Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Clearly I am still not feeling like anything I have to say matters enough to say it out loud because it is LABOROUS to get my trip reviews put into words! So, I am here to just reach that B goal of posting my photos with some details – mostly cited information and less my own experience.
There are many private companies offering guided walks, but I would rather save that money and use it for some regional food or drinks – which is what we did. The National Park Service offers two guided walks a day, for free, and each walk has a different theme. So, we opted to follow a park ranger through the historical park and had a really great time.
Old City Hall: “From 1790 to 1800, Philadelphia was the Capital of the United States. And from August 1791 to February 1800, the United States Supreme Court held sessions in the courtroom on the first floor of Old City Hall, sharing space with the Mayor’s Court. Initially the Supreme Court was composed of a Chief Justice and 5 Associate Justices. Over the Court’s first 12 years, it took 12 men to fill those 6 places. The early Supreme Court enjoyed neither the prestige nor the power that it does today. President Washington appointed the finest legal minds in the United States to the Supreme Court, but was plagued by resignations. Some appointees even turned down the “honor” of serving on the court.” USHistory.org
“Carpenters’ Hall is a treasure in historic Philadelphia. It hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was home to Franklin’s Library Company, The American Philosophical Society, and the First and Second Banks of the United States.” Carpenter’s Hall
The tour we were on focused mostly on the grievances Americans had with Great Britain and their imposed laws – mostly taxes. This location is where the new leaders met to consider avenues to use to move forward toward freedom.
Franklin Court: “was the site of the handsome brick home of Benjamin Franklin, who lived here while serving in the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. Franklin died here in 1790; the house was torn down 22 years later. Today the site contains a steel “ghost structure” outlining the spot where Franklin’s house stood and features the Benjamin Franklin Museum, a museum that explores Franklin’s life and character through artifacts, animations, and hands-on interactives. The Franklin Court complex also includes a working reproduction of an 18th century printing office, an architectural/archeological exhibit, and an operating post office.” National Park Service
Betsy Ross House: “You’ve heard the legend. But stitching America’s first flag is just a small part of the Betsy Ross story. Courageous rebel… Grieving widow… Working mom… Business owner… Survivor.” Historic Philadelphia
To walk the same ground that this woman walked, well before women were supposed to be anything other than the wife to so-and-so…it is a must-do.
Christ Church Burial Ground is famously where Benjamin Franklin is buried. Barbarian Scientist is skeptical that their actual remains are still here. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here: Francis Hopkinson, Benjamin Rush, Joseph Hewes and George Ross. It is still an active cemetery (as in people continue to buried here, NOT as in zombies…allegedly), so it is well-protected, including an entrance fee and security.
The Independence Hall World Heritage Site was finished in 1753. This is where the Declaration of Independence was signed and then a decade later the US Constitution was formed. Those documents are now at one of my favorite places in DC, The National Archives. I will write about it someday.
“Independence Hall was designed by Andrew Hamilton and master building Edmund Woolley to house the colonial Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Finished in 1753, the building is a modest brick structure with a steeple that was intended to hold a 2,080lb bell. The Liberty Bell, as it is now called, however, has cracked twice and stands silently on the ground in a special shelter. The bell hanging in the tower today was presented to the City of Philadelphia in honor of America’s Centennial. The building has undergone many restorations, notably by architect John Haviland in 1830, and by a committee from the National Park Service in 1950 that worked to return the building to its 1776 appearance. Independence Hall is not designated a World Heritage Site for its architectural design but for the documents of fundamental importance to American history drafted and debated within its walls, , which formed the democracy of the United States and have influenced lawmakers and politicians around the world.” National Park Service
The foundation of George Washington’s house while the US capital was in Philly is well preserved with a foundation and protective glass surrounding it. “George Washington and John Adams, our nation’s first two presidents, took up residence here while Philadelphia was the temporary capital of the U.S. In what Washington called “the best single house in the city…” these two presidents negotiated treaties and presided over divisive cabinet meetings. Washington’s large household included family members as well as indentured and enslaved servants. Adams, never a slaveholder, employed a small staff of servants.” National Park Service
The Liberty Bell is protected and for display on the grounds of Independence Hall. It is free to visit, but the line to get through security is long. I have been here a few times with the boys and security is still strict. I remember one time I accidentally still had a pocket knife with me, so I stashed it in a planter and after we exited the exhibit, my knife had been found a removed from the planter. It just makes one wonder if we are ever NOT being watched!
“The Liberty Bell’s inscription, “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10), went unnoticed during the Revolutionary War. But by the 19th century, this inscription became a herald of liberty, and provided a rallying cry for abolitionists, who first referred to the bell as the “Liberty Bell” in 1835, years before that name was widely adopted.” Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation
The Pennsylvania Fire Insurance Company, not even the oldest insurance company in the United States, has been preserved by architects leaving the entire front of the building as the front of a very contemporary building.
“Incorporated in 1825, the Pennsylvania Fire Insurance Company began its operation at 134 Walnut Street, which was also the dwelling house of one of its incorporators, Jonathan Smith. The company issued both perpetual and temporary insurance coverage. Its first perpetual policy, dated March 7, 1825, insured a brick house and card manufactory located at 86 South Front Street, Philadelphia, for $2,000. Dated one month earlier, Temporary Policy No. 1 was issued to cover the contents of a South Front Street auction store, which were recorded as “goods usually kept in Dry Goods Stores, including Household Furniture and Linen, Cotton in Bales, . . . Flour, Indigo, . . . and Earthenware.” The amount of the policy was $10,000.” Historical Society of Pennsylvania
If you have been following my website, you know I’ve been on a troll hunt.
I just saw another troll on our road trip this weekend! This one is Big Rusty, located at a crumbling industrial location in Hainesport that will soon be turned into a park. Thomas Dambo placing Big Rusty here has inspired a number of local artists to expand on his mission to combine environmentalism and art, and there will soon be a Burlington County Troll Trek!
I *think* this is an inclusive list of the US trolls (the map is difficult for me to navigate, so I may have missed something)
- Bainbridge Island, WA
- Ballard, Seattle, WA
- West Seattle, WA
- Vashon Island, Seattle, WA
- Issaquah, WA
- Portland, OR
- Rendezvous Park, Jackson Hole, WY
- Breckenridge, CO
- Cripple Creek, Victor, CO
- Austin, TX
- Detroit Lakes, MN (6 trolls)
- Frazee, MN
- Germfask, MI
- Dayton, OH (3 trolls)
- Bernheim, KY (3 trolls)
- Blackberry, TN
- Suwanee Music Park, FL
- Wynwood, Miami, FL
- Virginia Beach, VA (6 trolls)(traveling exhibit)
- Hainesport, NJ
- South Country, RI
- South Londonderry, VT (temp closed)
- Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, ME
- Puerto Rico (2 trolls)
“The world is you gallery. You are the art.”
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