Named for a nearby tavern, Crooked Billet was the scene of a Revolutionary War clash during the British occupation of Philadelphia. The militia of Gen. John Lacey, assigned to cut off British supplies, encamped here on May 1, 1778. When surprised by British troops, they were defeated and driven off with heavy losses. In 1861, a monument was dedicated here, marking the approximate southwest corner of Gen. Lacey's encampment, and on May 1, 1965, it was moved and rededicated at Crooked Billet Elementary School.
