Insight Philadelphia: Historical Essays Illustrated

Each of the nearly 100 essays in Insight Philadelphia tells a succinct, compelling, and little—known tale of the city’s past. Some stories are quirky, like how early gas stations were designed to resemble classical temples, or the saga of how a museum acquired a 2000—year—old Greek statue, then had it demolished with a sledgehammer. Other stories turn serious, exploring the tragic deaths of child laborers in the city’s textile mills and a century—old case of racial profiling that led to a s...