The next stop on our adventure was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After a long day, we found a place to eat and settled into our room to get some rest. The next morning was Sunday and we headed off to church. It is always nice to see that the church is the same wherever you go.
The church building did not look like a standard building at all. It even had an inner courtyard.
The Philadelphia temple was right across the street. It is a beautiful building.
U and Matthew with the temple.
Looking up at the edifice.
Me with the kids.
Walking back to the hotel we saw a lot of interesting sites. Here is the city hall on the right with a church on the left.
This looks like a crashed plane that has been turned into a neighborhood greenhouse.
After we got back to the hotel, we changed and headed over to Independence Hall. We were excited to see it.
We stopped at a story bench and the kids got to act out the story. There were 13 of these "Once Upon a Nation" story benches around Philadelphia and the kids loved hearing the stories. Here, Megan is chopping wood and Matthew is blowing up bridges to help the Continental Army defeat the British.
Me with Megan and Matthew in front of Independence Hall.
Before we went into the Hall, we viewed the Great Essentials exhibit in an adjoining building. This included one of the original prints of the Declaration of Independence as well as pages from the Articles of Confederation and Constitution.
The Declaration of Independence. This is the one that was read for the first time in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776.
This is believed to be the inkwell that was used to sign the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
There was a Junior Ranger program for Independence National Historic Park and the kids were excited to complete it.
Sarah working on her packet.
In Independence Hall. We were there on a very significant day: July 2nd. This is the day that the 2nd Continental Congress approved the resolution of independence proposed by Richard Henry Lee. The ranger leading our tour said that they think of July 2nd as the day with the most historical significance because of that vote. John Adams even wrote to his wife Abigail that the 2nd of July would be celebrated in years to come. He was only off by two days.....
This is the chair that Washington sat in while they were debating the Constitution. When they finally signed it, Ben Franklin said he had often wondered during the convention if the sun on the chair was a rising or setting sun; he now knew it was a rising sun.
Me, Megan and Matthew in the signing room. Pretty incredible to think that both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed here.
Independence Hall clock.
We toured other buildings as well. Sitting in the original House of Representatives in Congress Hall.
The front area of the House. This is where President Washington and President Adams were inaugurated, with the peaceful transition of power occurring when President Adams became the second President of the United States. That really was a remarkable event!
View of Independence Hall while walking up the stairs in Congress Hall.
Original Senate chambers. Note the carpet on the floor with images representing the original 13 states.
When we left, the kids all decided to join the Continental Army.
They were taught to drill and march. Fortunately, they all managed to stand next to each other so we could get a great picture.
On the march.
Standing to hear the Declaration of Independence read as well as some of the historical re-enactors tell their stories.
Matthew, Me and Sarah at Carpenter's Hall. This was used as an early meeting site for the 1st Continental Congress.
We went to the Declaration House which is where Thomas Jefferson boarded while attending the Continental Congress. He chose the house because of the "rural" location but it is only a couple blocks from Independence Hall. It was in this house that he drafted the Declaration of Independence. (This house is a reconstruction as the original building was demolished.)
A view from the front of the building.
For dinner, we went to City Tavern which was an important gathering place in colonial times. It serves recipes that are authentic to the colonial time period. It was good but a little pricey. This is U's turkey pot pie.
Me had salmon.
The girls enjoying their meals. The glasses were pewter.
The boys liked it too. Matthew really enjoyed the sweet potato biscuits (he is holding one up) that were one of Thomas Jefferson's favorites.
You have to keep your feet clean.
We went to see the Liberty Bell. It doesn't ring anymore but it was neat to see it.
Close up of the bell.
Me liked these pictures of the Dali Lama and Nelson Mandela with the Liberty Bell.
Monday morning, we went Franklin Court, where Benjamin Franklin's house was located. The house is gone but there is a Ben Franklin museum and some other buildings around it.
Megan practicing to be an inker.
Matthew with a sedan chair. Franklin would often use one when he was older and in poor health..
Sarah with a glass armonica, one of Franklin's many inventions.
U and Matthew with Franklin's chess set.
U was happy to see Franklin was a lover of games. Franklin thought chess helped him be a better representative and diplomat.
We visited the recreated print shop in Franklin Court where they were making copies of the Declaration of Independence.
We heard a story at one of the story benches. The kids enjoyed being able to ring the bell to let others know there would be a story.
At the Franklin Court Post Office. You can mail letters here and have them postmarked "B Free Franklin" in Benjamin Franklin's signature. (One of the perks of being the postmaster is that he got free postage and "B Free Franklin" is what he signed on the letter to indicate that.)
Matthew with one of the postcards we sent from the post office.
Matthew with the white frames that show where Franklin's home and his grandson's printing office were located. There are viewing ports where you can see foundations of the actual structures.
Drum and fife band playing by the Museum of the American Revolution.
We visited Christ Church. This is the Franklin pew (#70).
There was a small graveyard where some famous people were buried.
Robert Morris, signer of the Declaration and the Constitution and a financier of the Revolutionary War.
Charles Lee, a general during the Revolutionary War. He thought he should be commander-in-chief and wasn't always eager to obey Washington's commands.
James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration and Constitution.
Pierce Butler, a signer of the Constitution.
Jacob Broom, a signer of the Constitution.
We visited Elfreth's Alley, which is sometimes referred to as our nation's oldest residential street. The homes were built in the 1700s and early 1800s.
On some of the older homes, we saw some firemarks. Here are a few.
At the Betsy Ross home, they had a plaque with multiple firemarks.
Matthew with Betsy Ross after she showed us how to cut a five point star with one snip of the scissors.
Matthew and Megan loved playing in the replica of the kitchen.
Neat to see how this tree has grown up around the bricks.
Matthew wanted a picture of the little red car. There were two grown men inside.
Matthew was excited when the firemen at a local fire station offered to let him sit in their tiller truck. (That's one of the really long trucks with steering on the back as well as the front.)
Matthew and U with a bronze relief of Ben Franklin. He helped start the first firefighting company in 1736 in Philadelphia.
A big bust of Franklin located nearby. It has impressions of keys collected from schoolchildren.
The kids finished collecting stars from the story benches so we went to Franklin Square so they could claim their carousel ride.
Sarah enjoying her ride on a horse.
Matthew on a dragon.
Megan on a horse.
The kids enjoyed playing at the park.
Bolt of lightning statue where legend has it that Franklin conducted his kite experiment.
We got some Philly cheesesteaks for dinner. The firemen we met earlier had recommended a place to go but it was closed. While we were trying to find another place, a nice man on the street asked if he could help us and pointed out some good places to get some. The cheesesteaks were delicious.
We got ice cream from the Franklin Fountain.
U and the kids with their ice cream.
We went to the Philly Pops Concert by Independence Hall.
Lots of people, beautiful setting.
Matthew, Megan and U with some soldiers who stopped by.
