Have you ever thought about what it would be like to wander down a street that existed 250 years ago?
Today, I hope you’ll take a little stroll with me along High Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1776. It is the setting for much of For Liberty and Love, which just released yesterday! It is the first book in the new Petticoats & Patriots series that spans 250 years!
As a visual learner, I needed images of High Street to be able to write about it. The problem was that cameras were not around back then, and finding drawings or illustrations of High Street wasn’t easy.
This map of Philadelphia from 1776 was very helpful. You can see High Street appears to be the largest street in town.
This is an image of the Old Court House, Town Hall & Market in 1710, on High Street between Second and Third Streets.
It didn’t really give me the visual I was craving, so I asked ChatGPT to generate a few images and it brought the street to life for me.
In July 1776, High Street was the beating heart of Philadelphia, which was the largest city in America at the time.
Known today as Market Street, High Street stretched from Front Street at the Delaware River all the way up to the edge of the city where it met the Schuylkill River. High Street bustled with the noise, color, and energy of a city standing at the center of history. It was a place where merchants, farmers, tradesmen, sailors, servants, soldiers, and families all crossed paths.
Near the river, a long wooden market shed was crowded with activity. The market shed (or stalls) were long, narrow, open-air structures with heavy roofs supported by brick pillars, running directly down the center of the 100-foot-wide cobblestone street. Taken straight out of English and Scottish architectural traditions, they formed a permanent, covered marketplace that stretched continuously from the Delaware River waterfront at Front Street up to Third Street.
On market days, farmers arrived with wagons full of fresh produce from the countryside. Butchers sold meat. Fishmongers brought in their catch from the river. Women examined baskets of beets, beans, berries, herbs, and greens. Wheels of cheese, loaves of bread, eggs, butter, smoked meats, and jars of preserves might be set out for eager buyers. In July, the air would have been hot and humid (read John Adams’ letters to his wife because they offer great detail about how unbearably hot he found the city that year), and loaded with mingled scents — fresh flowers, ripe fruit, fish, horses, the waterfront, woodsmoke, tar from the wharves, and the unmistakable press of many people gathered in one place.
The stalls closest to the river were referred to as the Jersey Market section, specifically reserved for New Jersey farmers who rowed across the Delaware River to sell fresh produce and goods. Ships crowded the waterfront, their masts rising like a forest of harvested timber against the summer sky. Sailors unloaded goods while dockworkers rolled barrels and crates toward warehouses. Shops and taverns served the constant stream of merchants, sailors, and travelers moving through the port city.
If you looked toward the other end of High Street, you could see brick townhouses, artisan shops, print shops, taverns, and small businesses lining the street. Goldsmiths, shoemakers, cabinetmakers, tailors, and booksellers all had their place in the life of the city. High Street was not merely a place to buy and sell. It was where news spread, rumors flew, political opinions were debated, and ordinary people learned extraordinary things.
Just one block south stood the Pennsylvania State House, where the Continental Congress had debated and approved the Declaration of Independence. Although the first public reading took place at the State House on July 8, the news would have rippled quickly through nearby streets, especially with bells ringing throughout the day and peoples celebrating. Imagine the talk in the market stalls, the whispers in doorways, the questions asked over baskets of produce and bolts of cloth. What would independence mean? What would war cost? What kind of future was beginning?
High Street was also home to some historical figures. Benjamin Franklin resided right off of High Street. Jacob Graff, a bricklayer, rented out his upper rooms to Thomas Jefferson, who penned much of the Declaration of Independence there.
The street and the city gradually softened into gardens, orchards, and open ground. But along High Street, July 1776 was alive with the motion of a city on the edge of change.
It was a place of trade and gossip, heat and dust, courage and uncertainty.
And for the people of Philadelphia, it was the familiar street where everyday life carried on while history unfolded all around them.
Get a glimpse of the some of the history unfolding in For Liberty and Love!
Lucy Carlson works with her father in his High Street Goldsmith shop, making it the perfect place to gather intel on the Redcoats.
She never intended to become a spy … or fall for one.
Philadelphia, 1776
As whispers of revolution swell into a roar for freedom, Lucy Carlson is no longer content to simply watch from behind the counter of her father’s jewelry shop. When a mysterious woman—none other than Martha Washington—leaves behind a locket, Lucy discovers the piece is more than a pretty keepsake. The necklace is a secret vessel for the revolution that carries the promise of love.
Drawn into a dangerous spy ring, Lucy begins crafting coded messages concealed within the locket’s clever design, living a secret double life and risking everything she holds dear in a time of sacrifice and war.
Continental soldier Branch Barton is a man defined by duty. Tasked with rooting out traitors, he moves through the shadowed world of deception and divided loyalties. He’s trained to trust no one, yet he finds himself drawn into a slow-burning connection with the jeweler’s spirited daughter.
But when Lucy begins to suspect Branch may be a Redcoat in disguise, their fragile bond is tested by mistaken identity, growing mistrust, and the threat of betrayal.
In a war where even allies can become enemies, Lucy and Branch must navigate a world of hidden truths and guarded hearts. With the fate of the colonies—and their hearts—hanging in the balance as Lucy delivers a message in enemy territory, will they find the courage to trust each other and choose love?
Courage built a nation. Love made it worth fighting for.
Throughout 250 years of American history, a well-loved locket finds its way into the hands of eight spirited heroines—each standing at the crossroads of love and destiny, and each inspired by a true patriot. As it journeys from one heart to the next, these stories unfold with sweet romance, unwavering hope, and a deep love of country, proving that even in uncertain times, love is always worth the risk. Start reading the Petticoats & Patriots series today!
Don’t forget to download your digital copy of the first issue of the Petticoats & Patriots Magazine if you haven’t yet!
If you could travel back in time for one day, where would you go?
What would you hope to see? Or who would you like to meet?
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When we picture the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it’s easy to imagine a grand and noble moment with patriotic music soaring in the background.
One of my favorite discoveries involved the public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
