Logan Square

Logan Square is defined by its central traffic circle, which anchors the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and centers on the Swann Memorial Fountain. As one of the five original public squares laid out by William Penn in sixteen eighty-two, it was initially known as Northwest Square. For over a century, the space functioned as a potter's field, a pasture for livestock, and a site for public executions. The last execution occurred here in eighteen twenty-three, and the area was renamed in eighteen twenty-five to honor James Logan, a colonial statesman who served as Philadelphia's mayor and William Penn's secretary.