Independence National Historical Park

"Behind each house is a little court or garden, where usually are the necessaries . . . the kitchen, stable, etc. are all placed in buildings at the side or behind . . . "An accurate portrait of home life in 18th-century Philadelphia would have to describe the backyard. For a wealthy few it could be a lush garden retreat, while for those of modest means it was the scene of practical household activities.Gardens provided fresh vegetables, and herbs for medicines. Flowers enlivened walkways and window boxes. Rainwater from the roofs ran down spouts into large wooden barrels, later to be poured into tubs for washing clothes. A stable held horses, cows, carriages. And, of course, the "necessary," or outhouse, stood close enough to the house for winter, and not too close for summer.In the backyard many activities took place in a small space, illustrating the intensity of development here in the late 1700s when Philadelphia was the capital city of the United States.

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Show me all markers in:  Philadelphia, PA  |  Philadelphia County  |  19106  |  Pennsylvania  |  United States of America

Historic Dock Creek
"Evangeline"
Carpenters' Hall
Quaker School Site
First Continental Congress
Old St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
A Working-Class House in the Capital City
Quaker Meeting House Site
James Madison 4th President lived here
Todd House

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