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Mingo Creek (Schuylkill River tributary)

History of PhiladelphiaNatural history of PennsylvaniaTributaries of the Delaware RiverTributaries of the Schuylkill RiverUse mdy dates from May 2023

Mingo Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River between the Eastwick neighborhood and Philadelphia International Airport, in the United States.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Mingo Creek (Schuylkill River tributary) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Mingo Creek (Schuylkill River tributary)
Penrose Avenue, Philadelphia

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N 39.89468 ° E -75.22078 °
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Penrose Avenue 7285
19145 Philadelphia
Pennsylvania, United States
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George C. Platt Bridge
George C. Platt Bridge

The George C. Platt Memorial Bridge is a through truss bridge that carries PA 291 (Penrose Avenue) over the Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was opened to traffic in 1951, replacing a swing bridge to the south which carried Penrose Ferry Road across the river. Originally called the Penrose Avenue Bridge, it was renamed in 1979 to honor Civil War hero George Crawford Platt (1842–1912). Today, the Platt Bridge is a key arterial route which carries an average of 56,000 vehicles daily. In 1967, a steel dividing wall was installed to separate eastbound from westbound traffic lanes. The lack of a barrier led to more than 30 head-on collisions on the bridge between 1964 and 1967. The coming wall was announced by the State Highway Department on November 15, 1967. The bridge passes over an oil refinery (originally owned by Gulf Oil, then by Sun Oil, now by Philadelphia Energy Solutions). Fires at the refinery have several times imperiled the bridge and even closed it for several hours during the 1975 Philadelphia Gulf refinery fire. On August 17, a fire began in a tank to the northeast of the bridge that was being filled with Venezuelan crude oil. As the fire enveloped much of the refinery, several explosions put a large crack in a smokestack next to the bridge. Officials closed the bridge for several hours, fearing that the stack might collapse or the fire might damage the bridge. Eight firefighters died fighting the fire. In 1986, two bronze bas-reliefs of Platt's visage were mounted on poles at each end of the bridge. The works were commissioned by Platt's great-great-grandson, Lawrence Griffin Platt, who raised $10,000 with the help of a former Gulf Oil executive, and were sculpted by Philadelphia artist Reginald E. Beauchamp. Both were later stolen, the first in 1987, and the second some time later. A $500 reward offered by the Philadelphia Daily News in 2002 was unsuccessful in securing their return.In June 2011, PennDOT began a three-year, $42.8 million rehabilitation project to repair and maintain the bridge, enabling it to continue to safely carry vehicular and pedestrian traffic for decades to come. Crews painted the bridge's steel truss and structural steel underneath the spans to protect them from the elements. They also rehabilitated and resurfaced the center truss spans; resurfaced concrete approach spans; repair structural steel; replaced or improved expansion joints; repaired concrete piers; repaired and replaced guide rail; and replaced damaged pedestrian railings. During construction, the bridge's four lanes were reduced to two; one in each direction. From May 7, 2012, until the completion of construction in June 2014, trucks and buses weighing more than seven tons or carrying hazardous material were banned from using the bridge to minimize the risk of accidents on one-lane sections.By 2018, the new paint started to peel away from areas of the superstructure above the deck, and the exposed metal began to rust.

Southwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia

Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The northern border is defined by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission as east from the city line along Baltimore Avenue moving south along 51st Street to Springfield Ave. It follows the train tracks until 49th Street. From 49th and Kingsessing Ave the line moves east along Kingsessing Ave. The line then moves south along 46th St to Paschall Ave where it jogs to join Grays Ferry where the line runs to the Schuylkill River.Southwest Philadelphia is also described by the city as being the area south of Baltimore Avenue; at the turn of the 20th century, Baltimore Avenue between 49th and 52nd Streets was known as "The Hub of Southwest Philadelphia" . Historically home to many Irish American neighborhoods, the section now has a large African American and West African immigrant population; a recent nickname is "Little Africa".Southwest Philadelphia contains Philadelphia International Airport, oil refineries, and other heavy industries. The housing stock is diverse with ornate Queen Anne-style twin mansions in the neighborhoods bordering Cedar Park, plainer and simpler styles of twins predominating closer to the airport, and newer rowhouses, many with porches, filling in many neighborhoods. Less than 1% of Southwest is covered by trees, giving it one of the lowest ratios of shade tree cover in the city.The Philadelphia Police Department patrols the 12th and 77th districts within Southwest Philadelphia.

Siege of Fort Mifflin
Siege of Fort Mifflin

The siege of Fort Mifflin or siege of Mud Island Fort from September 26 to November 16, 1777 saw British land batteries commanded by Captain John Montresor and a British naval squadron under Vice Admiral Lord Richard Howe attempt to capture an American fort in the Delaware River commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Smith. The operation finally succeeded when the wounded Smith's successor, Major Simeon Thayer, evacuated the fort on the night of November 15 and the British occupied the place the following morning. Owing to a shift of the river, Fort Mifflin is currently located on the north bank of the Delaware adjacent to Philadelphia International Airport. After General Sir William Howe's British-Hessian army occupied Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 26, 1777, it became necessary to supply his troops. Fort Mifflin on Mud Island in the middle of the Delaware and Fort Mercer at Red Bank, New Jersey, together with river obstructions and a small flotilla under Commodore John Hazelwood prevented the Royal Navy from shipping provisions into the city. With Philadelphia effectively blockaded by the Americans, the Howe brothers were forced to lay siege to Fort Mifflin in order to clear the river. A Hessian attempt to storm Fort Mercer failed with heavy losses on October 22 in the Battle of Red Bank. Two British warships which had run aground near Mud Island were destroyed the next day. General George Washington reinforced Fort Mifflin throughout the siege, but the garrison never numbered more than 500 men. After a few setbacks, the British finally assembled enough artillery and warships to bring Fort Mifflin under an intense bombardment beginning on November 10. No longer able to reply to the British bombardment, Thayer ordered the survivors to row across to New Jersey in the night and left the flag flying. Fort Mercer was abandoned soon afterward, opening the Delaware and permitting the British to hold Philadelphia until June 1778.