A brief history of Chester’s fall, rise, and fall
During World War II more than 35,000 worked at the shipyard. The city's population today is about 34,000.
The city of Chester, Pennsylvania’s oldest town, a backwater settlement until 1850, would rise to become an industrial power in the 20th century.
» READ MORE: Chester’s historic bankruptcy has ‘no deadline’ after 4 years and $19.3 million in state dollars
But its economy would experience a meteoric decline, ultimately leading to bankruptcy. Here is a brief timeline:
1682: William Penn’s ship, the Welcome, docked in Chester. Penn wanted to make Chester his capital but, after a failed land deal, moved upriver to Philadelphia.
1850: Chester lost its county-seat status, but a mill boom revived the city’s economy.
1871: On the Chester riverfront, John Roach opened what becomes the nation’s largest shipyard.
1879: Scott Paper Co. was founded and would become one of the nation’s largest toilet-tissue and paper-towel producers.
1917: Sun Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. launched its first ship and would become an important international shipbuilding center.
1940s: At the height of World War II, the shipyard employed more than 35,000 people.
1960s-70s: After peaking at 70,000 residents, the population dropped dramatically as the industrial base eroded.
1980: Sun Ship launched its last ship before the company was sold.
1991: A controversial incinerator began operation in the city’s West End, becoming a major contributor to the city’s treasury and a bane to the neighborhood.
1995: Chester was designated a “distressed city” by the state.
2007: What would become Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack opened at the former shipyard site.
2008: Subaru Park, home of the Philadelphia Union, broke ground.
2020: A fiscal emergency was declared, and the state appointed a “receiver” to oversee city finances.
2022: Chester filed for bankruptcy, a rarity among the nation’s 35,000 municipalities.
