Kingsessing | |
|---|---|
 The Kingsessing Branch of theFree Library of Philadelphia | |
  Kingsessing | |
| Coordinates:39°56′21″N75°13′18″W / 39.93915°N 75.22165°W /39.93915; -75.22165 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Area codes | 215, 267, and 445 |
Kingsessing is aneighborhood in theSouthwest section ofPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, United States. On the west side of the Schuylkill River, it is next to the neighborhoods ofCedar Park andElmwood Park, as well as the borough ofYeadon inDelaware County. It is roughly bounded by theSEPTA Regional RailMedia/Wawa Line to the northeast, Baltimore Avenue to the northwest,Cobbs Creek and 60th Street to the southwest, and Woodland Avenue to the southeast.
The name Kingsessing, also spelled Chinsessing, comes from aLenape word meaning "a place where there is a meadow".[1][2] TheLenape, or Delaware as the English called them, had a village of the same name that roughly occupied the same site as where the current neighborhood was later developed. When the township was organized to encompass where the Lenape and a later Swedish village stood, it also was named as Kingsessing.
In 1669Hans Månsson, a Swedish settler, received a patent for an 1,100-acre plantation along theSchuylkill River between the current location of 60th Street andWoodlands Cemetery, extending as far west asCobb's Creek.[3][4]
Bartram's Garden, started by colonial botanistJohn Bartram in 1728, is still operated in this neighborhood. It had an international reputation and is considered the first true botanical garden in the United States.[5] It has been designated as aNational Historic Landmark.
Mount Moriah Cemetery was founded next to Cobbs Creek in 1855. The neighborhood near the cemetery is also known as Mount Moriah, part of which is inElmwood Park.
TheS. Weir Mitchell School,Regent-Rennoc Court andAnna Howard Shaw Junior High School are on theNational Register of Historic Places.[6]
As of 2011, Kingsessing is 83.2% black.[7]
Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Kingsessing Branch at 1201 South 51st Street, below Chester Avenue.[9]
