Luxuriant grasses, watered by a stream that cut across the northeast corner, made the Southeast Square a favorite grazing site for local farm animals. But it was not pasturage that future president John Adams meditated upon when he stopped at the square in 1777.
Adams learned that this square, long used as a potter's field had become the final resting place for over 2000 Continental soldiers, sailors and British prisoners. Later historians surmised that more Revolutionary dead were buried here than at any other place in the nation.
In 1815, when the city began to improve the grounds, a French botanist names Francois Andre Michaux planted trees in the square. It now boasts an unusual variety of 40 tree species.
In 1825 the city changed the square's name to Washington Square in tribute to George Washington and the surrounding area became a fashionable residential neighborhood and the center of Philadelphia's publishing industry.
Nearby is a cheerful monument in the form of a living tree, the Bicentennial Moon Tree. A sycamore planted in honor of the nation's Bicentennial, grown from a seed carried to the moon by Apollo astronaut Stuart Roosa.

?Wash West? is at present characterized by a mix of residential, commercial, and institutional land uses. The neighborhood is the most centrally located area of town, and has experienced significant urban renewal. Housing styles in the area vary greatly. From fine original townhomes, quaint small colonial homes, to low rise and hi rise condominiums. The early 1960?s brought a wealth of new construction, and the growth continues today.

Offering some of the nations best medical facilities, Wash West is a favorite for many first upscale buyers who seek a combination of urban and tranquil living within the city!