Kater Street / Bedford Street Mission

In a similar way to how the Octavia Hill Association served the working-class residents of this neighborhood, the Methodist Church set up missions for similar purposes of its own. On this block of Kater Street, we find the former site of the Bedford Street Mission (named for the block's former name). If they are around when our walking tour comes through, we have asked some current residents to speak with us about the area today.

Further Reading:

Bedford Street Mission on PhilaPlace.org (Historical Society of Pennsylvania): http://www.philaplace.org/story/82

Kater Street on PhilaPlace.org (Historical Society of Pennsylvania): http://www.philaplace.org/story/79/

“Bedford Street Mission,” Philadelphia Methodist History Walking Tour: http://philawalk.org/bedford

Hartley, Benjamin L. “Philadelphia’s ‘Five Points’: Evangelism and Social Welfare at the Bedford Street Mission.” Methodist History 48, no. 1 (October 2009): 10-22. (available via Franklin)

Image Source:
Bedford St Mission, 1907, Historical Society of Pennsylvania