Market street, Philadelphia; the most historic ... - Hay genealogy

Its Merchants and Its Story 127
Across Market street from William Rawle's house was the residence
of his stepfather, Samuel Shoemaker, in 1791. Shoemaker was
then retired and is described in the directory simply as "gentleman."
The site of Samuel Shoemaker's house was 731, now covered by the
building of Lit Brothers.
In this square, between Seventh and Eighth streets, were two potteries
during the last decade of the eighteenth centuiy; indeed. Market
street has been famed for its potteries in the early years. The two on
the south side of the street in the block we are now considering, however,
have not contributed a great deal to the history of artistic pottery.
Very little appears to be known of John Hinckle and William
Headman, who had their potteries here between 1791 and 1801. Hinckle
had his place at what would now be 708 or 710 before 1791. What
kind of ware he made is not now known, neither is there any infonnation
regarding the character of the product of the pottery of Headman,
which was on the site of the present 736. However, in the latter instance,
we may surmise that he was engaged in the manufacture of a
common ware, a rather primitive form of decorative pottery.
This sunnise is founded upon the fact that there have been found
pieces of such ware bearing the initials of Andrew Headman, whose
pottery was at Rock Hill, Bucks County. Andrew Headman is known
to have been in business in Bucks County in 1808, and there is strong
probability that he was related to William Headman, who had his place
on Market street from 1795 to 1798. The Pennsylvania Germans during
the eighteenth century operated several potteries that have become
famed for their product, but until the opening years of the last century
very little pottery of importance, from an artistic standpoint, was produced
in this city. It seems allowable to assign both Hinckle and Headman
to the Pennsylvania Germans, but their ware probably was only
cheap pottery, of the kind called earthenware.
About the time these potteries were on Market street a stone cutter,
named Richard North, dwelt on the north side of Market street at about
the site of the present 719. His chief claim to distinction lies in the
faxjt that he carved the bas relief of the Pennsylvania arms that is
imbedded in the front wall over the entrance of old Congress Hall at
Sixth and Chestnut streets. This work shows him to have been a capable
commercial sculptor.
North evidently removed from the house at 715 before 1795, for
in that year we find him at what now would be 719, and at his old address
John Dunwoody is keeping the Spread Eagle Inn. About the
opening year of the last century the Spread Eagle was removed to the
northwest corner of Ninth and Market streets, and we may have a word
more to say of it when we reach Ninth street.
But we do not have to go so far back to find spots of interest in