Philadelphia, County Durham
| Philadelphia | |
| County Durham | |
|---|---|
 Marker stone for the Dorothea Pit at Philadelphia | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ333522 |
| Location: | 54°51’54"N, 1°28’60"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Houghton Le Spring |
| Postcode: | DH4 |
| Dialling code: | 0191 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Sunderland |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Houghton and Washington East |
Philadelphia is a village in County Durham, on the A182 road between Newbottle and Shiney Row.
History
The village was founded as a coalmining village. It was named during the American Revolutionary War by a local colliery owner to commemorate the British capture of the city of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. The village cricket field is named "Bunker Hill", after the Battle of Bunker Hill, another famous battle in that war. It is coincidental that another local town, Washington, has an American namesake close to America's own Philadelphia: Washington in County Durham is ancient.
In 1815 the Philadelphia train accident occurred here: the boiler of an early steam locomotive exploded, killing 16 people (or other sources state 13). This was the highest in a railway accident until 1842.