Editing Chester, Pennsylvania (section)

== History ==
===Early history===
[[File:Penn Landing Stone 2.JPG|thumb|Commemorative marker at the [[William Penn Landing Site]] where [[William Penn]] first landed in the [[Province of Pennsylvania]], in 1682]]
The indigenous tribe that owned the land where Chester now stands were the [[Okehocking people|Okehockings]], removed by order of [[William Penn]] in 1702 to other lands in Chester County.{{sfn|Ashmead|1884|p=328}} The original indigenous name of Chester was Mecoponaca,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ferris|first1=Benjamin|title=A History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware|date=1846|publisher=Wilson & Healde|location=Wilmington|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyoforigina00inferr/page/135 135]|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoforigina00inferr|access-date=22 June 2017}}</ref> which means "the stream along which large potatoes grow".{{sfn|Martin|1877|p=3}}

The first European settlers in the area were members of the [[New Sweden]] colony. The settlement that became Chester was first called "Finlandia" (the Latin name for [[Finland]]) and then "Upland" after the Swedish province of [[Uppland]]. The New Sweden settlers built Fort Mecoponacka in 1641 to defend the settlement.<ref>''Narratives of Early Pennsylvania, West New Jersey and Delaware 1630–1707'', ed. [[Albert Cook Myers]]. New York: [[Charles Scribner's Sons]] (1912){{ISBN?}}</ref>

In 1644, the present site of Chester was a tobacco plantation operated by the New Sweden colonists.{{sfn|Ashmead|1883|p=2}}

By 1682, Upland was the most populous town of the new [[Province of Pennsylvania]]. On October 27, the ship ''Welcome'' arrived bearing [[William Penn]] on his first visit to the province. Penn renamed the settlement after the English city of [[Chester]].{{sfn|Ashmead|1884|p=20}}

===18th century===
[[File:Robert-m-chadwick-wheelwright-common-history.jpg|thumb|R. Chadwick Wheel Wrighting. Blacksmithing & Shoeing c.1885]]
[[File:Chester PA 5th n Ave of the States.JPG|thumb|Downtown Chester at 5th Street and Avenue of the States]]
[[File:Old Swedish Burial Ground Chester Delco.jpg|thumb|[[St. Paul's Church (Chester, Pennsylvania)|Old St. Paul's Church]] burial ground is the burial location of [[John Morton (American politician)|John Morton]], one of 56 signators to the [[United States Declaration of Independence|U.S. Declaration of Independence]]]]
[[File:Chester PA BEye View 1885.jpg|thumb|Chester in 1885]]
[[File:Chester PA 502-510 Ave of the States.JPG|alt=Avenue of the States|thumb|Shuttered buildings on Avenue of the States in 2014]]
[[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester County]] originally stretched from the [[Delaware River]] to the [[Susquehanna River]] from its founding in 1682 until 1729 when [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]] was formed from the western part.<ref name="LanCo">{{cite web|title=Lancaster County|url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us:80/BAH/dam/counties/browse.asp?catid=36|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024125402/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/BAH/dam/counties/browse.asp?catid=36|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2007|website=Pennsylvania State Archives|access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref> Chester served as the county seat for Chester County from 1682 to 1788.<ref name=ChesCo/> In 1724, the [[1724 Chester Courthouse|Chester Courthouse]] was built to support the legal needs of the county.{{sfn|Martin|1877|p=21}}

Chester played only a small role in the [[American Revolutionary War]]. Throughout 1776 and 1777, there were significant forces stationed in Chester and nearby [[Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania|Marcus Hook]].

