the delegates to the first Continental Congress came to Philadelphia,
they chose to meet in Carpenters’ Hall rather than the State House. The
Hall, built in 1770, was the guild hall of the Carpenters’ Company of
Philadelphia, founded in 1724. In 1773, the building was also occupied
by the Library Company of Philadelphia, whose books were used by the
Continental Congress. Following the Revolution, the building was rented
for many purposes by the Carpenters’ Company. In 1857, they repaired the
Hall and opened it as a historic shrine. The building and its grounds,
still maintained by the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia, is a part
of Independence National Historical Park under a cooperative agreement
with the Department of the Interior and is open daily, except Sunday and
Monday, from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. free of charge.
[Illustration: {Franklin Court}]
NO. 11. FRANKLIN COURT (site of Benjamin Franklin’s home), on Orianna
Street, south of Market Street. In this court, entered through a
picturesque archway on Market Street, stood the imposing brick house of
Benjamin Franklin from 1765 to 1812. Until 1785, Franklin lived in the
house for only a year, since he served as Provincial agent in England
from 1764 to 1775 and as a Commissioner to France from 1776 to 1785. In
1776, however, he served on the committee named by the Continental
Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had an
important part in the successful negotiation of the Treaty of Alliance
between France and the United States, in 1778, which was largely
responsible for the success of the Revolution. Upon his return to
Philadelphia, he was elected President of Pennsylvania, and, in 1787, he
was a delegate to the Federal Constitutional Convention. After a long
and worthy life, Benjamin Franklin died in his home on April 17, 1790,
at the age of 84. The house was demolished about 20 years after his
death.
NOS. 12 AND 13. CHRIST CHURCH, on west side of Second Street, north of
Market Street, and CEMETERY, at Fifth and Arch Streets. Founded in 1695
and built between 1727 and 1754, Christ Church, one of the most famous
churches in America, had in its congregation many leading figures of the
Revolution, including Washington, Franklin, Robert Morris, and Francis
Hopkinson. Architecturally, the building, with its 200-foot steeple, is
a monument to colonial craftsmanship—one of the largest and most
beautiful structures in 18th-century America. Ecclesiastically, Christ
Church is famous as the scene of the post-Revolutionary organization of
the Episcopal Church. Its rector, William White, was the first Bishop of
Pennsylvania and the second American prelate. Seven signers of the
Declaration of Independence, as well as four signers of the
Constitution, are buried at the church and in the cemetery. Franklin’s
grave is at the corner of Fifth and Arch Streets. The preservation of
the church is assured by a cooperative agreement made in 1950 between
the Department of the Interior and the Corporation of Christ Church. The
church and grounds are open to the public from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.
[Illustration: {Christ Church and Cemetery}]
NO. 14. GLORIA DEI (OLD SWEDES’) CHURCH, at Swanson Street and Delaware
Avenue, is the oldest church building in Pennsylvania. The present
structure, erected in 1700, replaced a log church built in 1677. The
Swedes preceded the English to this part of the New World and began the
Gloria Dei congregation in 1646. For almost two centuries this church
was under the Swedish hierarchy, but after the Scandinavians had been
absorbed into the general American population, Gloria Dei applied for
admission into the Episcopal Church and was received by the Bishop of
Pennsylvania in 1845. Swedish treasures are plentiful in the church to
this day: many old documents and books; carved cherubim (imported in
1643); and the baptismal font. The church is nine blocks south from
Market Street to Christian Street, then east to Delaware Avenue.
Assurance that the church will be preserved unchanged is given in a
cooperative agreement with the Department of the Interior. It is open to
the public from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. daily.
NO. 15. DESHLER-MORRIS HOUSE, 5442 Germantown Avenue. President
Washington lived in this house during the fall of 1793 and summer of
1794. It may be considered the oldest “White House” standing. Erected by
David Deshler in 1772-73, it was bought in 1792 by Col. Isaac Franks,
who had served in the Revolutionary War. The latter rented it to
Washington, who moved out of Philadelphia during the yellow fever
epidemic of 1793. Bequeathed by the Morris family to the United States
Government in 1949, the house has been restored and is today exhibited
by the Germantown Historical Society in cooperation with the National
Park Service. It is open daily except Monday, from 2 p. m. to 5 p. m.,
with an admission fee of 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children.
