Hog Island, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hog Island was bought from the Lenape Indians in 1680. European settlers gradually developed the island by building log and earthwork dikes to minimize storm damage and convert the marshes into good grazing meadows. Hog Island supposedly got its name from the pigs which local residents left to roam free, as no fencing was needed.

In 1917, as part of the World War I effort the US govenment contracted American International Shipbuilding to build ships and a shipyard at Hog Island. At the time Hog Island was the largest shipyard in the world with 50 slipways. The first ship (named USS Quistconck for the Lenape name for the site), was christened August 5, 1918 by Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. The shipbuilding process practiced on Hog Island was an early experiment in standardized construction of ships. The ships built there, known as "Hog Islanders" were considered ugly but well-built. In all 122 Hog Islanders were built, mostly cargo ships, and a few troop transport ships. The shipbuilding continued until 1921, after which the facility was rapidly demolished. None of the ships were ready in time to participate in World War I, but many of them were involved in World War II.

The US Army Corps of Engineers filled in the creek separating Hog Island from the mainland with silt dredged out of the shipping channels so that Hog Island became part of the mainland. In 1930 the area was taken over by the city of Philadelphia to develop the Philadelphia International Airport. Because of the Great Depression, work on the airport did not actually begin until 1937, and the Airport was formally opened as Philadelphia Municipal Airport on June 20, 1940.

One legend of the of the origin of the Hoagie sandwich is tied to Hog Island. Italian-American workers on the island were known as "Hoggies" and brought antipasto sandwiches for their lunch; these sandwiches evolved into Philadelphia's well-known Hoagies. The historical truth of this story is disputed.