A historical landmark in Philadelphia, the Betsy Ross House is a typical Pennsylvania colonial building dating back to the 1700s, home of the famous Betsy Ross, the woman who is believed to have sewed the first American flag.
Who Was Besty Ross?
Elizabeth Griscom Ross, born in 1752, was an American upholsterer famously known for reportedly having created the first or second official U.S. flag. Decades after her passing (1836), her relatives credited her with this creation, claiming that General George Washington visited her in 1776 and that she tried to convince him to change the shape of the stars on the flag. However, there are no other written or oral records to substantiate this story, and historians are still debating whether it is legitimate or not. What is certain is that Betsy Ross made flags for the Pennsylvania Navy during the Revolution and continued to do so well into the 1800s.
The eighth of seventeen children, Betsy Ross was born on a farm in New Jersey where the family respected the Quaker discipline. One of her great-aunts taught her how to sew, and her father was the one who got her an apprenticeship with an upholsterer. She met her first husband during her apprenticeship, and they eloped in 1773. Her family distanced themselves from the young couple because of their disrespect for Quaker discipline. They soon started their upholstery business, and just two years after their wedding, the American Revolution broke out. When John, Betsy’s husband, died prematurely, she kept running the upholstery business and supporting the Continental Army, having contacts with George Washington among others.
She married again in 1777, but only three years later her husband was imprisoned for treason and died in jail. Her third husband, John Claypoole, married her in 1783, and they had 5 daughters. This is when Betsy moved to Philadelphia, which was prospering post-war and had been chosen as the temporary capital of the United States. For many years, she lived in peace, keeping her upholstery business running, until she became completely blind and died in 1836, aged 84.
The Betsy Ross House
The house, which sits at 239 Arch Street in Philadelphia, was built around 1740, with the rear section added around 1750 or 1760, and stands a few blocks away from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, both important symbols of the American Independence.
For many years, the exact location of the house where Betsy Ross lived remained unknown, but several surviving family members helped identify the building. It is likely that the actual house did not survive and isn’t there anymore, and that the building that’s currently designated as her house was adjacent to the actual one. The house lived through several centuries, accumulating the signs of time and undergoing structural changes. This led to a serious restoration process in 1937, when a Philadelphia radio proprietor, A. Atwater Kent, financed the restoration and hired historical architect Richardson Brognard Okie for the job. Some sections of the original building, such as the dormer and the front stairway, were completely replaced, but original elements were kept where possible, or substituted by ancient elements from other historic houses. The front doorway was moved to a different corner and a new section was added to the rear.
In 1941, the house was handed over to the city of Philadelphia, and in the following three decades, more restoration was done. In 1995, a local nonprofit organization called Historic Philadelphia, Inc. started managing the property and still does now.
Arch Street and the Old City
Arch Street is one of the main streets in the city of Philadelphia, running from the Delaware River through what once was the old city of Philadelphia. Important historical landmarks in this area include the Betsy Ross House, the Arch Street Friends Meeting House, Girard Fountain Park, and Christ Church Burial Ground, the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah. The street crosses Independence Mall and connects the Old City to the tourist areas and museum district.
Old City is one of Philadelphia’s oldest neighborhoods, having hosted the governments of Pennsylvania starting in 1776. It’s also the area where William Penn and the Quakers first settled. Apart from Independence Hall, the neighborhood hosts many excellent examples of Georgian and Federal buildings, including public ones, private properties, and churches. In 1792, Old City was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
