HistoricSiteMarkers
American RevolutionProgressive & Modern Era

First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry

Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

Marker Inscription

Founded 1774 as a militia named the Phila. Light Horse, the Troop has served in every major U.S. conflict since then. They were scouts for General Washington and crossed the Delaware with him on Christmas 1776. Notable members have included Philadelphia mayors, ambassadors, Secretary of Defense Thomas Gates Jr., and Apollo astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad. Now a unit of the Pa. Army National Guard, this armory has been the Troop’s home since 1900.

Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission

The Story

Organized in 1774 as the Philadelphia Light Horse, this volunteer cavalry troop rode into the Revolution almost at once, scouting for General Washington and crossing the icy Delaware with him on Christmas night 1776. Over the centuries it has served in every major American conflict while counting mayors, ambassadors, a Secretary of Defense, and an Apollo astronaut among its ranks. Now part of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, the Troop has kept this armory as its home since 1900.

Why it matters

As one of the oldest continuously serving military units in the United States, the First Troop links the citizen-soldiers of the Revolution to more than two centuries of American service.

Plan your visit

Nearby

Make a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.

Museums & culture

Attractions

Food & drink

Places to stay

Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.

Own a business near here? Add it to the map.

Related people

  • · George Washington
  • · Thomas Gates Jr.
  • · Charles "Pete" Conrad

Related events

  • · Crossing of the Delaware (1776)

Themes & tags

American RevolutionLandmark

Nearby & related markers

Mikveh Israel Cemetery

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1957

Founded in 1740, this is one of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in the United States and the resting place of some of colonial and Revolutionary America's most notable Jewish families. Among those buried here are Nathan Levy, whose ship carried the Liberty Bell across the Atlantic; Haym Salomon, the broker whose financing helped sustain the American Revolution; and the prominent Gratz and Levy families. Their graves testify to a Jewish community woven into Philadelphia life from its earliest colonial days.

ImmigrationAmerican Revolution

Walnut Street Prison

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2008

Rising in Philadelphia during the Revolution, the Walnut Street Prison held a turbulent mix of humanity from 1775 to 1838 — common felons, debtors, captured British prisoners of war, and loyalist Tories alike. Its crowded cellblocks stretching from Walnut to Locust Street were the scene of repeated riots, but the institution also became a proving ground for early American ideas about punishment and reform. It was eventually superseded by the vast, radial Eastern State Penitentiary.

American Revolution

Birth of the U.S. Army

Philadelphia, PA · est. 2026

On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress, meeting at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, voted to bring the scattered colonial militias together into a single Continental Army. That decision created the first national military force of what would become the United States, more than a year before independence was formally declared. From it descends today's U.S. Army, the oldest and largest branch of the armed forces.

American Revolution

Independence Hall

Philadelphia, PA · est. 1948

Originally the Pennsylvania State House, this brick Georgian building hosted the Second Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. The Liberty Bell once hung in its tower.

American Revolution