Betsy Ross House - The Seamstress and the Story
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
A stop on Philadelphia Independence Walk, a free self-guided tour.
This little brick house with the flag out front is linked to one of America's best-known stories: that Betsy Ross sewed the first Stars and Stripes for George Washington.
Here's what we know. Elizabeth Griscom Ross was a real Philadelphia upholsterer who ran her own business, outlived three husbands and raised a family through war and hard times. Records show she was paid in 1777 for making flags for Pennsylvania's navy.
The famous first-flag story came from her grandson, who told it publicly in 1870, almost a century later, based on family memory. No document from the time backs it up, and historians still debate who designed the flag. Even whether she lived in this exact house is uncertain. So enjoy the story as a legend.
What's certain is that this was the kind of home and workshop where a working woman like Betsy Ross lived and earned her living.
Getting here: Return to 2nd Street, head south to Arch Street and turn right; the Betsy Ross House is on your left past 3rd Street.
Did you know?: Betsy Ross grew up a Quaker but was put out of her Quaker meeting after marrying John Ross, an Anglican.
Photo op: Stand across Arch Street to frame the narrow brick house with the flag hanging over the door.
More on Wikipedia: Betsy Ross House · Betsy Ross · Flag of the United States
Stops on this tour
- Independence Visitor Center - Your Starting Line
- The President's House Site - Freedom and Slavery Side by Side
- Liberty Bell - A Crack Heard Round the World
- Independence Hall - Where Two Documents Were Born
- Congress Hall - Where the Capital Did Its Work
- Carpenters' Hall - The First Continental Congress
- Franklin Court - The Ghost of Ben Franklin's House
- Christ Church - The Nation's Church
- Elfreth's Alley - A Street Where People Still Live
- Betsy Ross House - The Seamstress and the Story
- Christ Church Burial Ground - A Penny for Ben Franklin
- National Constitution Center - We the People Today