Remnant of Brick Flooring

A remnant of brick flooring from Franklin's cellar kitchen survives, with bricks laid on edge on a lime mortar bed beside part of the house's south foundation wall. While Franklin was in London in 1765, he and his wife Deborah were building their house, and much of their correspondence concerned its details. In February 1765 Deborah Franklin wrote from Philadelphia that the lower part of the house was being cleaned and should soon be ready for laying the kitchen floor. In fall 1765 she reported that the chimneys were very good and that she had baked in the oven successfully. On June 4, 1765, Franklin wrote from London that he wished he could have been present for the finishing of the kitchen, which he called a mere machine, because its several contrivances for carrying off steam, smell, and smoke had not been fully explained to her.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · United States