Carpenters' Company of the City and County of Philadelphia

The Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia is the oldest extant craft guild in the United States.

The Company built, owns and continues to operate Carpenters' Hall located in Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park.

[1] These master builders, many of whom began their careers in carpentry before also becoming skilled in both construction and architectural design, banded together to create a guild to support their industry.

[2] In Building Early America, author Roger W. Moss writes, “The generation of Carpenters that emerged in the early eighteenth century were leaders of the community, men of some wealth and position who, if not of the first rank, were in daily social and political association with city and provincial leaders.”[3] With strong connections to major civic leaders, early members were able to play instrumental roles in the design and construction of such important colonial era Philadelphia buildings as Christ Church, Independence Hall, City Tavern, and Old Swedes' Church (Gloria Dei).

This collection survives intact and constitutes one of the finest pre-Civil War architectural libraries in the United States.

In addition to preserving and maintaining Carpenters’ Hall, the Company serves as an important forum for cooperation amongst many of Philadelphia's most successful architects, structural engineers and builders.