The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-09-04
OLD TIMES OF PHILADELPHIA.

THE Philadelphia North american
Il gives the following interesting ac-
count of some of the Old Times of that
city Before the modern style of hotel
came into vogue there existed in all our
cities and towns,s class of caravansaries
called inns, modelled after the English
type portrayed by Hogarth in one of
his best pictures, which were the head
quarters of travel, and where people
found stabling for the horses and car
riages they journeyed in. This was es-
sential in an age when there were no
railroads and when all travel by land
was in stage coaches, post coaches or
private vehicles. Before the introduc-
ton of railways and steamboats,, there
fore, the inns of Philadelphia were es-
adjustments of very considerable i'm
portance. They all had extensive sta
bles, yards. and out-houses attached, and
all the business of the city clustered
about them. They were all named in
the quaint olden style, based upon the
ancient European custom of having for
each trade place symbol or sign of
some kind. Our Philadelphia inns held
out pretty well, long after the railways
had become all the rage. Those which
remained longest and are best remem-
bered by the present generation were
the Red Lion, ON Market street, above
Sixth, with stable on Sixth street; the
Western Exchange, on the present site
of the Pennsylvania Railroad freight
station, Fifteenth and Market streets
the Black Bear, at Fifth and Miner
streets the Golden Horse, in the rear of
the northwest corner of Third and Mar
ket streets the White Swan, in Race
street, above Third; the Camel, the
Wheat Sheaff, the Barley Sheaff, the
White Bear, the Bulls Head, and a
number with such signs as White Horse,
Sorrel Horse, Farmers Inn, Western
Inn, etc. The inns served for the head
quarters of various distinct classes
Some were frequented by the country
gentry with horses, carriages and SER
wants. Others were chiefly for butchers
and drovers, and had drove-yards at
tached. Others were for farmers and
their wagons and horses, and very
often their families also. Some were
famous for horse sales.
Along the Delaware river grew up
peculiar class of inns at the public land
ings, the earliest and most celebrated of
which was the Crooked Billet, where
Benjamin Franklin stopped when he
first arrived in Philadelphia, a runa-
way apprentice from Boston. The
growth of population and trade along
the river made all the ferry-houses inn
portant. But only one survives in the
old style at the foot of Arch street. OF
the farmers inns it may be said that
they clustered near the market houses
on Market street, north Second, south
Second, Callowhill, Shipper, and other
streets, and this class of business sur
wives, as the farmers who come to mar
ket are quite numerous. The stables
are still attached to many of these inns,
and the old style of management is
pretty well kept up. They are, how
ever, far below the dignity of the inns
of the olden time, though the fare is
wholesome and plentiful, and the COM
fort decidedly good.
Along all the turnpike roads leading
to the city there grew up noted class
of country inns, which, in the course of
time, became quite celebrated with car
riage folks. Such as are still fresh in the
memory are the Blue Bell, on the Darby