15. The City of Brotherly Love was the Site for the First Magdalen Laundry in the United States
Rescuing and reforming “fallen women” was the goal when an Episcopal Bishop and the Mayor formed the Magdalen Society of Philadelphia in 1800. After years of fundraising the home opened in 1808. A husband and wife worked as the matron and steward and oversaw the residents. Any woman who was pregnant, African American, or “diseased” was forbidden to apply for residency. For a time, wives of the board members went into the community to recruit women to enter the home. When that was met with resistance, they implemented an application process. The home could house 60 women, but was rarely full.
Once admitted, inmates were required to follow strict rules that included reading scriptures each day, not using profanity, and leaving only with permission. Each female was given an education in sewing to make clothing and yarn that was sold in the city. In 1850, the Society encouraged city officials to send women convicted of crimes to the home so that they could be reformed. Over time the Society shifted its focus from reform to educating girls in order to prevent delinquency in the first place.