A peek inside a home off Elfreth’s Alley, one of Philly’s most historic streets

More than halfway down historic Elfreth’s Alley, a discreet sign, hanging from a lamp post, points the way to Bladen’s Court.

Though the court’s entrance is obscured by a leafy bush, 125,000 of the 177,000 tourists who strolled down Elfreth’s Alley from January to September found their way there.

Susan Poulton, who lives in one of the three homes on the court, knows the numbers because she serves on the board of the Elfreth’s Alley Association, which works to preserve and interpret the enclave of rowhouses, some dating from the early 18th century.

Poulton says most tourists are very nice, and she likes them “oohing and aahing about my house.”

Still, they are a presence. One day, Poulton was sitting on her living room sofa with the door and windows shut. She sneezed, and a tourist outside said “Bless you.”

Poulton joined the association’s board four months after she purchased her home in April 2021. Previously she lived in a one-bedroom apartment in a Center City high-rise.

Feeling trapped during the pandemic, Poulton, who moved to Philadelphia from the D.C. area in 2015, began searching for homes.

When she saw the listing for the Bladen’s Court house dating from the late 1700s, she thought it was an ad for a tour.

Poulton had visited Elfreth’s Alley and assumed that houses there were museums. “I had no idea you could buy one,” she said.

Now Vesta, her black cat, loves running up and down the narrow steps from the basement to the third floor and curling up on the sectional in the backyard. The outdoor space was once filled with a three-seat outhouse. Indoor plumbing was probably installed by the 1960s.

When Poulton purchased the 1,074-square-foot house, it was in good condition with original features such as white plaster walls, buff-painted trim and doors with wrought-iron hardware, wide-plank pine floors and four fireplaces — including one in the bathroom. Poulton installed a smaller sink there and replaced pulls on cabinets in the kitchen, which was updated in the 1990s.

Marks on the floor indicate where walls were taken down to create a combined living room, dining room and kitchen. Poulton’s office and bath are on the second floor, and her bedroom is on the dormered third floor.

In the living room, her beige sofa and moss green armchair from Pottery Barn are larger than furniture the earliest homeowners would have had.

In choosing decor for the space, she has artfully mixed furnishings from different eras and cultures. Poulton’s parents met in Afghanistan, where her mother was working at the British embassy and her American father was teaching engineering. They later lived in Indonesia, Pakistan and Fiji.

Next to a pewter tray from Pottery Barn on the living room mantle is a samovar from Afghanistan. Poulton collected the seashells displayed on the coffee table in Fiji. On the mantle in the dining area is a funereal sculpture and a puppet from Indonesia. A decorative screen came from Pakistan.

A photo of giraffes under a red sky in Botswana was taken by photographer Chris Johns, former photographer and editor in chief at National Geographic, where Poulton worked for eight years. She is now strategy and communications director for the Ocean Discovery League.

Nearby is a framed land grant from 1822 signed by President James Monroe, deeding land in Indiana to Poulton’s family.

Poulton also collects Elfreth’s Alley memorabilia, including postcards, an Ortlieb’s beer can with a sketch of the alley and china salt and pepper shakers, hand painted with an alley scene by artist Helen Yearsley, who lived there until her death in 1960.

Poulton watches sports on her flat-screen TV. She uses Alexa to manage electronic devices and has ductless air conditioning. “Ben Franklin would approve,” she said.

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