Betsy Ross House

Why go

Betsy Ross House earns time because it offers a focused look at domestic work, national symbols and the making of public memory. Its central thread is a compact colonial house interpreted through the history and mythology of Betsy Ross. Small furnished rooms keep the scale of 18th-century household work visible. Interpretation separates documented evidence from later flag-making tradition.

What to look for

• Small furnished rooms keep the scale of 18th-century household work visible.
• Interpretation separates documented evidence from later flag-making tradition.

The full story

Betsy Ross House is best understood through a compact colonial house interpreted through the history and mythology of Betsy Ross. The Betsy Ross House is a landmark in Philadelphia purported to be the site where the seamstress and flag-maker Betsy Ross lived when she sewed the first American Flag. The origins of the Betsy Ross myth trace back to her relatives, particularly her grandsons, William and George Canby, and the celebrations of the Centennial of 1876. Evidence for the precise location of Ross' home came from verification provided by several surviving family members,although the best archival indicates the house would have been adjacent to the one that still stands today as The Betsy Ross House. Although the house is one of the most visited tourist sites in Philadelphia, the claim that Ross once lived there, and that she designed and sewed the first American flag, sometimes called the Betsy Ross flag, are considered false by most historians. The house sits on Arch Street, several blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The front part of the building was built around 1740, in the Pennsylvania colonial style, with the stair hall and the rear section added 10 to 20 years later. Had she lived here, Ross would have resided in the house from 1776, the death of her first husband, John Ross, until about 1779.

Useful to know

• Arrive early because narrow rooms can feel crowded.
• Pair it with Elfreth's Alley and Independence Mall on foot.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.