many of its 18th and 19th century buildings. 

The name comes from the Society of Free Traders, a marketing company associated with William Penn. The company’s flag flew above the Delaware River on a small hill that became known as “The Society’s Hill,” says George W. Dowdall in the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Today, Society Hill is a unique and flourishing area in Philly … and one of the best examples of successful urban renewal.