William Penn Charter School
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Founded by Philadelphia Quakers in 1689 and first chartered by Penn in 1701, it was Pennsylvania's first public school and is the oldest continuously operating Friends school in the world. Pioneering educational initiatives were based on public charity and inclusion: free tuition to the poor, education for both genders, and acceptance of all races. Quaker roots and Penn's vision have been maintained. It moved to the present site in 1925.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Founded by Philadelphia Quakers in 1689 and chartered by William Penn in 1701, William Penn Charter School embodied the founder's radical vision of learning open to all. In an age when schooling was a privilege of the few, it offered free tuition to the poor, educated both boys and girls, and admitted students of all races. It endures today as the oldest continuously operating Friends school in the world, still rooted in its Quaker principles.
Why it matters
The school put Penn's ideals of tolerance and inclusion into practice more than a century before the nation's founding, prefiguring the American belief in education as a public good open to everyone.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- African American Museum in Philadelphia5.1 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center5.1 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Visitor Center5.3 mi away · 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House5.3 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Liberty Bell Center5.4 mi away · 526 Market Street, Philadelphia
- Museum of Illusions Philadelphia5.4 mi away · 401 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir2.7 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge3.2 mi away
- Philadelphia Zoo3.5 mi away
- Rocky Steps4.0 mi away
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle4.0 mi away
- Philly Gun Range4.5 mi away · North Percy Street
Food & drink
- Burger King5.2 mi away
- Independence Mall Cafe5.3 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- Dunkin'5.3 mi away · 634 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters5.3 mi away
- Philly Pretzel Factory5.3 mi away
- Time & Peace5.3 mi away · 36 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia4.8 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center4.8 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia4.9 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Sleep Inn Center City4.9 mi away · 1020 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia - Convention Center, PA4.9 mi away · 1200 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- The Notary Hotel5.0 mi away · 21 North Juniper Street, Philadelphia
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Related people
- · William Penn
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science
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Founded in 1884 as the Philadelphia Textile School, this was the first institution in America devoted to training workers for the textile industry. In an era when Philadelphia was a powerhouse of American manufacturing, the school aimed to lift the quality and competitiveness of domestic fabrics through technical education. It grew over the following century into a full college on this campus.
Female Medical College of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · est. 1996
Founded in 1850, this was the first degree-granting medical school for women anywhere in the nation, opening the profession of medicine to a sex long barred from it. Under Dean Ann Preston it was renamed the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania and trained generations of pioneering physicians. It went coeducational in 1969 and evolved through later mergers into a modern medical institution.
Wissahickon Boys Club
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2001
Founded by Germantown Quakers in 1885, the Wissahickon Boys Club became, in 1906, the first member of the national Boys Club Federation to serve an African American community. Under president John T. Emlen and executive director William T. Coleman, it built a lasting reputation for its work with young people, and its alumni came to include entertainer Bill Cosby and football star Herb Adderley. Renamed the Wissahickon Boys & Girls Club in 1981, it relocated to this site in 1985.
Kelpius Community
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2004
In 1694 the German mystic Johannes Kelpius led a band of learned followers to the banks of the Wissahickon, drawn by William Penn's promise of religious liberty. Known as the "Hermits of the Wissahickon," they wrote poetry and music, studied the stars and plants, built one of the colonies' early pipe organs, and waited for the millennium they believed near. Notably tolerant for their age, they welcomed people of every background, including Native Americans, until the community faded after Kelpius's death in 1708.