Schuylkill

[Matthew P Wiener]

While I will refer to M&D, it will not be in the sense of spoilers, but
just mentioning which of my many details are worth paying attention to,
and which are not.

>Let's get back to the book and all that, wouldya? Maybe somebody on the
>list can tell me how, when, where, why, and what Schuylkill is. I gather
>it is something (maybe a mountain or site) connected to Philadelphia. Am
>I on the right path?

Path?  Hmmm.  No, the Schuylkill is not a path.

OK, some Philadelphia geography 101 for you.  It's hard to know where to
begin, I just *live* here, you know?

New Jersey is east of us.  We are separated by a river, the Delaware.  (Not
to be confused with the state, or the Indian tribe.)  That was the river
that, when frozen over, was later to be crossed by George Washington one
Christmas eve in order to surprise the British troops and kill them, and
no doubt regarding which you've all seen the painting.

The river and the tribe figure in M&D.  The state does so, but not by its
modern day name.  You see, the grant that created Maryland had an "uncivilized
territory" only clause (part of the reason negotiations lasted so long).  The
Dutch had occupied the modern day Delaware area (after kicking out some Swedes),
and then James, Duke of York, brother of Charles II, future James II King of
England (1685-8) and bossman of New York, came down and kicked out the Dutch.

While the York legal claim was weak, butting against the King's brother and
heir apparent was too stupid to bother.  This part became known as the "low
counties", and part of the M&D surveying was to fix their borders.  (As an
historical aside, the very last detail was not settled until 1921.)  On the
other hand, until 1776, the low counties were also officially part of Penn's
charter, but they had had an independent colonial legislature for most of the
18th century just the same.

Anyway, the Schuylkill is a river, flowing through the middle of Philadelphia,
and emptying into the Delaware.  Its source is higher up in the state, in
Schuylkill County.  (You saw that coming, right?)  In colonial days, the river
marked the western edge of the city.  Where I am now, six blocks to the west
of the river, on the University of Pennsylvania's campus, was merely colonial
suburbia.  As for the name, "-kill" is a common Pennsylvania and neighboring
area suffix to numerous river names, from the Dutch.  (I suspect "canal" is
a cognate.)

Nowadays, if you ask someone directions for the Schuylkill, you'll be directed
to the Schuylkill Expressway, which runs vaguely parallel to the river.

While I have your attention, I'll just ramble some more....

If you look on a modern day map, the southernmost portion of Philadelphia you
will see is not where M&D began their survey.  Not even close.  The southern
edge of the city was then South Street, and the southeast end of South Street
was where they began.  Yesterday I took a walk down there, just for the heck
of it.  There are no historical markers, unfortunately.  (I had planned to
visit the Pennsylvania Historial Society and get exact information first and
maybe look at some of the original M&D materials, but it turns out they open
late on Wednesdays, so some other time.)  Within two blocks of M&D's starting
point, the Stephen "my country, right or wrong" Decatur house where he was
born is identified, but not that of Larry "ow ow ow" Fine (unless you walk
in, and *then* notice all those pictures of Larry with the Howard brothers).

Along the way I passed for the umpteenth time a new age/generic religion
bookstore with a flowing water sculpture in their window.  For some reason,
I decided to actually stop and look at the water thingie this time.  Imagine
my surprise at the caption praising it, not just for its soothing qualities,
but its feng shui value.  Yes, folks, just align your flowing water sculpture
along South Street before reading M&D.  Makes sense.
--
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba at sagi.wistar.upenn.edu)