1781.] 



HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 337 



objections urged against the site they had selected. Certain it 

 is, that this site was not the favorite one of some of the most 

 active removalists. From some cause the matter was dehiyed 

 till the year 1784. When that period in our narrative is reached 

 the subject will be resumed. 



As the township of Tinicum has become an institution in our 

 Commonwealth of some note, about election times, it may not be 

 amiss to explain the manner in which the island acquired an 

 independent municipal existence. 



On the last Tuesday of May, 1780, a petition was presented 

 to the Justices of the Court of Quarter Sessions, at Chester, 

 signed by "the inhabitants, owners and occupiers of land in the 

 Island of Tinicum," setting forth : " That the inhabitants of the 

 Island aforesaid, as a part of the township of Ridley, have here- 

 tofore paid a great part of the tax for the support of the roads 

 in said township, and also maintained and supported the roads 

 on the Island at their own cost and charge, without the least 

 assistance from the other part of the township : And whereas 

 the dams on said Island made for the purpose of preventing the 

 tides from overflowing the meadows belonging to your petitioners, 

 were in the year 1777 cut and destroyed with a view of retard- 

 ing the progress of the enemy at that time invading this State, 

 whereby the roads on said Island were greatly damaged, to the 

 very great prejudice of your petitioners, and as it is not in our 

 power to derive any assistance from the inhabitants of the other 

 part of the township, we conceive it to be a hardship to be 

 obliged to support their roads." 



The petitioners, twenty-three in number, then go on to request 

 the Court " to divide the Island of Tinicum from the township 

 of Ridley, and make a distinct toumship of it," with power to 

 choose officers, raise taxes, &c., &c. 



The petition was laid over till the August Court, when, on the 

 81st of that month, the new township was ^'allowed.'' Since 

 that time the people of the Island have exercised all the privi- 

 leges belonging to the inhabitants of an independent township, 

 except the election of constable, the number of resident eligible 

 freeholders being too few to fill that office regularly, without 

 compelling the same person to serve the office more than once in 

 fifteen years. 



On the first of February, 1781, Council fixed the rate of Con- 

 tinental money at ^75 for one dollar of specie; and on the loth 

 of May ordered that, after the 1st of June following, nothing but 

 specie or its equivalent paper should be received for taxes. This 

 brought about a great change in public affairs throughout the 

 country. Taxes that had been assessed in thousands of pounds, 

 22 



