Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Rooted in legislation passed by the Pa. provincial general assembly in 1684, it is the nation’s oldest court of appeals and the highest in Pa. Issued landmark decisions on abolition of slavery and on labor and women’s rights. Became a model for federal and other states’ courts
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Traced to legislation passed by Pennsylvania's colonial assembly in 1684, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania stands as the oldest appellate court in the nation. Over the centuries it handed down influential rulings touching the abolition of slavery, the rights of labor, and the rights of women. Its structure and reasoning became a model that federal and other state courts would follow.
Why it matters
As America's oldest court of appeals, it helped shape the very idea of appellate justice in the United States and left its imprint on courts across the country.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Old City Hallnearby · Philadelphia
- Philosophical Hallnearby · PA
- Independence Hallnearby · 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Portrait Gallery in the Second Banknearby · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Congress Hallnearby · Philadelphia, PA
- Liberty Bell Centernearby · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia
Attractions
- Second Bank of the United Statesnearby · 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Liberty Bellnearby · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- President's House0.1 mi away
- Carpenters' Hall0.1 mi away · 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- First Bank of the United States0.2 mi away · 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Benjamin Franklin Grave0.3 mi away
Food & drink
- Red Owl Tavernnearby · 433 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Franklin Socialnearby · 401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Buddakan0.1 mi away · 325 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters0.1 mi away
- LaScala's0.2 mi away · 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- FRIEDA0.2 mi away · 320 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotelnearby · 401 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Best Western Plus Independence Park Hotel0.2 mi away · 237 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels Philadelphia0.2 mi away · 32 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels0.2 mi away · 33 Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District0.2 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Morris House Hotel0.3 mi away · 225 South 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Joseph and Amy Cassey (1789-1848)/(1809-56)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2009
In the decades before the Civil War, Philadelphia was home to a thriving community of free Black Americans who built their own institutions of self-help and reform. Joseph Cassey, a prosperous barber and real-estate dealer, extended rentals and loans to Black and white customers alike, while he and his wife Amy founded benevolent and intellectual societies. Amy Cassey was also active in the Female Anti-Slavery Society, part of a network of women driving the abolitionist cause.
Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1992
In 1833, Quaker reformer Lucretia Mott helped organize this society of some sixty women dedicated to ending slavery, headquartered on this spot. Barred from full participation in male-led abolition groups, these women built their own influential organization, raising funds and rallying support for emancipation. After the Civil War, they turned their energies to aiding the newly freed, extending their reform work into a new era.
Pennsylvania Hall
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1992
Built in 1838 by the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society, Pennsylvania Hall was meant to be a grand meeting place where abolitionists could gather freely in a city long divided over slavery. Just three days after its opening, an anti-Black mob set the building ablaze and burned it to the ground while authorities stood by. The attack laid bare the fierce hostility abolitionists faced even in the North.
Pennsylvania Abolition Society
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1992
In 1775, as revolutionary fervor stirred Philadelphia, reformers founded an organization to defend free Black people who were being unlawfully seized and sold into bondage. Reorganized in 1787 as the Pennsylvania Abolition Society, it broadened its mission to press for education, employment, and opportunity for Black Americans. It became one of the earliest and most influential antislavery bodies in the young nation, counting figures like Benjamin Franklin among its supporters.