Map of Bridgeport Pennsylvania – 1870
19 Years of Growth Since Incorporation
In the 19 years since its incorporation, the configuration of Bridgeport as shown in this map from 1870 is very different from the previous map of 1857. Many more streets have been laid out in the east and south sides of the borough. Grid shaped street patterns are obvious in both the center and eastern part of town, with Ford Street bisecting the Borough at an almost 45-degree angle.
The growth of Bridgeport between 1851 and 1870 is obvious on this map…as shown by the design and allocation of rectangular parcels of land in the center and east ends of the Borough. This pattern of property lots makes it clear that the early leaders of the Borough intended Bridgeport to be a destination point for more and more workers and their families. Although there is no documented evidence to support this theory, dividing these “blocks” up into such narrow parcels meant that it was intended for “row home” style housing, often found in larger cities of the 19th century – with Philadelphia being a prime example.
As it was in 1857, nearly all of the homes and businesses in 1870 Bridgeport are located along DeKalb, Front, Second, and Third Streets. There were a few outliers who ventured into the more remote areas of town, but they were the exception. Life and business in Bridgeport at this time was still centered around the major transportation routes of DeKalb Street, the railroad lines, and the canal.
The growth of Bridgeport between 1851 and 1870 is obvious on this map…as shown by the design and allocation of rectangular parcels of land in the center and east ends of the Borough. This pattern of property lots makes it clear that the early leaders of the Borough intended Bridgeport to be a destination point for more and more workers and their families. Although there is no documented evidence to support this theory, dividing these “blocks” up into such narrow parcels meant that it was intended for “row home” style housing, often found in larger cities of the 19th century – with Philadelphia being a prime example.
As it was in 1857, nearly all of the homes and businesses in 1870 Bridgeport are located along DeKalb, Front, Second, and Third Streets. There were a few outliers who ventured into the more remote areas of town, but they were the exception. Life and business in Bridgeport at this time was still centered around the major transportation routes of DeKalb Street, the railroad lines, and the canal.
Interesting Facts About Bridgeport circa 1870
- The population in 1870 was 1578, a 175% increase from 1850, the year prior to incorporation.
- Due to the heavy influence of railroad accessibility, Bridgeport was able to maintain its prominence as a producer of textiles, leather, lumber, brick, paper, flour, and other industrial products.
- Cadwallader Evans, a landowner who was instrumental in the incorporation of Bridgeport in 1851, still owned a significant amount of land on the western edges of the Borough in 1870.
- The first law enforcement officer in Bridgeport, Samuel Aikins, was appointed Night Watchman in 1871 by Chief Burgess Francis Mulvaney, after an 1870 incident where several Civil War veterans caused an uproar in town with inappropriate behavior. The citizens of Bridgeport collected $200 amongst themselves to match a grant from Borough council in order to pay his salary.
Bridgeport 1870 vs. Bridgeport 2023
Bridgeport of 1870 looks very much as it does today, with a few notable and interesting exceptions. Several streets located to the west of DeKalb Street on this map no longer exist except for
Merion Street:
- Fifth Street still extends past Merion, but the merge into Ross Road in King of Prussia has not yet occurred.
- Extensions of Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Streets are now gone.
- We do not have a Tenth Street today.
- Swede Street does not exist today.
- Quarry Street does not exist as it was shown is 1870, but there is currently Quarry Road which follows a similar path until it dead ends.
