Rittenhouse Town
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
William Rittenhouse, first Mennonite minister in America, erected here in 1690 the colonies' first paper mill. Successive generations of Rittenhouses built additional mills, establishing this region as the center of American papermaking. By the 1850s this village had over 40 buildings, and seven early buildings survive from this once prosperous industrial community. Scientist David Rittenhouse was born here in 1732.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1690 William Rittenhouse, the first Mennonite minister in America, built the English colonies' first paper mill along the Wissahickon Creek. Generations of his family expanded the operation, turning this valley into the birthplace of American papermaking. By the 1850s the village had grown to more than forty buildings, seven of which still survive from this once-thriving industrial hamlet. It was also the birthplace, in 1732, of the noted astronomer and instrument-maker David Rittenhouse.
Why it matters
As the site of North America's first paper mill, Rittenhouse Town marks the origin of an industry essential to printing, publishing, and the spread of ideas in colonial and revolutionary America.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- African American Museum in Philadelphia5.6 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center5.6 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Visitor Center5.8 mi away · 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House5.8 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Liberty Bell Center5.9 mi away · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia
- Museum of Illusions Philadelphia5.9 mi away · 401 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir3.2 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge3.7 mi away
- Philadelphia Zoo4.0 mi away
- Rocky Steps4.5 mi away
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle4.5 mi away
- Philly Gun Range5.0 mi away · North Percy Street
Food & drink
- Burger King5.8 mi away
- Independence Mall Cafe5.8 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- Dunkin'5.8 mi away · 634 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters5.8 mi away
- Philly Pretzel Factory5.8 mi away
- Time & Peace5.8 mi away · 36 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia5.3 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center5.3 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia5.4 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Sleep Inn Center City5.5 mi away · 1020 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia - Convention Center, PA5.5 mi away · 1200 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- The Notary Hotel5.5 mi away · 21 North Juniper Street, Philadelphia
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Related people
- · William Rittenhouse
- · David Rittenhouse
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
David Rittenhouse Birthplace
Philadelphia, PA
David Rittenhouse (1732–1796) was one of early America's foremost men of science — an astronomer, clockmaker, and instrument builder who won fame for observing the 1769 transit of Venus and later served as the first director of the United States Mint. This sundial marks the site of his birth and honors his mastery of astronomy and horology, the precise measurement of time. A self-taught Pennsylvanian, he embodied the Enlightenment ideal of the patriot-scientist.
Commercial Digital Computer Birthplace
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2006
At 3747 Ridge Avenue in Philadelphia, the computer age turned commercial. Here BINAC passed its verification tests in 1949 as the world's first commercial, electronic, stored-program digital computer, followed in 1951 by the customer acceptance of UNIVAC I. Both machines were led by J. Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly, the same duo who had built the pioneering ENIAC.
Philo T. Farnsworth (1906-1971)
Springfield Township, PA · est. 2006
On this site in the late 1930s, Philo T. Farnsworth ran experimental station W3XPF, conducting some of the earliest live local television broadcasts. Farnsworth had pioneered the all-electronic television system, and his relentless work in electronics earned him a long list of patents. He was later inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Fairmount Water Works
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1997
For nearly a century the Fairmount Water Works stood as the beating heart of Philadelphia's municipal water supply, drawing water from the Schuylkill River and lifting it to a hilltop reservoir from which gravity carried it into the growing city. Designed in an elegant neoclassical style by Frederick Graff and his son, the buildings deliberately dressed heavy industrial machinery in the clothing of a garden pavilion. Power evolved with the century — from Oliver Evans' pioneering high-pressure steam engine, to breast waterwheels, and finally to turbines.