Historic houses contain layered stories from the people who have lived there over decades and centuries. Historic house museums often also have additional layers of meaning and mystery created by the process of preservation and restoration. Recently Board Member Emily Taggart Schricker looked back over Elfreth’s Alley Association minutes and the logbook of the restoration of house #126 to learn more about the layers in our museum today.
Throughout this Deck the Alley series we have not only brought you videos, but we have also asked our leadership team to introduce the content and share a bit about their involvement with the Alley. Today, we hear from Emily Taggart Schricker, who is not only a preservationist and our Board secretary, but who also created today's mini-documentary on the history of the Christmas Tree in Philadelphia.
Come on in!
Let’s face it, one of the best things about Deck the Alley is seeing the inside of the resident’s homes. How they decorated for the holidays. How they redecorated since last year. How they live 21st century lives in 18th and 19th century homes. And even though you won’t get to tour the homes live this year, we still wanted to share some digital tours, including my home, to give you your seasonal Elfreth’s Alley design fix.
Looking for that perfect gift? Want something that not only serves a purpose or looks good, but also supports organizations you love? Shop at museum gift shops!
This has been a devastating year for museums and buying gifts from their online stores is one thing you can do to support them at the end of 2020. Plus, lots of them have really great gifts on offer! Below I’ve picked out a few of my favorites from the Philadelphia area (and occasionally further afield).
This would be the week the Elfreth’s Alley Association and residents of the Alley would be energetically preparing for one of its two primary fundraisers, Deck the Alley. Given we cannot bring this unique and special event to you in person this year, we wanted to share a “gift” of memories of the Alley in winter and from past Deck the Alleys. So, sit back and enjoy our video presentation.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving…
As we prepare to gather, albeit, differently this year we wanted to share in the spirit of Thanksgiving with you! This week we bring you the “gift” of cheer(s) in the form of Smoking Bishop Punch. A mulled wine, made with port, red wine, oranges (and in this case, a grapefruit), sugar and spices, this punch dates back to Victorian England and is even referenced in Dickens’, A Christmas Carol. Please enjoy this video containing the recipe for this timeless libation, hosted by Alley friend and contributor, Markus Harris
History isn’t just about the rich and famous!
The names and stories of everyday people may have been lost or don’t live in the history books, their stories remain and it is our responsibility to share their past to remind us of what shapes our present. This week we chatted with Isabel Steven about the research she conducted on the women who lived in house #126 on the Alley, which is our museum house.
Deck the Alley, our annual holiday open house, will not occur as usual this year. The event simply involves too many people at too close quarters to be safe during an ongoing pandemic. We will, however, be channeling our festive spirits into a kind of digital festival over the next few months. Whereas we held our Fete Day via one longer video, Deck the Alley will be spread over a longer period. Elements will make their way to our social media accounts, but the best way to be sure you see all of our holiday programming is to sign up for our mailing list here.
We are so grateful for the many people who count Deck the Alley among their holiday traditions and we hope you will tune in to this unorthodox version of our classic event. Look forward to house tours, festive songs, history lectures, and a special edition of The Alley Cast!
Find all of our digital gifts at elfrethsalley.org/deckthealley!
During the process of writing Episode 7 of The Alley Cast, I got really interested in this monument to Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. If you haven’t listened to the episode yet, leaders of the AME denomination petitioned the organizers of the Centennial celebration (1876) to have a display at the fair—the only exhibit by Black Americans in the whole thing. They commissioned a monument of Richard Allen and the various marble sections were en route by train when they were lost as the train car they were in plunged off a bridge into a river. Only the bust of Allen, which was in a separate train car, survived, and made it onto display at the Centennial.
In research for episode 5 of The Alley Cast, I came across a seemingly simple piece of information:
Robert Morton and Charles Wilson, residents of house #135 in 1930 worked at a shovel factory.
This single fact took me down a few serious rabbit holes, and I learned some really interesting stuff, but the episode ultimately wasn’t about the shovel factory and I couldn’t ever nail down any more specifics of Morton’s and Wilson’s employment. But I wanted to share my little research journey here, because I think it’s interesting!
I started with a simple question: where was the factory?
In the process of creating The Alley Cast, our team has learned a lot and sometimes recognized mistakes we made earlier in the process. This post from Isabel Steven is intended to be a companion piece and commentary on episode three of The Alley Cast, "The Public Universal Friend in Philadelphia."
Dilmar M. Gamero S., a PhD student at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art, has been doing some rephotography of Elfreth’s Alley—taking photos from the same vantage points as older photos. Gamero is working toward a larger project using stereoscopic effects to make these images feel 3D, but he shared this taste of what he’s been working on!
In the wake of more murders of Black Americans by police over the last few weeks and the ongoing plague of murders of Black trans women, many white Americans are turning to reading lists to make sense of the present moment and perhaps unpack some of the racism within themselves.
JSTOR, one of the largest sites for accessing academic journals digitally, released its own reading list --”Institutionalized Racism: A Syllabus”-- providing free synopses of some really important scholarship. At the same time, JSTOR increased the number of articles you can read after creating a free account. I wanted to highlight what I think are a few great picks from the “Syllabus” JSTOR put together as well as a few pieces on the history of Philadelphia that are relevant to our present:
This summer the Elfreth’s Alley Association is lucky enough to have two interns working with us. I have asked them each to introduce themselves to you. Today, meet Isabel Steven! -TM
My path to Elfreth’s Alley began in the first weeks that I moved to Philadelphia two years ago. I toured the Alley and the house museum on a typical summer day that was bright and bustling with tourists, locals, and residents. Although in many ways No. 126 was what I expected from a historic house, it was surprisingly similar to the home I had just moved into. Both spaces have the trademark features of a traditional trinity house: one room to each floor, ceilings so low you could brush them with your fingertips, and a narrow, steep curved set of stairs. The warnings from the volunteer guides to be careful when going up and down them made sense; I myself had slipped going down my own set a few days earlier.
Over on Hidden City today you can read the latest scholarship of Keshler Thibert, an excellent tour guide who has been an enthusiastic volunteer with us over the last year.
Thibert writes about Louisa Charlotte Burr, a biracial daughter of Aaron Burr, who made Philadelphia her home for much of her life. Burr’s life, in Thibert’s telling, offers a window into domestic work but also activism and radical abolitionism. Thibert’s essay also touches on the flourishing work of local and family historians, whose work often goes unacknowledged. Read the full piece here:
https://hiddencityphila.org/2020/06/discovering-louisa-charlotte-burr-abolitionist-mother-unsung-hero/
This summer the Elfreth’s Alley Association is lucky enough to have two interns working with us. I have asked them each to introduce themselves to you. First up, Joe Makuc! -TM
Ever wanted to know why Elfreth’s Alley is separate from Cherry Street? My name is Joe Makuc, and I’ll be answering that question about the Alley’s environment this summer!
In the era of social distancing, many folks are taking up new hobbies, or refreshing their skills at old tricks. Bread baking, sewing facemasks, and knitting seem to be popular among my friends, if Instagram is any indication. For those picking up their knitting needles, we recently unearthed a pattern for a cowl that takes its inspiration from the homes on Elfreth’s Alley.
