Eitanithap to Germantown

Originally a separate city from Philadelphia, Germantown retains its historic flavor. During the 18th Century, it provided refuge from epidemics in the city for those who could move. It was the site of the Battle of Germantown, a pivotal engagement in the Revolutionary War. Germantown is one of the oldest racially-integrated neighborhoods in the country, and Germantown residents were active in both the anti-Slavery movement and the Underground Railroad. One of its community newspapers, The Germantown Courier, is among the oldest of its kind. Today, visitors can gain insights into 18th-century life by stopping at the historic houses. Germantown’s rich story is the narrative of founding and settlement, religious freedom and tolerance, patriotism, abolitionism, architectural excellence, industry, and community service. It is the first German settlement in the New World, the nation’s earliest “urban village,” the site of the first written protest against slavery, the setting for the Battle of Germantown, the nation’s first commuter suburb served by one of the nation’s first railroads, and then the “town within a city” served by the longest streetcar line in the nation.Led by Frankfort lawyer Daniel Francis Pastorius, the Germantown community which encompasses the 59th Ward, was founded in 1683 by German and Dutch Quakers seeking religious and political refuge offered by William Penn. As the area grew, the township of Germantown became a hub of educational, industrial and religious activity. This traditional diversity of the area continued into the 20th century as factories and retail centers flourished. Within years of its establishment, Germantown was Pennsylvania’s second largest municipality. Both America’s first Mennonite house and Brethren church are in Germantown. It housed America’s first paper mill and was the center of Philadelphia printing/papermaking industry until well into the 20th century. On October 2, 1777, it was the site of the Battle of Germantown, which although an American defeat, demonstrated Washington’s military brilliance and boosted colonial morale. It is also the first official abolitionist protest in U.S. history, and was a major Underground Railroad stop. Germantown Avenue is the oldest thoroughfare in America. Famed residents include Louisa May Allocott (author of Little Women), James Logan (Penn’s secretary, colonial leader), Francis Pastorius (founder), William Rittenhouse (nation’s first paper manufacturer, Mennonite minister), Edmund Randolph (first U.S. Attorney General), Christoper Sower (printed first bible and first German-speaking newspaper in U.S.), Gilbert Stuart (portrait artist), George Washington, John Wister (prominent merchant).Today’s Germantown is following its historical pattern of being fiercely politically independent. Guided in part by “the Northwest Coalition” originally established by former U.S. House Minority Whip Rev. William Gray, the area is also the home of the nation’s oldest GOP organization in continuous existence — the Germantown Republican Club.