Still More Pennsylvania Firsts

1807: Joseph Hawkins of Philadelphia created the first carbonated water made in America.

1809: In September, Scotch millwright Somerville constructed the first experimental rail track in the U.S. near Bulls Head Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for Thomas Leiper.

1810: The first savings fund society in America was established at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1818: Joseph Lancaster started the Model School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the first normal school in the U.S.

1819: The Philadelphia Analectic Magazine printed the first lithograph in America.

1819: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania erected the first water power works in the U.S.

1824: The first American manufacturer's trade show was held at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.


1827: The first horticultural society in America, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, was founded in November, 1827, under the leadership of Dr. James Meade of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Address: The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103; 215-988-8800; Fax: 215-988-8810. Email: programreg@pennhort.org. Web: http://www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org.

1829: G.A. Shyrock of Philadelphia became the first to make paper and boards from straw and grass by using machinery.

1830: C.C. Conwell published the first penny newspaper in the U.S., the Cent, in Philadelphia.

1830: Louis Godey of Philadelphia published the first successful women's magazine, Godey's Lady Book.