The House that Wine Built

I'm finding that the history of Philadelphia and perhaps our nation would not be what it is had it not been for the love of social drinking. Franklin founded the Junto a secret society in Philadelphia whose members gathered weekly to drink and talk of revolution. They went on to found the first library, The Library Company, the first insurance company, the first police force, and much more.

The main exhibition of Playing Telephone with Ghosts will be at the Physick House in November of 2007, and here is a brief history of that building, from their archives:

"Philadelphia, since its founding has been a town that has liked to tipple. And a favorite spirit of drinkers in the 18th century proved to be Madeira, a fortified grape juice and brandy beverage. Importer Henry Hill made enough money as a Madeira merchant to build this elegant free-standing mansion in what was becoming one of the more fashionable neighborhoods of a post-Revolutionary city better known for rowhouses. Thirst for Madeira made Hill so wealthy that in addition to building this abode, he could also maintain a country estate called Carlton which overlooked the Schuylkill River, complete with a private racetrack. Though that manse is now covered by a reservoir, the Hill-Physick-Keith house endured — just barely though."