Elfreth's Alley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elfreth's Alley is a residential alley located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the country, dating back to the early 1700s, and a National Historic Landmark. The alley is located off of Second Street between Arch and Race Streets in Philadelphia's Old City Neighborhood.
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[edit] History
Elfreth's Alley is named for Jeremiah Elfreth, a blacksmith and property owner in the 18th Century. Tradesmen and their families–including shipwrights, silver and pewter smiths, glassblowers, and furniture builders–were among the alley's residents in the 18th century. In the 1770s a third of the households were headed by women. The Georgian and Federal-style houses and cobblestone pavement of the alley were common in Philadelphia during this time.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the residential character of the alley was impacted by increasingly industrial concerns, including a stove factory that opened in 1868 in the midst of the residential row of houses. Philadelphia's growing industries created many jobs for immigrants. Factories surrounded Elfreth's Alley, and the city's waterfront was only a few blocks away.
During this time, the Alley saw successive waves of immigrants reside on the street. The neighborhood was overwhelmingly Irish in 1900 according to the available census data.
In 1934, the Elfreth's Alley Association (EAA) was founded to preserve the alley's historic structures while interpreting the street's 300-year continuum of history. The EAA was partly responsible for saving the street from demolition, and also lobbied the city to restore the alley's name to "Elfreth's Alley" (it had been designated as the 100 block of Cherry Street years before as part of a street name simplification program).
Present-day Elfreth's Alley is the product of cycles of urban renewal and decay as well as ongoing historic preservation efforts. The alley remains an endearing tourist attraction but, more importantly, it is a rare survival of the housing stock available to the working-class during the 18th century. The site stands in sharp contrast to the more frequently preserved grand mansion houses of Philadelphia's Society Hill neighborhood.
[edit] Fete Day
Once a year (usually the first or second Saturday in June), Elfreth's Alley celebrates "Fete Day," a day on which most of the street's private residences are opened to the public. The events are accompanied by historic reenactments and other festivities. Every year the Brandywine Heights High School Band and their accompanying Fife & Drum Corps performs 18th century fife tunes as they parade through the alley. Fete Day, also called Elfreth's Alley Day, is organized by the Elfreth's Alley Association, which uses the proceeds from ticket sales to support upkeep and restoration of older homes.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Elfreth's Alley Association
- Illustration of Elfreth's Alley from the National Park Service
- Jeremiah Elfreth House, 126 Elfreth's Alley, photographs from the Library of Congress
- Mid-20th Century drawings of Elfreth's Alley homes, also from the Library of Congress
| Neighborhoods of the Center City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
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Avenue of the Arts - Callowhill - Chinatown - Elfreth's Alley - Fitler Square - Franklintown - Logan Square - Market East - Old City - Museum District - Penn Center - Penn's Landing - Rittenhouse Square - Society Hill - South Street - Washington Square West |
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Center City - North Philadelphia - Northwest Philadelphia - The Northeast - South Philadelphia - Southwest Philadelphia - West Philadelphia |
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