The Hungry Ten

The Hungry Ten

If you’ve ever driven past 225-245 S. Lincoln Avenue (near the CVS) you may have wondered what’s the story behind the set of 10 row-houses on the East side of the street. 

These 10 identical brick row houses, known as the “Hungry Ten”, were built by the Newtown Improvement Company between 1908 and 1909. The company, chartered in 1878, also built the nearby Stocking Works as well as other buildings around Newtown. The Hungry Ten were intended to provided Newtown’s working-class laborers affordable housing, which at the time meant around $9-$11 per month!  

Design elements of the houses included cement lintels that simulate keystones, unique two-over-ten windows, and decorative free board that was interrupted at the division of each house.

The nickname stems from the tenants the houses attracted, which included laborers and their families from local factories and businesses. These included the Newtown railroad, the U.S. Bobbin and Spool Works, Newtown Pottery, Worstall’s Feed and Flour Mill, Kenderdine’s Coal Yard and others. During the Great Depression, it is said that the families who occupied these dwellings had no money to buy food, despite the affordability of the houses, hence the nickname the “Hungry Ten”. Today, one would be hard-pressed to get a good lunch for the same amount that would’ve gotten you a months rent back then. Of course, the houses were devoid of electric, bathrooms and running water as late as 1920, yet still considered a good bargain!

The property itself has an interesting history, which can be traced to Edward Hicks’ in-laws Joseph and Susanna Worstall. Edward Hicks owned the property himself when he died in 1849. If you’re interested in learning much more, stop by NHA headquarters and take a look at  “A History of 241 South Lincoln Avenue”, Part of the “Hungry Ten” Block, Newtown, P.A., Prepared by the Historic Preservation Department of Heritage Conservancy, November 1994.