Swept Under the Rug: Strategic Placement of Almshouses in New York City and Philadelphia

Summary

Cities from the colonial period until the present day have tried to conceal their ‘problem populations’ from the view of the general public. These ‘unworthy’ individuals, housed in Almshouses, penitentiaries, asylums, and the like have traditionally been hidden by placing such institutions on the outskirts of urban centers. Substantial walls, lavish gardens, and formal architecture were also utilized to disguise the true nature of these complexes. Inevitably, rapidly growing cities eventually overtake their rural environs and buildings originally meant to be out of public view often end up in the middle of urban areas. This paper examines almshouses in New York City and Philadelphia through time and how each city attempted to strategically locate, hide, and disguise their growing poor populations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• New York’s City Hall Park: A Physical Space for New York City’s Public

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-77,02