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Creating the flag would have been an act of treason, so she would have done it in the privacy of her room where she could have been alone and kept her work out of sight. Tours start on the first floor which is where you’ll find the parlor, which is where Ross is said to have met with George Washington about the flag, and Betsy’s upholstery shop. Take a tour through cobblestone streets and meet costumed History Makers that will transport you back in time on a walk through “America’s Most Historic Square Mile”. Our experiences are crafted for history buffs and adventurers of all ages and interests. On the first floor you’ll find Betsy’s upholstery shop, which is where she is said to have met with George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross to discuss sewing the first American flag. This family-friendly celebration — hosted outdoors in Betsy’s courtyard — caps off Flag Fest with a full day of free entertainment.
Meet the historic seamstress and learn about her role in creating the American flag...
The 250th-anniversary celebrations at the Betsy Ross House are here and the house of America’s most famous flag maker celebrates with a full year of special events. For more than 150 years, the house served as both a business and a residence for many different owners. It saw the likes of a shoemaker, drugstore, tailor, a cigar shop, and even a tavern at one point! In the 1870s, the Mund family moved in and took advantage of the home’s history, posting a sign outside that read ‘First Flag of the U.S. Made in this House’ By the later 1800s, most of the other colonial-era buildings on the block of Arch Street were torn down and replaced with larger and more modern industrial buildings and warehouses. Many Philadelphians feared that the Betsy Ross house would face a similar fate.
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For a very special memento, guests can choose a date they want to commemorate and we will fly a flag on the courtyard flag pole that day, box it up and ship it to you with a certificate signed by the Director. Order online and have your souvenirs shipped straight to your home. But stitching America’s first flag is just a small part of the Betsy Ross story. Courageous rebel… Grieving widow… Working mom… Business owner… Survivor. Throughout the historic Betsy Ross House, you’ll discover artifacts, documents and historic interpreters that reveal the extraordinary life of an ordinary 18th century woman.
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Hot dogs, drinks and light snacks are available in the courtyard from Thursday through Sunday during March and April and daily starting May 1. Betsy's mother, father and sister all died days apart of yellow fever, leaving Betsy to raise her niece. And although Betsy and John were married for 34 years, John was disabled by a war injury for nearly 20 of them and needed constant care from his wife. The kitchen is a colonial-era kitchen with brick floors, a large hearth, cooking implements, and other historical artifacts. Legend has it that in 1776, George Washington visited Betsy to discuss a new flag design. She made some changes, like putting the stars in a circle with five points instead of six.
Here, we’ll explore our favorite stories from our collection so you can learn about all aspects of Betsy’s incredible life and work. Whether you pay the extra for an audio guide or not, tours of the home are self-guided. Visits to the Betsy Ross House take you through the two above-ground floors of the home, as well as into the cellar. While you have the option of paying a bit less for a standard tour, I highly recommend paying the few extra dollars for an audio guide. While the signage in the home is decent, the guide adds a ton of great context to the visit.
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Other women, such as Margaret Manning and Rebecca Young, sewed flags and other materials for the Continental Army. Rebecca Young, in particular, is credited with sewing the Grand Union Flag, which flew on Continental ships an entire year before Ross supposedly sewed the Stars and Stripes! Additionally, Young advertised her business in newspapers and pamphlets, leaving historians with more primary sources to examine and validate her work with.
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Unfortunately, Ross's business lacks such documentation. Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Ross was born to the family of Rebecca and Samuel Griscom on January 1, 1752. The eighth of seventeen children, Betsy grew up in a strict Quaker household that espoused the tenets of modesty and discipline. She attended The Friends School in Philadelphia and received a Quaker-based education until she was 14. After finishing school, she started an apprenticeship with expert upholsterer William Webster.
Otherwise, materials from demolished period homes were used. A new structure was added in the rear, made from period bricks. The front stairway and dormer were entirely replaced. The front doorway was moved to the opposite corner, and a new window was installed.
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In each room of the house you’ll find centuries-old items that belonged to Betsy Ross and her family. It was 250 years ago, in November 1773 that young John Ross and Elizabeth Griscom eloped across the river to New Jersey. Betsy, being a Quaker, was directly defying her family and faith to marry the Anglican.
History states that the house’s former owner died in the room that now functions as the director’s office. Just several blocks away from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell lies a skinny slice of history, the Betsy Ross House. The home itself was built over 250 years ago, and it is said that Betsy Ross herself lived there from 1776 to 1779. Why is this tiny little heritage home an important part of American history? Betsy Ross was the woman who designed and sewed the first-ever American flag.
Tickets are $8, the event is BYOB and BYO-snacks, and special after-hours tours are included. As part of Women’s History Month, the Betsy Ross House spotlights the lives, families and careers of women throughout the 1700s. The figures represent a range of racial, religious, social and political perspectives, and guests can look forward to free, hands-on workshops throughout.
She met her husband John Ross while she was apprenticed to an upholsterer named William Webster. The couple fell in love quickly and eloped, marrying at Hugg’s Tavern in Gloucester City, New Jersey, in 1773. They were successful, and restorations were completed by 1937, and all eight rooms of the small home were opened to the public on Flag Day, June 14th, 1937. A fitting day for this home to be reintroduced into society. The entire property, including the home and the courtyard, was gifted to the City of Philadelphia in 1941.
That same year, the two upholsterers, who had apprenticed together, founded a business that would soon become popular with Philadelphia’s colonial elite. This fall marks the beginning of a yearlong commemoration of two milestones in the life of Betsy Ross. The Betsy Ross House will host a series of special events continuing through Summer of 2024. The family opened two rooms on the first floor to the public where they could see the back room where the meeting between Betsy and the Flag Committee was said to have occurred and shop for souvenirs in the front room. And to protect the House from fire and other dangers, in 1929 the Memorial Association purchased two adjacent lots which later became the courtyard you see today. With a bit of the home’s history under their belt, the Ghost Hunters team set out to try and see what they experienced within the home.
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