History Geeks Continue To Mine SugarHouse Casino Site

If you haven’t been following along since last January, some local amateur historians have been attempting to find out if some old fort or burial ground or angel skeletons or ancient powerful civilization is under the site for the Sugarhouse Casino, so they can block it from going there. Or they’re just curious, whatever, the end result’s the same.

Anyway, Plan Philly earlier this week posted a story with the headline, “Big discovery at SugarHouse site? And here it is!

SugarHouse archaeologists, led by an amateur local historian, on Tuesday continued to unearth part of a foundation on the proposed casino site.

The historian, preservationist Torben Jenk, says the find is a portion of Batchelor’s Hall - a society whose members included many prominent 18th Century Philadelphians, and where the nation’s first botanical garden of medicinal plants was established in 1729.

“It’s a 279-year-old structure, and we found it using a 204-year old survey,” said an excited Jenk on Monday evening. “It’s the second oldest building that we can document to date in Fishtown.”

But casino spokeswoman Leigh Whitaker said the casino’s archaeologists, A.D. Marble, say what was found is much less historically significant, and from a different century, than the place where Pennsylvania Hospital founder and trustee Lloyd Zachary socialized and renowned botanist John Bartram may have tended the plants.

“We did not find Batchelor’s Hall,” Whitaker said. “We found a foundation of a residence or other building from the 19th Century.”

It’s nice everyone did all this work and then their opinions lined up exactly where everyone expected them to. However, I believe I have come up with a compromise (pictured above). They can call it “The Second Oldest Casino in Fishtown.”

The Doctor Who Made Temple Proud

While researching a column yesterday, I found this excellent piece on the history of recreational drug use in America. And a decent chunk of the story concerns a doctor from Temple University.

Where, oh where, in this story, are we going to find an expert witness? Here it comes — sure enough — the guy from Temple University — the guy with the dogs. I promise you, you are not going to believe this.

In the most famous of these trials, what happened was two women jumped on a Newark, New Jersey bus and shot and killed and robbed the bus driver. They put on the marijuana insanity defense. The defense called the pharmacologist, and of course, you know how to do this now, you put the expert on, you say “Doctor, did you do all of this experimentation and so on?” You qualify your expert. “Did you write all about it?” “Yes, and I did the dogs” and now he is an expert. Now you ask him what? You ask the doctor “What have you done with the drug?” And he said, and I quote, “I’ve experimented with the dogs, I have written something about it and” — are you ready — “I have used the drug myself.”

What do you ask him next? “Doctor, when you used the drug, what happened?”

With all the press present at this flamboyant murder trial in Newark New Jersey, in 1938, the pharmacologist said, and I quote, in response to the question “When you used the drug, what happened?”, his exact response was: “After two puffs on a marijuana cigarette, I was turned into a bat.”

Who knew Batboy was from Philadelphia? This article also contains this quote from said doctor: “I wouldn’t know, I am not a dog psychologist.”

Preservationists Worry About Famous Inn Tons Of People Died Trying To Get To

The historic — and by “historic” I mean “old” — Perkiomen Bridge Hotel is up for sale, and since even the seller says it’s probably just best to tear it down and use it for the land, history buffs are worried about the fate of the 300+ year old hotel.

The inn, built in 1689, used to be a stop on the Philadelphia-to-Reading carriage line. But the Philly-to-Reading line has fallen into disuse in recent years and SEPTA is even thinking of eliminating it its upcoming budget cuts. And so the Perkiomen Bridge Hotel has been a sports bar, an upscale restaurant and an abandoned hotel in recent years.

But why is the hotel historic? Duh, it was the Brownies 23 East of its day!

Construction of the stone bridge that gave the inn its name began in 1797 - too many people had drowned attempting to ford the creek. By that time, the hotel had been vibrant for 100 years, and it would remain so for many more. In 1899, the proprietor was cited for unruly crowds engaged in “shouting, whooping, pounding of drums, using profane language and drunkenness.”

Ahh, yes, the old great tradition of going to a bar and getting plastered by banging on giant drums.

History buffs fear for old hotel’s fate [Inquirer]

The Greatest Moment In Philadelphia History?

Oh, we’re finally here! Yes, it’s the first of two days forecast at over 100 degrees! Everybody celebrate!

Or, well, don’t. Whatever you do, you are going to have to deal with the heat today. The Inquirer, though, notes that today’s heat might not just be, uh, hot — it could also be the first of two very special days:

The National Weather Service forecast calls for today and tomorrow to be “dangerously hot and humid” in Philadelphia, with highs around 101.

Should the temperature actually reach the century mark both days, that would be highly unusual, verging on historic.

In the 133 years that records have been kept, the city has recorded consecutive 100-degree days only 14 times.

1776: Declaration of Independence. 1969: Man walks on moon. 2006: The 15th time Philadelphia has recorded consecutive 100-degree days?

We can only wait and pray.

100-degree days forecast [Inquirer]

This time they should call them the ‘Eagleers’

A dose of history from the Metro:

Oh, come on. Our fine city doesn’t want to be associated with Pittsburgh in any more ways than we already have to. (And somehow I doubt the Steelers would want to associate themselves again in any way with our oh-so-historically successful football club.)

1943 Steagles [Wikipedia]
U.S. Editions [Metro]