The house may be reached by public or private transportation: north on
Fifth Street to Germantown Avenue, then northwest about 3.5 miles.
[Illustration: {Deshler-Morris House}]
Other points of historic interest in Old Philadelphia in the
neighborhood of Independence National Historical Park are:
NO. 16. ST. MARY’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, west side of South Fourth
Street between Locust and Spruce Streets;
NO. 17. ATWATER KENT MUSEUM OF PHILADELPHIA, 15 South Seventh Street;
NO. 18. HOLY TRINITY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, northwest corner of South
Sixth and Spruce Streets;
NO. 19. OLD PINE STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, southwest corner of Pine
and South Fourth Streets;
NO. 20. ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, southwest corner of Pine and South
Third Streets;
NO. 21. POWEL HOUSE, 244 South Third Street;
NO. 22. ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH (City Mission), east side of South
Third Street and South of Walnut Street;
NO. 23. ST. JOSEPH’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, south side of Walnut Street
between Third and Fourth Streets;
NO. 24. BETSY ROSS HOUSE, 239 Arch Street;
NO. 25. FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE, south side of Arch Street between Third
and Fourth Streets;
NO. 26. FREE QUAKER MEETING HOUSE, southwest corner of North Fifth and
Arch Streets;
No. 27. ST. GEORGE’S METHODIST CHURCH, 235 North Fourth Street.
_How to Reach the Park_
Independence National Historical Park is located in the old, or eastern,
section of downtown Philadelphia. It may be reached by automobile via
Chestnut, Market, or Vine Streets, by the Market Street subway, and by
several trolley and bus lines. As a large transportation center,
Philadelphia is served by an extensive system of major highways,
railroads, and airlines.
_Service to the Public_
The Independence Hall group of buildings is open to the public daily
from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. For other buildings in the area, see “Guide to
the Area.” Exhibits relating to the history of the park are on display
in the several historic buildings. Free literature, as well as other
publications, is available in the Information Centers in the west and
east wings of Independence Hall. Services of historians and other
personnel are available. Organizations and groups are given special
service if arrangements are made in advance with the superintendent.
_Administration_
Since January 1, 1951, the Independence Hall group of buildings has been
administered by the National Park Service of the United States
Department of the Interior as a part of Independence National Historical
Park. Under the terms of a cooperative agreement made in 1950 between
the City of Philadelphia and the Department of the Interior, the
National Park Service assumed the administration and maintenance of the
buildings and Independence Square, with the City retaining ownership of
the property. Also under National Park Service administration are the
Deshler-Morris House in Germantown, as well as those properties within
the park which have been acquired by the Federal Government. All
inquiries concerning the area should be addressed to the Superintendent,
Independence National Historical Park, Old Custom House, 420 Chestnut
Street, Philadelphia 6, Pa.
_Related Areas_
Independence National Historical Park is one of the several areas of the
National Park System representing the Revolutionary and early Federal
periods in American history. Others are: Colonial National Historical
Park, Va.; Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site, N. Y.; Guilford
Courthouse National Military Park, N. C.; Hopewell Village National
Historic Site, Pa.; Kings Mountain National Military Park, S. C.; Moores
Creek National Military Park, N. C.; Morristown National Historical
Park, N. J.; and Saratoga National Historical Park, N. Y.
REVISED 1954 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1954 O—309743
_I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the
sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence and I have
pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled
here and adopted that Declaration of Independence and I have pondered
over the toils that were endured by the officers and soldiers of the
army who achieved that independence. I have often inquired of myself,
what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long
together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the colonies
from the mother land; but something in that Declaration giving
liberty, not alone to the people of this Country, but hope to the
world for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due
time the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and
that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied
in that Declaration of Independence._
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
at Independence Hall,
on Washington’s Birthday, 1861
[Illustration: {Independence Hall}]
Transcriber’s Notes
—Silently corrected a few typos.
—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook
is public-domain in the country of publication.
—Transcribed some text within images.
—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by
_underscores_.
—In the text versions only, added descriptions {in brackets} to
uncaptioned images.