Frances Ellen Watkins Harper House

The Frances Ellen Watkins Harper House is a three-story brick rowhouse in Philadelphia with a modified storefront entrance and stucco finishing on its side wall. It stands as an end unit among several connected houses at the corner of Bainbridge and Alder Streets.

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, an African American writer and reformer, lived in this house from 1870 until her death in 1911. She shaped an era of civil rights activism and literary resistance against racism and injustice.

The residence hosted the creation of numerous poems and essays that explored African American life after the Civil War. Harper used this space to advocate for justice and equality through her written work.

The house is located in a residential neighborhood along a busy street that is easily accessible on foot. Visitors should note that the area is urban and active, and the building can be viewed from the outside.

The house is where Harper wrote Iola Leroy in 1892, one of the first novels published by an African American woman. This work is now recognized as a significant text in Black American literary history.

Location: Pennsylvania

GPS coordinates: 39.94167,-75.15944

Latest update: December 14, 2025 18:08