The abandoned short block of buildings in downtown Chester, Pennsylvania, a close-in Philadelphia suburb that, incorporated in 1682, is the oldest city in the commonwealth, as Pennsylvania and Virginia call their states. Once a manufacturing and shipbuilding titan, Chester fell upon hard times in the 20th Century after waves of southern African-Americans moved to town in search of jobs, touching off racial unrest and massive “white flight” to fancier suburbs.. Photo by Carol Highsmith, 2019.