In April 1776, nearly 1,000 men were stationed in Chester under Colonel [[Samuel Miles]] in preparation for the defense of Philadelphia. However, Colonel Miles led the troops to New York City in July 1776 when it became clear that the British Fleet was threatening New York rather than Philadelphia.{{sfn|Ashmead|1883|p=30}}

In 1777, the [[Continental Army]] led by [[George Washington]] passed through Chester on the way to meet the [[British Army during the American Revolutionary War|British Army]] led by [[General Howe]] at the [[Battle of Brandywine]]. [[John Armstrong Jr.|John Armstrong]] was ordered to take command of the militia stationed at Chester. The Continental Army fled back to Chester after defeat at the [[Battle of Brandywine]]. A portion of the British force occupied Chester as they chased the Continental Army fleeing to Philadelphia.{{sfn|Martin|1877|pp=174-179}}

In 1788, the Chester County seat was moved from Chester to [[West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester]].<ref name="ChesCo">{{cite web|title=Chester County|url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/browse.asp?catid=15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704064324/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/browse.asp?catid=15|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 4, 2007|website=Pennsylvania State Archives|access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref>
In 1789, [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware County]] was formed from the eastern part of Chester County, and Chester became the new county seat.<ref name="DelCo">{{cite web|title=Delaware County|url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/browse.asp?catid=23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630065939/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/browse.asp?catid=23|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2007|website=Pennsylvania State Archives|access-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref>

The borough of Chester was governed under the charter granted by Penn in 1701 until  March 5, 1795, when it was incorporated by the [[Pennsylvania Assembly]].{{sfn|Ashmead|1884|pp=332-333}}

===19th century===
In the 1700s and 1800s, Chester was a hub for business due to easy access to the Delaware River for the transport of raw materials and finished goods by ship. By the mid-1800s, many textile mills and factories were built along [[Chester Creek]] including the Upland Mills by [[John Price Crozer]]{{sfn|Ashmead|1883|p=320}} and the Powhattan Mills by [[David Reese Esrey]] and Hugh Shaw.{{sfn|Ashmead|1883|p=321}}

During the [[War of 1812]], a group of volunteers from Chester called the Mifflin Guards was raised and led by [[Samuel Anderson (Pennsylvania politician)|Samuel Anderson]]. The troops were sent to [[Fort DuPont]] to defend the Delaware River from the threatened attack of British Admiral [[George Cockburn]] but did not see any action.{{sfn|Ashmead|1883|p=210}}

In 1851, the Delaware County seat was moved from Chester to the borough of [[Media, Pennsylvania|Media]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mayberry|first1=Jodine|title=Media, Pennsylvania|url=http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/media-pennsylvania/|website=www.philadelphiaencyclopedia.org|access-date=5 June 2017}}</ref> On February 14, 1866, Chester was incorporated as a city{{sfn|Ashmead|1884|p=333}} and the first mayor elected was [[John Larkin, Jr. (businessman)|John Larkin, Jr.]]

In 1871, the [[Delaware River Iron Ship Building and Engine Works]] was opened by [[John Roach (shipbuilder)|John Roach]] through the purchase of the [[Reaney, Son & Archbold]] shipyard.{{sfn|Swann|1965|pp=51, 56}}{{sfn|Heinrich|1997|p=51}} The first steel ships of the U.S. Navy were built at the Roach shipyard.{{sfn|Smith|1914|p=38}} For the first 15 years of operation, it was the largest and most productive shipyard in the United States.  More tonnage of ships were built at the Roach shipyard than its next two competitors combined.

Roach built other businesses to supply materials for his shipbuilding including the [[Chester Rolling Mill]] in 1873 to supply metal hull plates and beams, the [[Chester Pipe and Tube Company]] in 1877 for the manufacture of iron pipes and boiler tubes, and the [[Standard Steel Casting Company]] in 1883 to supply steel [[ingots]].

Roach built the [[Combination Steel and Iron Company]] in 1880 to supply steel rails and other products for businesses beyond the Roach shipyard. He lost control of the company after his shipbuilding enterprise entered [[receivership]] in 1885.

