The Park of Washington Square, Pennsylvania

The doctor abuse law firm of Washington Square brings you the following article. We hope you have fun learning about the park and its surrounding area.

Brief History of Washington Square

Washington Square is a 6.4 acres open-space park located in the Center City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the five original planned squares laid out by Thomas Holme, William Penn's surveyor. During the 1700s, the Square was used for grazing animals. In the American Revolutionary War, it was a burial ground for citizens and troops of the Colonial army. Later on, it was also a burial site for the African American community and a potter's field for the city. In 1815, efforts to improve the Square were put into effect as more neighborhoods around it were developed and became fashionable. A decade later, the park was given the name Washington Square to commemorate George Washington.

Washington Square was home to an area known as Lawyer's Row located on the site of the former Walnut Street Prison at 6th and Walnut. It also housed the city's publishing industry with J.B. Lippincott, Curtis Publishing Company, Lea & Febiger, W. B. Saunders, the Farm Journal, and George T. Bisel Company, Inc. In 1793, the first human flight in the Americas also happened in Washington Square when Jean Pierre Blanchard rose from the Walnut Street Prison in his hot-air balloon.

Learn more: A Brief History of Fishtown, Pennsylvania

Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier

During its creation, a proposal was made to construct a monument of George Washington. However, the Washington Square Planning Committee decided in 1954 to instead build a monument dedicated to all soldiers and sailors of the American Revolutionary War. Designed by architect G. Edwin Brumbaugh, the "Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier" includes a bronze cast of Jean-Antonie Houdon's statue of Washington as its centerpiece. The Tomb consists of a soldier's remains from when he was buried in the park at the time when it was used as a cemetery. More bodies are still located beneath the Square, and some are found during construction and renovation projects.

Moon Tree

Washington Square Park was once home to a sycamore moon tree. Planted in 1975, its seeds were carried to the moon on the Apollo 14 mission by astronaut Stuart Roosa. After the tree died in 2009, it was replaced by a clone in 2011. Sadly, the clone also died in 2019. Today, the spot where the tree once stood is marked by a plaque.

George T. Bisel Company, Inc.

George T. Bisel Company, Inc. was established in 1876 by attorney William Felix Bisel. As one of the oldest legal book publishers in the nation, it has been located in Washington Square since its founding and is still owned and managed by the Bisel family. After 144 years in the business, it also still provides service to the Pennsylvania Bench and Bar and out-of-state law libraries. The company can be found at 710 South Washington Square.

Our Local Office

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