Philadelphia: America's Early Capital City

Philadelphia served as the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800 while Washington, D.C. was under construction. During this decade, Congress met in Congress Hall on Chestnut Street, George Washington and John Adams lived in the President's House, and the Supreme Court met at Old City Hall from 1791. The city was also the de facto capital during most of the Revolutionary War. Philadelphia claims many American "firsts" — first hospital, first library, first zoo, first stock exchange.