With its brick-paved sidewalks, cobblestone alleyways, and gorgeous historic architecture, Society Hill is one of Philadelphia's oldest and most sought-after neighborhoods. The name is slightly misleading -- it isn't on a hill and it has nothing to do with social standing. Instead, the name is derived from the original settlers, a group of Free Society of Traders who received land from William Penn back in 1682. They planted a flag on a small hill in the neighborhood, and the area quickly became known as the "Society's Hill."
Society Hill contains a variety of spectacular buildings, some dating to its original settlement. The neighborhood was diverse, even back in the 1700s, with small row houses sitting next to mansions. One of those mansions, the Physick House, built in 1786, is one of the neighborhood's last surviving Federal-style mansions. Today, it is a house museum that offers public tours. Other historic landmarks in Society Hill include Old St.
