"Our stylish boarding-house" : boardinghouses in three Lancaster, Pennsylvania neighborhoods

Abstract

Boardinghouses represent an important, yet highly overlooked historic resource. This study examines boardinghouses in three neighborhoods in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, using a combination of maps and census data, to shed light on the practice of boarding in Lancaster as well as the kinds of structures in which boarding took place. Considering boarding on a range of scales, this study looks at both the broad demographic trends of boarders and boardinghouse keepers, including gender, class, race, and ethnicity, as well as specific examples of boardinghouses. From these findings, this study provides a series of recommendations for how boardinghouses can be studied, preserved, and interpreted within their communities.