Past Residents & Descendants 
 
 
 
 
Contact Us
 
 
Join our email list to receive newsletters, event announcements, and other information about the Alley
 



 
 
 
 
DID YOU KNOW?
Windsor chairmaker John B. Ackely Jr., who lived in House 124 (the Museum Shop) in the late 1700s and early 1800s worked with his father to build an entire set of Windsor Chairs for the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday June 7, 2008, Noon -5:00 PM

   

Fete Day began in 1938 as a way to raise awareness of the historical significance of Elfreth's Alley and the threats of decades of neglect and encroachment by nearby factories.  Ticket sales, donations, card parties, and bake sales all raised money to help rescue and restore the buildings and produce guidebooks, tours, and souvenirs to help spread the message. 

Today Fete Day is a lively street fair featuring open house tours, music, craft demonstrations, kids' games and Philly favorite foods - hot dogs, soft pretzels, and root beer floats!

Highlights of Fete 2008 include:

  • performances by the Brandywine Heights High School Fife & Drum Corps.
  • Wood turning Demonstrations by Keith Davies and the Wood Turning Center
  • Papermaking demonstrations by the Philadelphia Handmade Paper Company
  • Chairmaking demonstrations by Anthony Passarelli
  • Book signing by John Phillips, author of "George Washington's Rules of Civility"
  • Hot dogs, soft pretzels and root beer floats from Philadelphia's own The Franklin Fountain

Proceeds from Fete Day support educational programs about the history of everyday Philadelphians, including providing free tours to thousands of school children each year.  The Elfreth's Alley Association is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.




Thank you to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and the generous corporations and individuals who  support our mission with general operating support.  Click belowif you would like to help us tell the world about the lives of ordinary people.
 
The Elfreth's Alley is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational organization that uses the Alley as a lens to interpret the lives, lifestyles, and livelihoods of ordinary Philadelphians from the time of the City's founding through to the present day.  The Association preserves the Elfreth's Alley National Historic Landmark District as a rare example of a once commonplace working class community from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.