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Grays Ferry, Philadelphia

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Coordinates: 39°56′13″N 75°11′38″W / 39.936808°N 75.193934°W / 39.936808; -75.193934
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Grays Ferry
Neighborhood of Philadelphia
Grays Road Recreation Center
Grays Road Recreation Center
Grays Ferry is located in Philadelphia
Grays Ferry
Grays Ferry
Country United States
StatePennsylvania
CountyPhiladelphia
CityPhiladelphia
Area codes215, 267 and 445

Grays Ferry, also known as Gray's Ferry, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, bounded (roughly) by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north.[1] The section of this neighborhood west of 34th Street is also known as Forgotten Bottom.[2]

Grays Ferry shares borders with Southwest Center City to the north, Point Breeze to the east, and Girard Estate to the south. Grays Ferry is across from where Mill Creek debouches at about 43rd street.

Grays Ferry was historically one of the largest enclaves of Irish Americans in the city,[3] and while there are still many Irish left,[citation needed] it is now home to a majority African American population.

History

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The Floating Bridge across the Schuylkill River at Gray's Ferry was originally built by the British during their 1777-78 occupation of Philadelphia, and it remained the primary entrance to Philadelphia from the south until 1838, when it was replaced by a permanent bridge.

The area developed near an important crossing of the Schuylkill River. In the 18th century, Gray's Ferry was the southernmost of three ferries that crossed the Schuylkill River to Philadelphia. The neighborhood's namesake ferry originally belonged to a Benjamin Chambers in the 17th century. By 1747 George Gray had taken over the ferry, and established the nearby Gray's Inn and Gray's Garden, which were popular in the 1790s.[2][4] The river is now spanned by the Grays Ferry Bridge and several rail bridges.[5]

Before the Act of Consolidation in 1854, this neighborhood was part of Moyamensing Township. Moyamensing was chartered by the Dutch governor Alexander d'Hinoyossa, and in 1684, William Penn confirmed the title.[6]

This neighborhood was once the site of the Schuylkill Arsenal.

The James Alcorn School, Charles Y. Audenried Junior High School, Grays Road Recreation Center, James McCann Foundation, University Avenue Bridge, and Anthony Wayne School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]

Demographics

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  • Black, 56%; White, 39%; Other, 5%.
  • More than 30% of the residents are under 18.
  • Currently the neighborhood, which represents less than 1% of the city's population, houses more than 10% of the city's Section 8 residents.[8]

Education

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Audenried High School
James Alcorn School elementary
Alcorn's middle school building (formerly King of Peace School)
St. Gabriel School

Residents are in the School District of Philadelphia. Most of Grays Ferry is zoned to Alcorn K-8 and Audenried High School. Some parts are zoned to Delaplaine McDaniel School (K-8) and South Philadelphia High School. Some parts in the southeast are zoned to Stephen Girard Elementary, E. H. Vare Middle, and Audenried High.[9][10][11]

Anthony Wayne School is a former school in Grays Ferry.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia operated King of Peace School until its 1999 closure; it and another school consolidated with St. Gabriel School to form Our Lady of the Angels School (at St. Gabriel).[12] In 2012 the former King of Peace building began to be uses for Alcorn's middle school classes.[13] The Diocese formerly operated St. Gabriel School until it became an Independence Mission School in 2012 (an action which at the time prevented its closure), and then closed completely in 2021. St. Thomas Aquinas School was to take the majority of St. Gabriel students.[14]

Tasker Homes and Greater Grays Ferry Estates

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The Tasker Homes (also known as the Tasker Housing Project) were located southwest of 30th & Tasker Streets and were visible from the Schuylkill Expressway.[15] Constructed beginning in 1939 on land that had previously been a trash dump, the development included more than 1,000 units of low‑rent public housing financed through federal programs and operated by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). Many of the buildings fell into disrepair by the late 20th century.[16]

In 2004, Tasker Homes was demolished and replaced with the Greater Grays Ferry Estates, a mixed-income development featuring townhome-style housing, senior housing, rental units, and homeownership options.[17] The redevelopment was part of Mayor John Street’s citywide Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), a program aimed at eliminating blighted housing and encouraging investment. While city planners praised the project, some local groups raised concerns about the scale and effects of demolition and redevelopment in Grays Ferry.[18]