===20th century===
{{See also|Chester school protests|Wade Dump}}
[[File:Covanta Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility.jpg|thumb|Covanta [[Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility]]]]
[[File:Crozer Library Chester PA DelCo.jpg|thumb|[[J. Lewis Crozer Library]]]]
[[File:Alfred O Deshong Memorial.jpg|thumb|[[Deshong Art Museum]]]]
Chester was known as a freewheeling destination for vices such as drugs, alcohol, [[Numbers game|numbers]] rackets, gambling and prostitution. Chester was widely known as Greater Philadelphia's "Saloon Town".{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=19}} By 1914, Chester had more saloons than police officers; approximately 1 saloon per every 987 residents.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=27}}

During and following [[World War I]], Chester grew significantly as people migrated to the city for jobs, 63% of which were in manufacturing.<ref name=Swarthmore>{{cite web|title=History of Economic Development in Chester|url=https://blogs.swarthmore.edu/ChesterDigital/?page_id=81|website=www.blogs.swarthmore.edu|access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref> Between 1910 and 1920, Chester's population increased from 38,000 to 58,000 due to the influx of poor [[Southern Europe]]an and [[Eastern Europe]]an immigrants and [[Great Migration (African American)|African-American migrants from the South]], searching for employment in the city's expanding shipbuilding and manufacturing industries.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=17}} The [[Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.]] was opened in 1917 to build ships for the United States until its closure in 1990. The idled Roach shipyard was purchased in 1917 by [[W. Averell Harriman]] to build [[merchant ships]] during World War I, and renamed the [[Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation]]. The shipyard closed permanently in 1923.

Like many boomtowns, Chester was unprepared for the social changes that came along with rapid growth. As southern blacks migrated to Pennsylvania as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]], racial violence broke out, racially segregated neighborhoods expanded and economic discrimination emerged.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trotter |first1=Joe William |title=African Americans in Pennsylvania |date=1997 |publisher=The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Collection |location=University Park, Pennsylvania |isbn=0-271-01686-8 |page=256 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aybCUIvplxIC&pg=PA256|access-date=3 June 2018}}</ref> A [[1917 Chester race riot|four-day race riot]] that resulted in seven deaths broke out in the city in July 1917, and the separation of blacks and whites in Chester's neighborhoods and workplaces became more defined.{{sfn|Mele|2017|pp=30-32}}

In 1927, the [[Ford Motor Company]] opened the [[Chester Assembly]] factory on the site of the previous Roach and Merchant shipyard and built cars there until its closure in 1961.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ford Motor Company|url=http://www.oldchesterpa.com/ford.htm#History|website=www.oldchesterpa.com|access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref>

Chester experienced its second growth period during [[World War II]]. Manufacturing increased exponentially including companies such as [[Wetherill Steel]] and Boilermakers, [[Congoleum]]-Nairn, [[Aberfoyles Textiles]], [[Scott Paper Company]], [[Belmont Iron Works]], [[American Steel Foundries]], [[Crew Levick Oil]], [[Crown Smelting]], [[Fields Brick Company]], [[ACCO Brands|Hetzel]] and [[Ford Motor Company]].<ref name=Swarthmore/> During World War II, the [[Sun Shipyard]] became the largest single shipyard in the world.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=39}}
{{external media | width = 210px | headerimage = | float = right | audio1 = [https://grapplepodcast.atavist.com/episode03-chester- Chester, A City Working on a New Narrative], 43:46, Grapple, Keystone Crossroads<ref name="grapple">{{cite web | title =Chester, A City Working on a New Narrative | work =Grapple | publisher =Keystone Crossroads | date =2016-09-27 | url =https://grapplepodcast.atavist.com/episode03-chester- | access-date =November 17, 2016 | archive-date =2016-11-18 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20161118162707/https://grapplepodcast.atavist.com/episode03-chester- | url-status =dead }}</ref> }} The increased labor needs brought a flood of new workers to the city. The wartime labor force for industries along the waterfront soared to 100,000.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=39}}

