A lot of history on the waterfront in Phila.

In the summer of 1682, William Penn, on the ship Welcome, left England and sailed for Pennsylvania. After a long and unpleasant journey that included a smallpox outbreak, the ship arrived in the fall of that year, sailed up the Delaware River, and docked at Philadelphia.

Penn and his passengers were greeted by a variety of people who already inhabited the area, including Dutch and Swedish settlers, members of Penn's Quaker community that he helped establish as his "holy experiment," and American Indians. The Welcome's landing site is now part of the riverfront property called Penn's Landing.

For much of Philadelphia's early history, the Delaware River waterfront served as a regional maritime hub for the American colonies. Its economic viability encouraged further investment into, and migration to, Penn's "green country towne." The riverfront also saw the first wharf built in Philadelphia, Carpenter's Wharf (or Old Carpenter's Wharf), built by Samuel Carpenter in 1683.

As the waterfront became developed and industrialized, its landscape began to change. In the 1870s, a new ferry line opened between the waterfront and Camden to better serve Philadelphia's businesses. A park dedicated to William Penn - Penn Treaty Park - opened in 1893.

But not all the change was positive. Sometime in the 1860s, the city's naval yard, located off Front Street, was moved to a new location south of the city at the end of Broad Street. Train and shipping routes were relocated. New roadways, bridges, and interstates were constructed. The waterfront met with disrepair and neglect.

In the late 1960s, the city government undertook a new initiative to revitalize the waterfront. Antiquated and unusable docks were replaced by a park. The city installed an amphitheater and sculpture garden and planted trees. Later, an ice skating rink was built in a large plaza. The Independence Seaport Museum was established on Penn's Landing in 1995. Several ships are still moored along the waterfront. Today, Penn's Landing is cared for by the Delaware River Waterfront Corp., which was established in 2009 to manage activities along Philadelphia's Delaware River border.