Nicetown-Tioga Neighborhood History
Legend has it that the European settlement at Tioga began with a “land grant” in 1680 from a Lenni Lenape chief – symbolically given at the dawn of a new day. “Rising Sun” village thus was established. By the mid-1800’s Philadelphia renamed many of its streets for Pennsylvania counties, including Tioga, deriving from the Lenape phrase tavego diahoga – the place where two rivers meet. The Reading Railroad stop at Tioga Street gave the Tioga neighborhood its name.
Like much of the city, Philadelphia’s Nicetown section began as a farm. In the 17th century, William Penn assigned 187 acres of woodlands to French Huguenot Jean Neisse. To the English ear, “Neisse” was “Nice,” and so Nicetown was founded. The original settlement (an inn, a blacksmith works, and a few houses) remained isolated from other communities due to often impassable trails until around 1800, when a formal roadway finally was built.
Like much of the city, Philadelphia’s Nicetown section began as a farm. In the 17th century, William Penn assigned 187 acres of woodlands to French Huguenot Jean Neisse. To the English ear, “Neisse” was “Nice,” and so Nicetown was founded. The original settlement (an inn, a blacksmith works, and a few houses) remained isolated from other communities due to often impassable trails until around 1800, when a formal roadway finally was built.
Railroads soon brought industry to Nicetown and Tioga, beginning 1867 with the arrival of Midvale Steel, founded to make locomotive wheels. The area soon was home to thriving industries of every sort: Burpee Seed Company, Nice Ball Bearings, TastyKake, and Vick Chemical Company (maker of Vapo-Rub) to name but a few. By 1930, the neighborhood’s population density was four times the city’s average, fueled by the migration of African Americans from the South to fill readily available jobs. In spite of crowded conditions, the neighborhood preserved its tidy aesthetic and strong sense of community – a model for urban, industrial America.
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By the mid-twentieth century, North Philadelphia’s decline began as the economy moved away from industrialization. Factories closed. Planning policies favored the suburbs. As the economic base of the area disintegrated, unemployment and public assistance needs rose. Through difficult times, however, the neighborhood never lost its determination to survive and advance. |
Perhaps one of the most inspiring examples of community leadership was that of the Reverend Leon Sullivan, former pastor of Nicetown-Tioga’s Zion Baptist Church (where NTIT meets). During his tenure, Sullivan developed numerous civic programs based on a commitment to social justice that reached around the globe. In 1964, he established the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) to provide much needed jobs skills training to the North Philadelphia community. From that first OIC, housed in an abandoned police station, the program spread to more than 100 cities across the nation and 18 countries around the world. Reverend Sullivan also established the internationally recognized Global Sullivan Principles, eliciting corporate policies to support economic and social justice and “to assist with greater tolerance and understanding among peoples... helping to improve the quality of life for communities.”
Today, residents of Nicetown and Tioga continue to work together to improve the quality of life in our shared community. United by an unwavering belief in the possibilities of community cooperation, mobilization, and investment, Nicetown-Tioga citizens remain committed to the revitalization of the neighborhood. |
Neighborhood History essay from COSACOSA's Memory Mine project, 2003.
Photos from the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
References and Further Reading:
Nicetown, Hunting Park, Tioga, and Lower Tioga Community Plan, Zion Community Center, Inc., 1991.
Philadelphia Almanac and Citizen’s Manuel, Kenneth Finkel, editor, Library Company of Philadelphia, 1995.
Tioga: Strategies for Revitalization, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Broad and Erie Transportation and Community Development Plan, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Broad and Erie Plan Recommendations, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Broad and Erie Plan Appendix, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Photos from the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
References and Further Reading:
Nicetown, Hunting Park, Tioga, and Lower Tioga Community Plan, Zion Community Center, Inc., 1991.
Philadelphia Almanac and Citizen’s Manuel, Kenneth Finkel, editor, Library Company of Philadelphia, 1995.
Tioga: Strategies for Revitalization, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Broad and Erie Transportation and Community Development Plan, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Broad and Erie Plan Recommendations, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Broad and Erie Plan Appendix, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, 2010.
Image at top: Unity Garden, a community green space created through a partnership between the NTIT RCO and COSACOSA art at large, Inc.