Elfreth’s Alley Day is coming up soon on Saturday, June 7th from 1pm-5pm! On this day we block off the street for this fundraising event to benefit the continued preservation of the Alley, just as we have done every year since 1934. That means that this year marks 91 celebrations of Elfreth’s Alley Day! Here’s a brief history of how it all began, and how the event has evolved over time.
One of the crown jewels in our archives at the Elfreth’s Alley Association is a scrapbook entitled A Chronicle of Elfreth’s Alley, compiled by Eliza Newkirk Rogers. According to our records, Rogers was one of the founding members of the EAA and one of its earliest volunteers. From 1932 to 1967, she meticulously collected every mention of Elfreth’s Alley that appeared in print and pasted them into her 190 page scrapbook, leaving a priceless document of the development of the Elfreth’s Alley Association and the preservation of the Alley itself. Thanks to this scrapbook, we know the exact date when the Elfreth’s Alley Association was founded:
“On a rainy evening, March 28, 1934 with a 30 degree temperature, the Elfreth’s Alley Association was formed by residents of the street with the following officers: Mrs. Florence Greer (President) and Mrs. Dolly W. Ottey (Vice President).”
Working alongside the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, which had been founded by Frances Ann Wister in 1931 to save the Powel House from demolition, the first members set about the task of raising the city’s awareness of the importance of Elfreth’s Alley as a historic site. But how to do so? The best answer was to allow the citizens of Philadelphia to visit the Alley and to see its homes. This led to the first iteration of what is now called Fete Day or Elfreth’s Alley Day, inviting people to explore the Alley on June 2, 1934. To begin with, the event was promoted as “At Home on Elfreth’s Alley.”
“At Home on Elfreth’s Alley” was repeated the following year (1935), and the local newspaper reported on the success of the event: “Elfreth’s Alley came into its own again yesterday…More than 500 lovers of the old and the picturesque paraded through the alley during the afternoon.” Clearly, the Elfreth’s Alley Association’s goal of bringing awareness to this unique historic street was paying off!
In 1937 and 1938, the event was transformed into a massive street theater pageant called “Windows of Old Philadelphia,” with dozens of local actors in colonial costume recreating events that could have occurred on Elfreth’s Alley in 1725 and 1776. The stage was the Alley itself, with audience members following the actions of the characters throughout.
By 1940, the event had returned to the “At Home” moniker, but the following year it was rebranded as “Elfreth’s Alley Day.” Philadelphia’s Weekly News Magazine described some of the programs offered in 1941:
“The Rittenhouse Square Clothes Line of Art will be displayed, and there will be music, ice cream and cake for sale, and a ‘White Elephant’ sale of gifts. Colonial costumes will be worn by members of the Elfreth’s Alley Association. The Hearthstone, the delightfully quaint tearoom at 115 Elfreth’s Alley, will be open all day, serving delicious food in an old world setting. Also visit the charming gift shop in Number 136. Come and bring your friends and in so doing, help in the restoration and preservation of one of the landmarks of Old Philadelphia. Admission 25 cents.”
As noted above, in 1935 the event welcomed 500 visitors. But by 1941 that number had increased to 1,500 attendees and in 1942 the number rose again to 1,800! Elfreth’s Alley Day had certainly fulfilled its initial goal of raising awareness of the historic importance of the Alley and the need to save it from destruction. From the forming of the Elfreth’s Alley Association in 1934 - when the street was regarded by many as one of the worst slums in Philadelphia - to just eight years later in 1942 welcoming nearly two thousand people in a single day to a now beloved neighborhood institution was an incredible feat indeed! Due to its clear success, this may be one of the reasons why Dolly Ottey chose to close her Hearthstone restaurant at 115 Elfreth’s Alley on November 22, 1942. On May 3, 1943, #115 became the new headquarters of the Elfreth’s Alley Association. The original Hearthstone sign is on display in our museum.
By 1944, the programming offered at Elfreth’s Alley Day expanded greatly, as you can see in the program pages below:
In 1946, Elfreth’s Alley Day was rebranded as “Annual Fete Day” for the first time, and continued under that name for many years. Here are some images from the 1949 program:
By 1954 - twenty years after the formation of the Elfreth’s Alley Association - attendance for Elfreth’s Alley’s Annual Fete Day had reached 10,000 visitors, an amazing victory for all the people who had worked so hard to convince the citizens of Philadelphia that Elfreth’s Alley was indeed a special place worth saving and celebrating.
And the story isn’t over yet! We continue the tradition of Elfreth’s Alley Day: A Neighborhood Fete on Saturday, June 7th from 1pm-5pm. By purchasing a ticket and enjoying the many delightful activities and performances we have to offer (and getting to peak inside the houses of the Alley) you are becoming an integral part of the Elfreth’s Alley story - a story of community, historical preservation, and the lives of ordinary Philadelphians from 300 years ago to the present. We hope to see you on the Alley on June 7th!