Independence Historic Resource Study

Over the extended period of research and writing for this report many contributions to my understanding and information have been offered by colleagues in and outside this office. From the firm Kise Straw and Kododner, who completed the massive archeology project on Block Three, I'd like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Sharla Azizi and Doug Mooney. Both shared generously their insights on the archeology and their research on persons who occupied the block in the eighteenth century. Similarly, I'm indebted to Jed Levin, Block Three monitoring archeologist for the National Park Service, who provided me a full copy of the Cresson diary and other key pieces of his document research. At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania I fortunately found Daniel N. Rolph, Ph.D., Head of Reference Services, who shared his research on James Oronoko Dexter, a free African living on Fifth Street in the 1790s. Dr. Rolph's research revealed that Dexter had begun life in slavery, that he had shown great integrity during the transition to freedom, and that he had made some important connections with affluent Quaker families before moving to Block Three.

My research benefited from the helpful assistance offered by the staff at the Presbyterian Historical Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia City Archives, the Library Company of Philadelphia and the library of Independence National Historical Park. Finally, I'd like to thank James Mueller, Ph.D., Chief Historian at Independence for his encouragement and careful reading of this report, and Doris Fanelli, Ph.D., Chief of Cultural Resources Management at the park, for her support and patience during this oft-interrupted project.