Any tour of Philadelphia should start with Independence
National Historic Park , or INHP , "America's most
historic square mile," which covers a mere four blocks just west of
the Delaware River between Walnut and Arch streets, but can take
more than a day to explore in full. The solid redbrick buildings
here, not all of which are open to the public, epitomize the
Georgian (and after the Revolution, Federalist) obsession with
balance and symmetry.
All INHP sites (unless otherwise specified) are open 365 days a
year and admission is free; hours are usually 9am to 5pm, sometimes
longer in summer. The visitor center at 6th and Market
streets (daily 8:30am-5pm, closed Christmas, Thanksgiving &
Easter; tel 215/965-7676 or 1-800/537-7676, ) has maps and shows a
short, somewhat ghostly film, Independence , directed by
John Huston. Free tours set off from the rear of the east
wing of Independence Hall, the single most important site, as well
as from the visitor center itself - call to check schedules.
Throughout the day, costumed actors perform patchy but informative
skits in various locations across the site - pick up a copy of the
Historic Philadelphia Gazette pamphlet for listings.
It's best to reach Independence Hall early, to avoid the
hordes of tourists and school parties. Built in 1732 as the
Pennsylvania State House, this was where the Declaration of
Independence was prepared and signed and, after the pealing of the
Liberty Bell, given its first public reading on July 8, 1776.
Today, in the room in which Jefferson et al drafted and signed the
United States Constitution, you can see George Washington's
high-backed chair with the half-sun on the back - Franklin, in
optimistic spirit, called it "the rising sun."
The Liberty Bell itself hung in Independence Hall from
1753, ringing to herald vital announcements such as victories and
defeats in the Revolutionary War. Stories as to how it received its
famous crack vary; one tells that it occurred while tolling the
funeral of Chief Justice Marshall in 1835. Whatever the truth, it
rang publicly for the very last time on George Washington's
birthday in 1846.
Later in the century, the bell's inscription from Leviticus,
advocating liberty "throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants," made it an anti-slavery symbol for the New England
abolitionists - the first to call it the Liberty Bell. After the
Civil War the silent bell was adopted as a symbol of reconciliation
and embarked on a national rail tour. The well-traveled and
somewhat lumpen icon now rests at eye level in a purpose-built
concrete-and-glass pavilion on Market Street between 5th and
6th streets. After endless complaints about the pavilion's
architecture, it's due to move in late 2002 to a neocolonial style
home not far away that's been designed to better blend in with the
rest of INHP.
Next door to Independence Hall on 6th and Chestnut streets,
Congress Hall , built in 1787 as Philadelphia County
Courthouse, is where members of the new United States Congress
first took their places, and where all the patterns for today's
government were established. The First Bank of the United
States at 3rd and Chestnut streets was established in 1797 to
formalize the new union's currency - a vital task given that even
Rhode Island, the smallest state, had three different types of
currency in use.
In 1774, delegates of the first Continental Congress -
predecessor of the US Congress - chose defiantly to meet at
Carpenter's Hall , 320 Chestnut St, rather than the more
commodious State House, to air their grievances against the English
king. Today the building exhibits early tools and furniture
(Tues-Sun 10am-4pm). Directly north, Franklin Court , 313
Market St, is a tribute, on the site of his home, to Benjamin
Franklin. The house no longer stands, but steel frames outline the
original structure. An underground museum has dial-a-quote
recordings of his pithy sayings and the musings of his
contemporaries, and there's a working printshop. The B Free
Franklin Post Office , 316 Market St, sells stamps and includes
a small postal museum. Other buildings in the park include the
original Free Quaker Meeting House , two blocks north of
Market at 5th and Arch, built in 1783 by the small group of Quakers
who actually fought in the Revolutionary War. There's also the
Philosophical Hall , 104 S 5th St, still used today by the
nation's first philosophical debating society (founded by
Franklin). The building is closed to the public, but features a
statue of Ben in intellectual mode, garbed in a fetching toga.