Betsy Ross House

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The Betsy Ross House

The Betsy Ross House is generally recognized as the place where Betsy Ross lived when she may have made the first American Flag. Several of her surviving family members, including daughters, grandchildren and a niece said that this was the location of the legendary event.^[1]

The house is located at 239 Arch Street, just blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The front portion of the building was built around 1740, with the stair hall (or piazza) and the rear section added 10 to 20 years later. Over the years, various structural changes to the house and general wear and tear left the house in dire need of restoration.^[1]

In 1937, Philadelphia radio mogul, A. Atwater Kent offered to pay up to $25,000 for the restoration of the house and commissioned historical architect Richardson Brognard Okie to do the work. Original elements were kept wherever possible. Otherwise, material from demolished period homes were used. A new structure was added in the rear, made from period bricks. The front stairway and dormer were entirely replaced. The front doorway was moved to the opposite corner and a new window was installed. Kent then purchased the two adjacent properties to develop a "civic garden." In 1941, the entire property, including the historic house and courtyard, were given to the city of Philadelphia. In 1965 an annex building was added to the property and in 1974 the courtyard was renovated and the fountain added. In preparation for the United States Bicentennial, bones deemed to be Betsy Ross's were moved to a grave in the courtyard.^[2] A private nonprofit organization, Historic Philadelphia, Inc., began leasing the property from the City of Philadelphia in 1995 and continues to manage the site to this day.