My daughter and I took another trip this past week to feed her taste for history. This trip took us to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of our country. This is where our forefathers met and discussed how to form this new country. Fortunately, people understood the importance of preserving the city’s history, by restoring its amazing buildings, museums, statues, and cemeteries.
Independence National Historical Park, the “most historic square mile in America” includes Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two of the city’s most important attractions.
Independence Hall, formerly Pennsylvania State House, is the birthplace of the United States where in 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Eleven years later, delegates to the Constitutional Convention created and signed an enduring framework of government – the United States Constitution.
Interior Photos:
During the blistering summer of 1776, 56 courageous men gathered at the Pennsylvania State House and defied the King of England.
Eleven years later, representatives from 12 states gathered to shape the U.S. Constitution, finally creating one unified nation.
In 1751, Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris ordered a bell for the bell tower to be made by the Whitechapel Foundry in London. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted that bell down and cast a new one in Philadelphia. This is the bell that would ring to call lawmakers to their meetings and the townspeople together to hear the reading of the news. It was later known as the Liberty Bell.
The bell is made mostly of bronze weighing in at 2,080 lbs. The crack appeared over several years of heavy use and in 1852, it was removed from the tower when the repair was unsuccessful.
Over the next few days, I will post more on our trip hoping you enjoy the fun we had, even though it rained. But we don’t melt so on to the next amazing site.
I remind you as always – try to be kind. Its power can change the world.
For the Love of 