The Story of Philadelphia Phillies

The Story of Philadelphia Phillies — page 5
6 P h i l l i e s HISTORIC ROOTS n 1643 Sweden established a colony on America’s mid Atlantic coast that later came under Dutch and then British control American Indians called the heavily wooded area Coaquannok which means grove of tall pine trees After William Penn arrived as governor of the British colony in 1682 the area was renamed Pennsylvania Penn’s woods There Penn and his fellow Quakers members of a Christian religious order established a city they called Philadelphia The name was a Greek word meaning brotherly love as the city’s founders hoped Philadelphia would become a model for religious tolerance in the New World Philadelphia quickly grew in size and importance and it was there in 1776 that America declared its independence from Great Britain Exactly 100 years later in 1876 Philadelphia became the home of one of the first professional baseball teams in the young National League NL the Athletics Although that club soon folded due to financial woes it was replaced in 1883 by a franchise that still exists today Owner I