17 N 2nd St (built c. 1785) sits at the NE corner of 2nd & Church St. The block of Church St from Front to 2nd is no wider than an alley. In fact, it used to be called Pewter Platter Alley, named for a tavern that once stood there which had as its trade sign a pewter platter. Before that it was called Jones Alley, in deference to the property holdings of Griffith Jones, elected Mayor of Philadelphia in 1704. Jones declined to serve, as did many early mayors (the position was uncompensated) for which he was fined twenty pounds.
The first documented residents of 17 N 2nd St was Isaac Parrish, merchant, and Sarah his wife. Of their eight children born here two sons died in the yellow fever plague of 1793. One of their daughters, Ann Parrish, helped form the "Female Society for the Employment of the Poor," the first organization of it's kind in the city. The society's mission was "to provide relief and opportunity for improvement in quality of life for women widowed by the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793."
Another son, Joseph, became a physician and hung his "shingle" at the house beginning in 1806. He became a noted medical leader of his time, abandoned bleeding of patients, which was the accepted treatment of the time during the typhus fever epidemic of 1812- 13. He had four sons who also went into medicine.
In recent years 17 N. 2nd (along with 19 N 2nd) hosted City House Hostel. The American Vegan Center will soon be headquartered there. In 1817, the Bible Christian Church was established in Philly. This vegetarian sect formed the nucleus for the American vegetarian movement.
17 N 2nd St. was placed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places in 1977.
1917 drawing 2005
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