Existing comment:
In 1791, Philadelphia's city government moved into its first permanent home, here in Old City Hall. Until 1800, the city shared these premises with the United States Supreme Court in an arrangement that must have felt cramped and crowded at times. A look at the myriad of city activities that took place here during this decades leads one to believe that the building bustled with activity and may have felt overcrowded. The mayor, common council, select county, city regulators, city archives, and the city treasurer all maintained offices in this structure. In addition, the building served as the headquarters for the fight against Yellow Fever in 1793 and housed charitable and philanthropic groups such as the Philadelphia Abolitionist Society.
The records do not give an exact location for each activity, although we do know that as of 1824 this room was used as the City's Treasury office. Generally, the impression is of a building teeming with city and federal officials plus citizens on private or official business. |