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May 28, 2020 · The yellow fever epidemics that struck American cities soon after the birth of the nation left a powerful mark in the historical record. That mark is visible in books, newspapers, maps and more at the Library, but especially in the papers of members of George Washington’s administration.
This 1797 map still depicts a city with neighborhoods clustered closer to the waterfront, where mosquitoes could easily spread yellow fever among the people of Philadelphia. Philadelphia proved an ideal climate for the spread of yellow fever in the summer of 1793.
During the 1793 Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia, 5,000 or more people were listed in the register of deaths between August 1 and November 9. The vast majority of them died of yellow fever, making the epidemic in the city of 50,000 people one of the most severe in United States history.
The first major American yellow fever epidemic hit Philadelphia in July 1793 and peaked during the first weeks of October. Philadelphia, then the nation’s capital, was the most cosmopolitan city in the United States.
Primary Visual Resources: 1) Dead House on Schuylkill during Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793, This image depicts a house that stood on the corner of 22nd Street on thet bank of the Schuylkill River during the Yellow Fever epidemic. 2) House of Schuylkill Fishing Company.
Jun 11, 2020 · Print Page. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images. During the hot, humid summer of 1793, thousands of Philadelphians got horribly sick, suffering from fevers and chills, jaundiced skin, stomach pains...
The Yellow Fever Epidemic. In 1793, Philadelphia was struck with the worst outbreak of Yellow Fever ever recorded in North America. The fever took a devastating toll on the city as nearly 5,000 individuals died, among them close to 400 African Americans.
