Philadelphia, PA

"When in the course of human events . . ." Declaration of Independence

"We the People of the United States . . . " U.S. Constitution

I love history. I especially love American Revolution history. I get excited to read about it, I love to tour historical site about it - just standing in places our forefathers stood gives me pause and I feel reverence.

Carp and I had an opportunity to visit Philadelphia while we were in Pennsylvania in May. It was fun and exciting for me. I'm pretty sure Carp did the tours just because he knows I'm like a kid in a candy store when I have a chance to walk through history.

Carp and I visited the Liberty Bell Center. It chronicles the making and history of the bell, how historically it has provided value to different causes, what kind of trinkets have been fashioned after it and so forth. Lots of fun history.

The Liberty Bell ,which was originally the Pennsylvania State House bell, was casted in London, England. It cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell made from the original English Bell. Their names appear on the front of the bell - but, of course all of you National Treasure fans already know this. This picture would have been awesome if I could have asked everyone else there taking pictures to "step away from the bell. Six feet from the bell." (That was for you Tammy and Erin)


When William Penn created the Pennsylvania government he wanted the people to have the right to choose which religion they desired to worship. The people of Pennsylvania took this to heart. The Liberty Bell has a scripture on it. It reads,"Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof." (Leviticus 25:10)

The bell hung over the Pennsylvania State House, which is now Independence Hall, for many years after it was recasted. It was rung to gather people together to hear announcements. It was rung the day the Declaration of Independence was read to the people - Cool. A crack began to appear in the recasted bell by 1846. It was repaired to ring in the celebration of George Washington's birthday of that same year, but the crack once again reappeared and the bell was retired. No one knows why it cracked either time.

The bell was named the "Liberty Bell" by a group trying to outlaw slavery. By the late 1800's the Liberty Bell began traveling around the country to help heal the division after the Civil War and served as a reminder that our forefathers fought together to bring about our independence. Maybe we need to put that baby out traveling again!

There is a tour guide there that will answer any and all of your questions. If you plan on taking pictures, I just have to tell you it is hard to get a good picture of the front. The entire back wall is glass so you can get a picture with Independence Hall behind it. It was probably mostly user interface, but I could not get the picture light enough because of all the light behind the bell - I had to take one off to the side. So, when you go make your visit to this piece of history, refine your picture taking skills to get a better picture for me. Thanks.

Carpenter Hall is where the First Continental Congress was held in 1774 to discuss what the colonies should do about England's aggressive and unfair behavior towards the colonies. They ended up publishing a list of rights and grievances and sent them to King George. They also organized the boycott of English goods. King George did nothing about their grievances. Hind sight's 20/20 ain't it George!

Carpenter Hall was also the home of the Franklin Library Company (I love you Ben), The American Philosophical Society, and the First and Second Banks of the United States. I included the picture of the walkway leading up to Carpenter Hall because it still has the original stone. I can picture the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson walking this pathway to get to that hall. Wow.

Independence Hall - the birthplace of the United States. This was my favorite buildings to tour. This is the only building we had to get a timed ticket to get in so they could stagger the tour groups. Beautiful, isn't it?

There was a lot of heated discussion for and against severing ties with England in this building. This was the meeting place for the Second Continental Congress in 1775. At this point there was a price on each of the representatives heads for opposing the King George. It was probably the best thing the King could have done to unite them. Benjamin Franklin said something to the like of ,"We must all hang together or assuredly we will all hang separately." Unity was the key to gaining independence.

Look familiar? If you have seen 1776 or watched the recently released John Adams movie you will notice the reproduction of the Assembly Room is right on! It was in this Assembly Room of Independence Hall that George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Also, in this same room the design of the American flag was agreed upon in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and the U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787. The chair up front is the original chair that George Washington used while he presided over the Constitutional Convention. How awesome is that!?!?!

Here is the court room that is right across the hall from the Assembly Room. It was really dark in there - probably to keep those on trial from feeling any hope at all! Geeze! Check out the right hand side of the picture. There is a cage the accused would stand in. Like I said, no hope. Also the coat of arms on the top left of the picture was altered to eliminate any element associated with King George.

I had to include this picture because I remember seeing a scene from 1776 filmed on it. I just loved the blueish paint. When you enter the front of Independence Hall, the Assembly Room is on the left and the court room is on the right. Follow the walkway pass both and this is where you end up. We were not able to tour upstairs.

Here's a little trivia for you - Independence Hall is pictured on the back of the U.S. $100.00 bill, as well as the bicentennial Kennedy half dollar. The Assembly Room is pictured on the reverse side of the U.S. $2 dollar bill. Just wait for one of those to come up on Jeopardy. Now you know.

Congress Hall sits to the right of Independence Hall. The newly formed United States Congress occupied Congress Hall when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790-1800. That's right kiddies - Washington was not always the capital of this great nation. It was even moved to Lancaster, PA. for a brief time. Oops - better get back on subject.

The lower floor was occupied by the House of Representatives. Talk about grand! With the dark green valances, the long mahogany tables and leather studded chairs, I might wished I was a man who could run for office back then. Sorry the picture is so dark!

We got to sit in those chairs while the tour guide gave us the lecture on Congress Hall. George Washington had his second inauguration there and John Adams had his first.

The upper floor was used by the Senate. The chair at the head of the room is the original that John Adams sat in as the vice-president under George Washington. Many of the desks are original also. The rug is a reproduction but still totally awesome to behold.

There is a raised ceiling in the middle of the room. It has a fresco of an eagle holding an olive branch signifying peace. Also, there is a plaster medallion that has an oval sunburst design honoring the thirteen original states with thirteen stars. My picture isn't really all that great - again the room was dark. I hope you get better pictures if you ever go!

The Bill of Rights were ratified in these rooms. After Congress departed for Washington, D.C., the Hall reverted back to the Philadelphia County Courthouse.

Are you still with me? I know this is an incredibly long blog. What can I say - I've been holding it all in since May! It's just bursting out of me.

The last place we visited was the burial place of Benjamin Franklin. Ingenious, colorful, spirited Ben is my favorite revolutionary period person. I've read lots of books and articles about him. I just had to visit his grave - AND had to pay for it. Believe it or not, it cost us I think $2 to get into the cemetery he is buried in.

The headstone for Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah was actually a slab on the ground near the gate. I guess I could have stretched my arm in to try to get a picture, but I would never have gotten this photo centered. Plus, there are other signers of important documents buried in the same cemetery.

It was a quaint cemetery with paths among the headstones. Check out how the headstones are actually in the path. I have always loved old cemeteries back east. They have creative and decorative headstones and the cemeteries are far more interesting then those I have seen on the west coast.

So, there you have it! I would have visited more places if we had the time. I took this picture to show how Philadelphia is built up around these historic sites. If you ever have a chance to visit Philadelphia - take it! It is an experience.