Can you imagine being only 6 years old and having to take care of your 3 younger siblings and one of them is sick? How about being a parent of 4 and your husband disappears? Maybe you have to figure out a way to help your family and you weren’t a legal resident of the United States? All these scenarios came to life for us during the Hard Times tour of the Tenement Museum on the lower east side of New York City. Home to over 7,000 people, the building that has been partially restored and turned into a museum, was an incredible insight for family lives of those newly arrived to our country 100 years ago plus.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Where a row of houses originally stood, and had been divided up so 3-5 families could live in each one, became a series of tenements. These newer buildings took up the same space as the old houses but could easily house 20+ families in a series of 3 room “apartments”.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum
During the Hard Times tour of the Tenement Museum, we got an in-depth view of 2 different families; one during the bank crash in the late 1800s and one right after the Stock Market crash of 1929. Originally from Prussia (now Poland) the first family of 6 had a unique and challenging life. The Sicilian family of four seemed a much happier marriage and you could hear audio recordings from the actual daughter.
One thing that really surprised me?
How I realized that Hollywood had influenced my view of that to expect. Our Orchard St visit showed a building that was beautiful in it’s heyday, well maintained and it turned out to have a great community housed inside. I was expecting a slum-lord type of situation.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum
They worked HARD back then. Hauling coal and water to do simple daily chores, no air conditioning, and trying to keep a home clean that was burning coal and creating soot. The second family was from the turn of the century and had gas and electricity but still, hand-washing clothes and so much more!
If you make it to New York City, I seriously hope you choose to invest two hours and catch at least one of the different tours that the Tenement Museum offers. They do an amazing job and really bring history to life!
Make sure you start in the gift shop – they have an incredible amount of cookbooks, historical books, and even a kid’s section! It supports what they are doing with the museum and helps them restore and preserve the building.
disclaimer: we were offered a free tour in exchange for the review. I was surprised at how much I learned and how cool it really was!
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This sounds like a wonderful stop. I love history and back when had families that came to the US seeking a better life.