Betsy Ross House
In the 18th century the house was occupied by a shoemaker, a shopkeeper, an apothecary and, of course, most famously, an upholsterer. It is believed that Betsy Ross lived here from 1773 to 1785. By the 19th century, a German immigrant family by the name of Mund moved into the building and ran various types of businesses from it, including a tailor’s shop, a cigar store and a tavern.
By 1876 the building was generally recognized as the place where Betsy Ross lived when she 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.
The Mund family took advantage of the house’s interesting history by posting a sign on the outside which read: “First Flag of the US Made in this House.” An 1876 advertisement for the Mund’s tavern read: “Original Flag House, Lager, Wine and Liquors. This is the house where the first United States flag was made by Mrs. John Ross.”
By the late 19th century most of the other colonial-era buildings that once stood on this block of Arch Street had been torn down and replaced with large industrial buildings and warehouses. Many people feared that Betsy’s home would meet the same fate.
In 1898, a group of concerned citizens established the American Flag House and Betsy Ross Memorial Association to raise money to purchase the house from the Munds, restore it, and open it as a public museum in honor of Betsy Ross and our first flag.
Today, the Betsy Ross House is furnished in the period in which Betsy Ross’ descendents said she lived here. Visitors can view seven period rooms, including a kitchen, bedrooms, parlor and the only interpretation of an 18th century upholstery shop in the country. The rooms are furnished with period antiques, 18th-century reproductions and objects that belonged to Betsy Ross and her family. Highlights of the collection include Betsy Ross’ walnut chest-on-chest, her Chippendale and Sheraton sidechairs, her eyeglasses, her quilted petticoat and her Bible.