Chester began losing its mainstay manufacturing jobs by the early 1960s. [[Ford Motor Company]] shuttered its Chester plant, [[American Viscose Corporation]] in nearby [[Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania|Marcus Hook]] closed, [[Baldwin Locomotive Works]] in nearby [[Eddystone, Pennsylvania|Eddystone]] was close to bankruptcy and [[Sun Shipyard]] employment had fallen from a high of 35,000 in 1945 to 4,000 in 1962. Chester's precipitous drop in jobs in the late 20th and early 21st centuries caused the city's population to diminish from over 66,000 in 1950 to under 34,000 in 2010.<ref name=McLarnon2002/>

In 1963 and 1964, the [[Chester school protests]] fought to end the de facto segregation that resulted in the racial categorization of Chester public schools, even after the landmark 1954 [[United States Supreme Court|U.S. Supreme Court]] case ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]''.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=82}}  The racial unrest and civil rights protests were led by [[George Raymond]] of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons|NAACP]] and [[Stanley Branche]] of [[Committee for Freedom Now|CFFN]] and made Chester one of the key battlegrounds of the [[civil rights movement]].

In April 1964, a series of almost nightly protests brought chaos to Chester. Mayor [[James Gorbey]] issued "The Police Position to Preserve the Public Peace", a 10-point statement promising an immediate return to law and order. The city deputized firemen and trash collectors to help handle demonstrators.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=94}} The State of Pennsylvania deployed 50 state troopers to assist the 77-member Chester police force.<ref name="nvdbase">{{cite web|url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/african-american-residents-chester-pa-demonstrate-end-de-facto-segregation-public-schools-19|title=African American residents of Chester, PA, demonstrate to end de facto segregation in public schools, 1963-1966|website=www.nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu|access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> The demonstrations were marked by violence and [[police brutality]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/26/archives/riots-mar-peace-in-chester-pa-negro-protests-continueschool-policy.html|title=RIOTS MAR PEACE IN CHESTER, PA.; Negro Protests Continue - School Policy at Issue|date=1964-04-26|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=13 July 2018}}</ref> with Chester being dubbed the "Birmingham of the North" by civil rights activist [[James Farmer]].<ref name=nvdbase/>  Over 600 people were arrested over a two-month period of civil rights rallies, marches, pickets, boycotts, and sit-ins.{{sfn|Mele|2017|p=95}} National civil rights leaders such as [[Gloria Richardson]], [[Malcolm X]] and [[Dick Gregory]] came to Chester in support of the demonstrations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digitalwolfgram.widener.edu/digital/collection/p270801coll18/id/588|title=Chester NAACP Scrapbook 1963-1964|website=www.digitalwolfgram.widener.edu|access-date=20 October 2018}}</ref> Pennsylvania Governor [[William Scranton]] became involved in the negotiations and convinced the protestors to obey a court-ordered moratorium on demonstrations by agreeing to hold hearings on the de facto segregation of public schools in Chester.<ref name=McLarnon2002>{{cite journal|last1=McLarnon|first1=John M.|date=2002|title="Old Scratchhead" Reconsidered: George Raymond & Civil Rights in Chester, Pennsylvania|url=https://journals.psu.edu/phj/article/viewFile/25768/25537|journal=Pennsylvania History|volume=69|issue=3|pages=318–326|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref>

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Committee determined that the Chester School Board had violated the law and the Chester School District was ordered to desegregate the city's six predominantly African-American schools. The city appealed the ruling, which delayed implementation, but the schools were eventually desegregated.<ref name="nvdbase" />

In 1978, an intense fire broke out at [[Wade Dump]], a rubber recycling facility and illegal industrial chemical dumping site. It burned out of control for several days. The burning chemicals caused multi-colored smoke and noxious fumes which injured 43 firemen and caused long-term health problems for the first responders to the fire.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stranahan |first1=Susan Q. |title=Beyond the Flames |url=http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2000/fire/stories/fire30.asp |website=www.inquirer.philly.com |access-date=2 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703142740/http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2000/fire/stories/fire30.asp |archive-date=3 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1981, the location was declared a [[Superfund]] cleanup site and remediation occurred throughout the 1980s. In 1989, the site was deemed safe and removed from the Superfund national priorities list. In 2004, the site was converted to a parking lot for [[Commodore Barry Bridge Park]].<ref name=EPA>{{cite web |title=Wade (ABM) Chester, PA |url=https://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0301343 |website=www.cumulis.epa.gov |access-date=2 July 2018}}</ref>

