Elizabeth Drinker (1735-1807)
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A prominent Philadelphia Quaker whose diaries (1758-1807) offer a substantial historical account of events and everyday life of the era. In her home, east of here, she chronicled the 1777 British invasion of Philadelphia and other events related to America's founding.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In a Philadelphia rowhouse, the Quaker matron Elizabeth Drinker kept a diary for nearly half a century, from 1758 until her death in 1807. Her entries are one of early America's richest personal records — she watched the British march into the city during the Revolution's 1777 occupation and set down the texture of ordinary life amid founding-era upheaval. As a woman of means, faith, and unusual persistence, she chronicled a world that official histories rarely captured.
Why it matters
Drinker's decades of diaries give historians an intimate, day-by-day window into Revolutionary and early-national Philadelphia through the eyes of a woman who lived it.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- Betsy Ross House0.1 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery0.1 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Muse Gallery0.1 mi away · 52 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Larry Becker Contemporary Art0.2 mi away · 43 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Paradigm Gallery + Studio0.2 mi away · 12 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- United States Postal Service Museum0.3 mi away · 316 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Elfreth's Alleynearby
- U.S. Mint at Philadelphia Tour0.3 mi away
- Benjamin Franklin Grave0.3 mi away
- First Bank of the United States0.4 mi away · 120 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Carpenters' Hall0.4 mi away · 320 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
- President's House0.4 mi away
Food & drink
- 3J's Cafe0.3 mi away · 317 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Bubble Tea Room0.3 mi away · 319 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- PrimoHoagies0.3 mi away · 304 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Fork0.3 mi away · 306 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Menagerie Coffee0.3 mi away · 18 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Mechanics0.3 mi away · 22 South 3rd Street, Philadelphia
Places to stay
- Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia E - Penns Landing0.1 mi away · 100 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia
- The Philadelphia House0.2 mi away · 17 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Penn's View Hotel0.2 mi away · 14 North Front Street, Philadelphia
- Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District0.2 mi away · 400 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels0.3 mi away · 33 Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Hostels Philadelphia0.3 mi away · 32 South Bank Street, Philadelphia, PA
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Related people
- · Elizabeth Drinker
Related events
- · British occupation of Philadelphia (1777)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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