By Joseph Myers
“I’ve often feared that seeing change for this neighborhood, especially this lot, is like turning around a battleship in a bathtub,” Francis McCann said June 4 at 3000 Grays Ferry Ave. “My hope is that today will be a big step in the right direction.”
By Amanda L. Snyder
A Grays Ferry woman allegedly set her boyfriend’s car on fire after a dispute.
By Amanda L. Snyder
After a failed attempt at retaliation against the man he thought wounded his buddy in the face, Christopher Goodwin gunned down his target’s uncle.
By Joseph Myers
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, an essential factory for producing stellar baseball players, Agustin Gil has desired diamond distinction since he took up the sport a decade ago.
A Grays Ferry man was gunned down on his block while another man was critically injured last week.
An unknown man struck someone with an aluminum baseball bat for an unknown reason in Grays Ferry Sunday.
A Grays Ferry man held a burglar at gunpoint with the trespasser’s own gun during a home invasion last week.
Police apprehended a Grays Ferry man who is allegedly responsible for a neighborhood shooting.
By Siena Mazero
Those passing by the 1600 block of South Ringgold Street Saturday might have thought there was a block party happening based on the crowd, the music and the abundance of food.
Margaret McClain often prays for world leaders to avoid military conflicts because she knows they devastate not only lands but also families.
By Amanda L. Snyder
A fight ended in Grays Ferry with one man needing 30 stitches to close a wound on his abdomen Saturday.
By Amanda L. Snyder
A man pled guilty to shooting his girlfriend eight times in front of her Grays Ferry home.
» COMMUNITY PROFILE
Boundaries: Grays Ferry to Passyunk avenues, 25th Street to the Schuylkill River
Origin of Name: The area was named after George Gray who operated a ferry there in 1747. He and his familial descendants were in charge of this ferry until the American Revolution. Then, it became a floating bridge.
Brief history: The economic development of local mills and factories started attracting master craftsmen to the neighborhood in the 1860s. Earlier in the 19th century, the Schuylkill Arsenal, which has a historical marker at Washington and Grays Ferry avenues, is where Meriwether Lewis bought supplies in preparation for the Lewis and Clark Expedition from 1803-'06. The factory also supplied military goods for the Civil War and the two World Wars.
Famous Residents: Jerry Rullo, who played pro basketball with the 1947 Philadelphia Warriors; Former Pennsylvania Secretary of State Basil L. Merenda of the 1900 block of South Hollywood Street; John Wanamaker was born in Grays Ferry in 1838; Joseph Brown created the statues of the athletes outside of Veterans Stadium.
Major Landmarks: Conrail Bridge, aka 25th Street Bridge; Audenried High, 33rd and Tasker streets; the former St. John Neumann High, 26th and Moore; Philadelphia branch of the Trigen Energy Corp., 3501 Grays Ferry Ave.; Sunoco Refinery, 3144 W. Passyunk Ave., and a quirk: A tiny area called The Forgotten Bottom in the refinery’s shadow on 34th Street.
Architecture: Brick rowhomes; several blocks have elevated front lawns.
U.S. Congressional District: 2nd, Chaka Fattah (D)
U.S. Senators: Bob Casey (D); Pat Toomey (R)
Pennsylvania Governor: Tom Corbett (R)
State Senate District 8th, Anthony H. Williams (D)
State House District: 182nd, Brian K. Sims (D) and 186th, Jordan Harris (D)
City Council District: 2nd, Kenyatta Johnson (D)
Ward: 30th and 48th
Police District: 1st (south of Moore), Capt. Louis Campione and Community Relations Officer Paul Bryson; 17th (north of Moore), Capt. Martin Derbyshire and Community Relations Officer Freddie McCrea
Civic Groups: Grays Ferry Community Council
Libraries: Queen Memorial, 1201 S. 23rd St.
Schools: James Alcorn School, 32nd and Dickinson streets; Charles Y. Audenried High, 3301 Tasker St.; St. Gabriel, 2917 Dickinson St.
Places Of Worship: Assumption of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church, 2800 Snyder Ave.; Butler Memorial Baptist Church, 1210 S. 35th St.; Consolation Baptist Church, 2500 Wharton St.; Greater Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, 1219 S. 26th St.; Hope Presbyterian Church, 33rd and Wharton streets; John Chambers Memorial Presbyterian Church, 28th and Morris streets; Light of the World Chapel, 1256 S. 31st St.; The Lighthouse Christian Center, 30th and Wharton streets; Memorial Chapel of Holy Communion Rectory, 2631 Wharton St.; Miracle Temple of Christ, 2600 Tasker St.; Peoples Mission Church, 2536 Wilder St.; St. Aloysius Church, 2600 Tasker St.; St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church, 2917 Dickinson St.; Williams Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 3133 Reed St.; Zion Hill Memorial Baptist Church, 2702 Ellsworth St.
Rec Centers: South Philadelphia Rainbow Community Center, 2632 Reed St.; Vare, 26th and Morris streets; Wilson Park Senior Center, 2508 Jackson St.
Parks: Donald P. Finnegan Playground, 30th and Oakford; Lanier Playground, 30th and Tasker streets; Stinger Square Playground, 32nd and Reed streets.
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