Unearthing the Material Culture of Nineteenth-Century Irish Immigrants in the "City of Homes": A Case Study from Elfreth’s Alley, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Summary

In contrast to many other American cities, which developed distinctive ethnic neighborhoods during the nineteenth century, Philadelphia’s European immigrant populations were largely dispersed throughout the city during this period. Irish immigrants lived in every ward of Philadelphia as newcomers from various European countries settled along alleyways and courtyards throughout the city. Using Elfreth’s Alley National Historic Landmark as a case study, this paper argues that the dispersion, intermingling, and lack of segregation between immigrant groups in Philadelphia had implications for how newcomers navigated daily life and how the material culture they left behind can be interpreted as representations of material identity. A diverse population of European immigrants shared living spaces along Elfreth’s Alley during the nineteenth century, including residents from Ireland, Germany, England, Spain, Russia, the Czech Republic, and more. Archaeological investigations at two properties along the Alley did not unearth artifacts discretely linked to "Irishness," rather an examination of the material culture of the built environment revealed common features across domestic spaces shared by immigrants from different ethnic backgrounds. The findings at Elfreth’s Alley highlight some of the challenges and limitations of uncovering material demonstrations of ethnic identity in densely populated urban contexts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22010