Pennsylvania Hall - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 57.228 W 075° 08.988
18S E 487204 N 4422640
This site was a 19th-century abolitionist meeting place in Phila., PA. In the years prior to the building of the Hall, the city's African American population had grown large as freed & fugitive slaves began to unite w/ the Quakers to end slavery.
Waymark Code: WM49D1
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2008
Views: 73
The Hall was originally built by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society in 1838, emblazoned with the motto "Virtue, Liberty and Independence", and hailed as "one of the most commodious and splendid buildings in the city." To finance construction a joint-stock company was created. Two thousand people bought $20 shares, raising over $40,000. Others donated material and labor.
The original structure stood for a mere three days before being burned to the ground by anti-black rioters. Despite the brevity of its existence, the Hall was frequently cited by various racial, ethnic and religious groups throughout the city as an argument for their claimed right to defend their properties through armed force. (
visit link)
Marker Text:
"Built on this site in 1838 by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society as a meeting place for abolitionists, this hall was burned to the ground by anti-Black rioters three days after it was first opened."