119 Elfreth's Alley

Architectural elements that signal the house’s early date include the pent eave, a small roof between the first and second story, and the Flemish bond brick pattern, in which the headers, or short end of the brick, alternate with the stretchers, or long side of the brick.  The brick pattern is accentuated by the use of glazed headers, which appear dark and shiny.  The glazing was actually a mistake, produced during the brick-making process when impurities rose to the surface closest to the fire.  Rather than throw away the “impure” bricks, Colonial artisans used them in a decorative pattern.

The house was sold in 1757 to Matthias Meyer, a German potter who most likely used the pottery and kiln to the west of the house (where House 121 now stands).  After she was widowed in 1775, Esther Meyer may have used House 119 as a boarding house or tavern.  Tax lists indicate that French and Spanish men – probably sailors – were renting rooms at the address.  Widow Meyer also bought the land where the potter’s kiln had stood and built a separate rental property there.

In 1809, cooper George Peddle and his wife Margaret bought both Houses 119 and 121 from Meyer’s estate.  When Margaret had House 119 insured two years later, there were two “adjoining tenements” added at the back of the building.  The two-story brick buildings each measured nine by eighteen feet.  It is unclear if these back buildings were constructed before or after the Peddle’s purchase.  However, their presence does much to explain the large number of residents consistently living at 119 Elfreth’s Alley.  During the middle of the 19th century these residents included a victualler, soap boiler, and three tailors.