The Lower East Side Tenement Museum brings to life a vivid slice of the American immigrant experience. Using census data for some of the 7,000 tenants who lived at 97 Orchard Street from 1863 to 1935, visitors learn: how many people lived in each apartment, how many spoke English, and what sort of work they did. The museum investigates specific families to paint a far richer story of life in that household as they worked to find their American dream. For example:

• One mother had ten children, six of whom survived. The eldest child worked at home. The youngest child was a law student.
• A newly arrived watchmaker could not speak English, but his daughters did. He had been out of work for several months.
• A 58-year-old German tailor lived with his wife, the last representatives of an earlier wave of immigration.

These stories give shape to a larger story—the story of America. Learn more about these Lower East Side families and the Tenement Museum at the site below.