We made just a quick stopover in Philadelphia with two main goals: Independence Hall and the nearby Liberty Bell. As always, though, we say a few other "incidentals" along the way.
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| "The Secret Room" in the Bella Vista B & B |
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| "The Secret Room" from the other direction |
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Honoring W.E.B. Du Bois and Engine #11, a mural by artist Carl Willis Humphrey, was near
our B & B at 6th and South Streets. Completed in 2008, it is painted on the side of a
historically black firehouse (note the firefighters to the right). W.E.B. Du Bois was the
first African-American to earn a doctorate from Harvard and was a founder of the NAACP;
he conducted a landmark survey in the neighborhood. (Adapted from the UPenn website.) |
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A marker placed at 6th and Rodman by the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission |
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Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church. Founded in 1794, it is the oldest
African Methodist Episcopal congregation in the nation. The
1890 building seen here is the oldest church property in the
United States to be continuously owned by African Americans. |
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| Farther along, there was a small, old burial ground next to Holy Trinity Catholic Church (1784). |
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| My favorite price--FREE! |
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Irishman John Barry (1745-1803) is one candidate for the title
"Father of the American Navy." He was the first captain placed in
command of a U.S. warship under the Continental flag. |
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| Independence Hall viewed from the Visitor Center |
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| Another angle on Independence Hall |
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| The swanky Independence Visitor Center |
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| Lila met a hero inside. |
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| A painting of the Continental Congress inside Independence Hall |
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| Lila ready to shoot |
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Assembly Room of Independence Hall, where both the Declaration
of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. |
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| The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania sat here--opposite the Assembly Room--in the 1700s. |
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| Staircase in the tower of Independence Hall |
There were numerous other chambers upstairs in Independence Hall as well--the Governor's Council Chamber, the Committee of the Assembly chamber, and so on. After viewing (and shooting) these, we moved on westward to the Congress Hall next door.
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| The House of Representatives sat here in Congress Hall from 1790 to 1800. |
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| United States Senate Chamber (1790-1800) on the second floor of Congress Hall |
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| A bust of Ben over the House of Representatives chamber's door |
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Map of Independence Hall and environs from the NPS. Congress
Hall is to the left (west) of Independence Hall; the Visitor
Center is to the north (off the top of the map). |
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| The Liberty Bell. Even Davy Crockett could patch up that crack. |
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| Like a cheesy Hollywood restaurant, the NPS posts photos of visiting celebs. |
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| Ben's place in the Christ Church Burial Ground, just east of the Visitor Center |
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A Friend by Charles Cropper Parks (1976)
in front of the Philadelphia Police HQ |
And that was about as far as we went!
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