Wood Street Steps in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Best Haunted Hotels to Book for a Spooky Getaway 9 days ago Is Alton, Illinois America’s Most Haunted Small Town? 13 days ago All the United States Pennsylvania Philadelphia Wood Street Steps It is the oldest remaining stairway William Penn created to give Philadelphia citizens access to the port area. This is the last remaining stairway along Philadelphia’s old sea wall. William Penn ordered them built to provide public access to the port of Philadelphia.

A portrait of William Penn by Frederick S. Lamb from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection. CC BY-SA 3.0 This is the last remaining stairway along Philadelphia’s old sea wall.

CC BY-SA 3.0 The Wood Street Steps are the last surviving examples of 10 or more stairways Philadelphia founder William Penn commissioned along the original Delaware Riverbank. Penn felt all citizens should have public access to the river wharves. Some early wealthy Quakers, who owned land there, disagreed.

As part of a 1684 compromise, Penn made sure at least 10 stairways led to the port area near major cross streets ... from Vine Street to what was originally called Cedar Street ... and is now known as South Street. Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Take Race Street east to Columbus Blvd., and go left. Walk to Summer Street and go left.**Be careful here**. People going to I-95 North turn quickly there from Columbus Blvd.

Stay to the right and go past Vine Street. Walk down the left side of Water Street until you see bricks at the sidewalk. Cushing was one of the founders of the United States and his grave is located in a tiny, odd, tucked-away state park with very little signage.