Researching Roads

Baltimore Avenue began as a lonely stretch of road from Mill Creek to the limits of Philadelphia. During the Civil War, the road began to change. A military hospital was erected on the north side of Baltimore Ave. After the war ended and the hospital was torn down, plans for houses were made to line the street. By 1892, electric trolleys had replaced horses and cable cars for transportation and soon became a staple of Baltimore Ave. By 1909, row homes dominated the north side of Baltimore Ave. Today, row homes fill all of West Philadelphia, not just along Baltimore Ave. The trolleys still run, and in fact, I use trolleys to get to school.