The Lazaretto has no shortage of compelling stories from its rich and varied history. Explore these highlights and voices from the Lazaretto’s past.
1799: A site is chosen for the new Lazaretto
After four devastating yellow fever epidemics in the 1790’s, the Philadelphia board of health started looking for a new site for their quarantine station.
1800: Neither Enslaved Nor Free: the Ganges Africans
Two schooners illegally carrying slaves from Africa to the Americas were intercepted in the Caribbean, and the African men, women, and children were instead brought to the Lazaretto and placed in indentured servitude for several Philadelphian families.
1870: Yellow Fever Strikes the Lazaretto
When yellow fever strikes, nobody is safe. This outbreak killed many Lazaretto patients, nurses, staff, and physicians.
1879: A Description of the Station
A detailed description of a snapshot in time at then Lazaretto, as reported by the Public Ledger newspaper.
1898-1915: “The Orchard,” Country Resort
From quarantine station to country club: a sweeping transformation.
1915-2000: “Flying Boats” on the Delaware
First as a hobby and then a wartime mandate, seaplanes used the Lazaretto riverfront as an aquatic runway for more than 80 years.