Germantown, Philadelphia
Germantown stretches for about two miles along Germantown Avenue northwest from Windrim and Roberts Avenues. Germantown has been consistently bounded on the southwest by Wissahickon Avenue, on the southeast by Roberts Avenue, and on the east by Wister Street and Stenton Avenue, but its northwest border has expanded and contracted over the years. When first incorporated as a borough in 1689, Germantown was separated from the rural Germantown Township by Washington Lane; later, the border was expanded to Carpenter and East Gorgas Lanes; it was then rolled back to Washington Lane in 1846, and remained there until the borough was absorbed into the city of Philadelphia in 1854.
Today, the western part of the former borough is the neighborhood known simply as 'Germantown' (though is sometimes called 'West Germantown') and the eastern part is the neighborhood of 'East Germantown'. While the boundary between the two neighborhoods is not well-defined and has varied over time, these days 'Germantown' usually refers to the part of the former borough that lies west of Germantown Avenue, up through West Johnson Street, and 'East Germantown' to the part that lies east of Germantown Avenue, up through East Upsal Street.
Upper Burial Ground
The Upper Burial Ground is a cemetery in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is notable as the last resting place of 58 American soldiers from the Battle of Germantown in the American Revolution. Here also lies many of the founders of Germantown, including William Dewees, sheriff of Germantown's independent government. Also buried here is Zachariah Poulson, who died in 1844 after having published The American Daily Advertiser, Philadelphia's principal daily newspaper for many years. Another significant grave is that of Alexander Mack, the founder of the Schwarzenau Brethren (or German Baptist Brethren). Originally buried in Axe's Burial Ground in 1735, his remains were carefully removed in 1894 along with his field stone to the God's Acre in the rear of the Brethren church, where they now repose beside those of his son, Alexander, and family.