Betsy Ross House

The Betsy Ross House was built over 250 years ago. The front portion was built around 1740, with the stair hall (or piazza) and the rear section added 10 to 20 years later. 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.

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.