In 1681, William Penn received a charter from King Charles II of England to start a colony on the Delaware River. In 1682, Penn laid out the first map of Philadelphia County. The map was made up of a grid that consisted of the area from the Delaware to the Schuylkill Rivers to Vine and South Streets (formerly Cedar Street). In 1701, Philadelphia County was chartered as the City of Philadelphia and was re-chartered in 1789. In 1751, part of Philadelphia County became part of Berks County and in 1784 part of Montgomery County. In 1854, all municipal offices within the county consolidated within the City of Philadelphia.

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