Beggarstown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beggarstown
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The Beggarstown School is on the National Register of Historic Places, in Beggarstown.
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| Country |  United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia County |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Area codes | 215, 267 and 445 |
Beggarstown, also known as Bettelhausen, was a small community. It was located in what is now the Mount Airy neighborhood. This area is in Northwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The village was mainly along Germantown Avenue. It stretched between Upsal Street and Gorgas Lane.
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The Story of Beggarstown
Beggarstown, or Bettelhausen, grew out of an area called the "Sidelands." The Sidelands were part of Germantown Township. This land was set aside for people who owned lots in the center of Germantown. It gave them an equal share of land in the larger village area. This section covered the area from Washington Lane to Sedgwick Street. It also included parts of Stenton and Wissahickon Avenues.
How Beggarstown Got Its Name
Germantown was founded in 1683. As it became more crowded, settlers moved northwest along Germantown Avenue. By the 1730s and 1740s, the Sidelands area was divided into smaller lots for houses.
The name "Beggarstown" has an interesting story. In 1770, a historian named Morgan Edwards explained it. He wrote that the village got its name from a small house. This house was built in 1731 by a man named John Pettikoffer. It was the first house in the area. Because it was built by someone considered a "beggar," the village became known as Beggarstown.
The German name for the village was Bettelhausen. This name likely came first. The German word betteln means "to beg." The word hausen is a common ending for place names. It means "town" or "village." An early mention of Bettelhausen was in a newspaper ad in 1757. It appeared in Christopher Sower's newspaper. Church records from Saint Michael's Lutheran Church also used the name.
Some people in the late 1800s thought the name came from "Bebberstown." They believed it was named after a minister, Mathias van Bebber. However, this was incorrect. Mathias van Bebber was not a minister. He also had no direct connection to this area. He lived in Germantown for a short time. Then he moved to Maryland around 1710.
Important Churches in Beggarstown
In the 1700s, Beggarstown was home to two important churches.
- The Church of the Brethren moved to its current spot in 1760. This is at Germantown Avenue and Hortter Street. They first met in the Pettikoffer house. In 1770, they built a meeting house. This building is still used by the church today.
- The other important church was Saint Michael's Lutheran Church. Records show a Lutheran church in Germantown as early as 1738. Four men bought land on Germantown Avenue. This land became the church's property. St. Michael's quickly became a key place for German immigrants. Many of these immigrants were Lutheran or Reformed. They soon outnumbered the older Quaker, Mennonite, and Brethren families. At this time, the church served almost all Lutherans. These were people living between colonial Philadelphia and the church in Trappe, Pennsylvania.
Changes Over Time
In the 1800s, some people wanted to change the name of Beggarstown. They tried to rename it Franklinville. They succeeded in naming a literary club and a volunteer fire company with this new name. However, local residents kept using "Beggarstown." This continued until the late 1800s. As more people moved to the suburbs, the small village feel of Beggarstown disappeared.