Racial tension

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Grays Ferry has experienced periods of racial tension and violence, particularly during the 20th century. Historical accounts describe a race riot in the Grays Ferry area in 1918, in which clashes between black and white residents resulted in multiple deaths and widespread property damage.[19]

Tensions resurfaced in the 1990s following several high-profile incidents. In February 1997, a black family, including resident Annette Williams, was attacked by a group of white men, leading to arrests and public attention.[20] Weeks later, Christopher Brinkman, a white teenager, was fatally shot during a robbery in the neighborhood.[21] These incidents contributed to heightened tensions within the community. Community groups organized a march through Grays Ferry in April 1997 to protest racial violence. The Nation of Islam initially planned to participate; however, a compromise brokered by Mayor Ed Rendell led to a church rally focused on reconciliation, where Louis Farrakhan and Rendell both spoke. During the march, many white residents turned their backs as demonstrators passed, reflecting divisions within the community.[20]

In 1998 there were two separate community organizations that were dominated by each race: Grays Ferry West among black people and Grays Ferry Community Council among white people.[22]

As the housing market has boomed in Philadelphia, the neighborhood has begun to see some resurgence. Where the former housing projects intersect with the neighborhood, a group of neighbors have started turning an empty lot into a new park at 30th and Oakford, and the area is beginning to see a trickle of young professionals overflowing from the nearby Graduate Hospital area. [citation needed]

See also

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Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grays Ferry (neighborhood).
  • Odunde Festival 2013 on Grays Ferry Avenue
    Odunde Festival 2013 on Grays Ferry Avenue
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References

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  1. ^ "SCETI > PB > Grays Ferry Redevelopment Area Plan Box, Folder, Item : page 10". sceti.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b The, Anne-Mei (2008). In death's waiting room: living and dying with dementia in a multicultural society. Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 978-90-485-0107-6. OCLC 302106079.
  3. ^ "Global Philadelphia". Global Philadelphia Association. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  4. ^ Revolution, Daughters of the American (1902). Report. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  5. ^ "Philadelphia History: Early Railroad Transportation". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  6. ^ "Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  8. ^ "Citypaper.net". www.citypaper.net. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "School Finder". School District of Philadelphia.
  10. ^ "School District Catchments and Related Schools". School District of Philadelphia.
  11. ^ PDF maps as of 2012:
    "James Alcorn Elementary School Geographic Boundaries" (PDF). School District of Philadelphia. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2023. (not the same as the boundary as of 2023)
    "Delaplaine McDaniel Elementary School Geographic Boundaries" (PDF). School District of Philadelphia. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
    "South Philadelphia High School Geographic Boundaries" (PDF). School District of Philadelphia. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2012. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  12. ^ O'Reilly, David (May 25, 1999). "7 schools preparing to close". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. p. A10. - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Myers, Joseph (September 6, 2012). "James Alcorn Middle Years Academy to open Friday". South Philly Review. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  14. ^ Zimmaro, Mark (September 6, 2012). "St. Gabe's school in Grays Ferry to close after 113 years". South Philly Review. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  15. ^ "Citypaper.net". www.citypaper.net. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  16. ^ "Tasker Homes". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  17. ^ "PHA Annual Report 2004" (PDF). Philadelphia Housing Authority. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  18. ^ Admin (June 2, 2005). "Not quite a clean sweep". South Philly Review (via Medium). Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  19. ^ Wolfman-Arent, Avi (July 27, 2018). "A 1918 'race war' and its ties to Philadelphia's present". WHYY. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  20. ^ a b Janofsky, Michael (April 15, 1997). "Philadelphia Mayor Joins Farrakhan to Calm Ethnic Tensions (Published 1997)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "Com. v. Stevens, D. (memorandum)". Justia Law. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  22. ^ O'Reilly, David; Cipriano, Ralph (June 7, 1998). "Priest tries to heal deep Grays Ferry wounds". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. pp. B1, B4. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com.
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