“An East View of Gray’s Ferry on the River Schuylkill” (Peale, 1787)

1787: The British army built the first pontoon bridges across the Schuylkill at Gray's Ferry during their 1777-78 occupation of Philadelphia. This 1787 woodcut looks west across the bridge, showing the still-extant ferry rope and, on the far shore, Gray's Tavern. (Charles Wilson Peale, Columbian Magazine, August 1787.)

Woodcut attributed to Charles Wilson Peale, first printed in Columbian Magazine, August 1787). Reprinted in Vieira, 1902. Posted at WEST PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY HISTORY CENTER: The Building of West Philadelphia: 18th Century Landscape & Settlement Patterns, 2005-08.

Leave a Reply