By the 1980s, Chester was a city bereft of industry. Many bottom-rung projects were initiated in Chester, including the [[Delaware Valley Resource Recovery Facility|Westinghouse trash incinerator]], a sewage treatment plant, and a [[State Correctional Institution - Chester|prison]].<ref name=Blumgart>{{cite web|last1=Blumgart|first1=Jake|title=Chester, Pennsylvania|url=http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/chester-pennsylvania/|website=www.philadelphiaencyclopedia.org|access-date=20 April 2018}}</ref> Chester residents and politicians began pushing back against the placement of projects that increased concerns about pollution, noise, and trucks, such as a contaminated soil remediation facility, the trash incinerator, the DELCORA sewage waste treatment center and the Abbonizio recycling center.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rigell|first1=Laura|title=Chester residents blockade Westinghouse incinerator, United States, 1992-1994|url=https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/chester-residents-blockade-westinghouse-incinerator-united-states-1992-1994|website=www.nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu|access-date=19 May 2018}}</ref>

In 1995, the state designated Chester as a [[Financially Distressed Municipalities Act|financially distressed municipality]].<ref name="George Sheridan">{{cite web |url=http://interversity.org/lists/arn-l/archives/Jan2003/msg00857.html |title=Edison in Chester Upland |author=George Sheridan |date=2003-01-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050521045014/http://interversity.org/lists/arn-l/archives/Jan2003/msg00857.html |archive-date=2005-05-21 }}</ref>

===21st century===
Recent programs to foster investment into Chester include the Pennsylvania [[Keystone Opportunity Zone]] (KOZ) program, which incentivizes companies with state and local tax breaks to invest in KOZ-designated areas. The Wharf at Rivertown, a $60 million renovation of the [[Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company]], originally built in 1918, provides recreational and office space for businesses.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2001/12/10/focus2.html |title=Industrial Grandeur, PriceDraw First Tenant |publisher=Philadelphia Business Journal |date=2001-12-07 |first=Jim |last=Cory}}</ref>

[[Harrah's Philadelphia|Harrah's Casino and Racetrack]] began [[harness racing]] in September 2006 and opened its [[racino]] in January 2007. [[Subaru Park]], home of the [[Major League Soccer]] [[Philadelphia Union]] franchise, opened in 2010.<ref name=Blumgart/>

Despite the recent investments into the community, Governor [[Tom Wolf]] declared a fiscal emergency for Chester in 2020 and the city declared bankruptcy in 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Anthony R. |title=Chester's stunning economic decline: How it went from a factory boom town to bankruptcy |url=https://www.inquirer.com/news/pennsylvania/chester-pennsylvania-bankruptcy-kirkland-pensions-20221210.html?sfmc_id=0031U00001gNleYQAS&sub_source=news-alert-newsletter&list_name=DE34_Newsletter_News_Alert&int_promo=newsletter&et_rid=246232230 |access-date=11 December 2022 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=December 10, 2022}}</ref> It was the 31st municipality to declare bankruptcy since the U.S. Congress offered the program in the 1930s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Anthony R. |title=What Chester's next mayor has planned as the city marks 1st year since filing for bankruptcy |url=https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/chester-mayor-election-results-stefan-roots-bankruptcy-20231110.html |website=www.inquirer.com |date=November 10, 2023 |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>

[[National Register of Historic Places]] in Chester are: [[Delaware County National Bank]], [[1724 Chester Courthouse]], [[Chester Waterside Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company]], [[Old Main and Chemistry Building]], [[Third Presbyterian Church (Chester, Pennsylvania)|Third Presbyterian Church]], [[William Penn Landing Site]], and the former [[Second Street Bridge (Chester, Pennsylvania)|Second Street Bridge]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>