Betsy Ross and the First American Flag

The Betsy Ross House on Arch Street claims to be where the first American flag was sewn in 1776. While historians debate whether Ross actually made the first Stars and Stripes, she was a real upholsterer who made flags for the Pennsylvania Navy. The tiny house dates to about 1740 and was at risk of demolition as neighboring colonial buildings were torn down. Starting in 1898, about two million Americans each paid a dime for a membership in the American Flag House and Betsy Ross Memorial Association to save it.