Elfreth's Alley
فيلادلفيا
Elfreth's Alley is a lane in Old City that has been lived in without a break since the 1700s. Its 32 houses were built between 1720 and 1836.
A shortcut for carts
The alley was not part of the city's plans. In 1703 two neighbors, Arthur Wells and John Gilbert, opened a passage between Front Street and 2nd Street. It was used by carts heading to the port.
The craftspeople's houses
Craftspeople and small shopkeepers lived here. The workshop was often on the ground floor of the house: grocers, shoemakers, cabinetmakers and tailors worked where they lived. With the factories of the 1800s, work moved out of the home. Look at the flowerpots, the shutters and the bricks of the facades.
Saved by the residents
In 1934 the residents founded the Elfreth's Alley Association. It was led by Dolly Ottey, a woman who lived here and fought against the decay of the houses. In the 1960s the alley became a National Historic Landmark, and so it was saved.
A living alley
Almost all the houses are private homes, and people still live in them. That's why you walk quietly and without disturbing anyone. Two houses, number 124 and 126, tell the story of two seamstresses who worked here. Look at the low doors, the steps and the small windows: they are the same as in the 1700s.
