Penn's Landing is a waterfront revitalization area named
because this is one of the locations William Penn first landed
in 1682. From the 1700s to the s late as the 1800s, this was
the city's primary port area, and it was filled with docks and
wharves. By the 1960s the riverfront port area was an eyesore,
and the area was extensively redeveloped in the 1970s. Ships
at Penn's Landing include barque Moshulu, the World War II
submarine USS Becuna, the Spanish-American War cruiser USS
Olympia, the barquentine Gazela, and tugboat Jupiter. The
Independence Seaport Museum is also located here. The northern
edge of Penn's Landing is flanked by the Benjamin Franklin
Bridge, which was the world's longest suspension bridge when
completed in 1926. Plans are underway for two slots-only
casinos to be constructed here along the river.
