Located in a historic 1826 building and located just around the corner from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the Philadelphia History Museum has served as a gateway into Philadelphia History for nearly 70 years. The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent serves Greater Philadelphia by fostering among its citizens and visitors a deeper understanding and appreciation of the city, its historical artifacts, and its rich legacy. Drawing on its premiere 100,000 piece collection of objects, paintings, and photographs for exhibitions, programs, and electronic media, the museum's purpose is to educate present generations, especially school children, to learn from the past in ways that enrich their lives and improve their futures.
Built by bricklayer Jacob Graff, Jr. in 1775, two rooms of the Graff House were rented by Thomas Jefferson during the summer of 1776 while he wrote the Declaration of Independence. In honor of the Bicentennial in 1976, the Declaration House was reconstructed from photographs and descriptions of the original building and refurnished with reproduced period furniture including Jefferson's swivel chair and lap desk. The house museum also includes exhibits and a film on the drafting of the Declaration.
Established in 1976, the African American Museum in Philadelphia is the first museum in the United States created and funded by a local government to help convey the history and heritage of African Americans to United States citizens. The museum covers the period from slavery to civil rights with over 750,000 artifacts and four galleries. Each gallery contains a variety of exhibits that interpret the museum's collection, selecting items from the collection and placing their history within the larger narrative of the African American experience. The museum also offers a variety of special thematic exhibits throughout the year, to ensure that every visit provides a new learning experience. A huge plus for young children visiting the museum is the "Children's Corner", an interactive exhibit where children explore the lives of young African American children.
The Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society built Pennsylvania Hall and dedicated the building on May 14, 1838. The building hosted a three-day convention of the city's female abolitionists, but before the end of the meeting, a mob had assembled to disrupt the meeting and attack the women for their opposition to slavery. Although Pennsylvania passed laws providing for the gradual end of slavery in their own state shortly after the American Revolution, many white residents of the city believed that the abolitionists were encouraging Black migration to the area. They also believed that abolitionists were to blame for the growing political strife between the North and the South. The mob grew extremely violent by the third day of the meeting, encouraged by members of the police who seemed to countenance the violence against abolitionists and their property. On May 17th, only three days after the dedication of the building, the anti-abolitionist mob set fire to Pennsylvania Hall and attacked anyone who tried to save the building.
The first and only institution in America established by Congress to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution," the 160,000-square-foot National Constitution Center explores the history and historical significance of the Constitution through high-tech exhibits, artifacts, and interactive displays.
Constructed between 1783 and 1784 by a group of Philadelphia Quakers who had been forced out by other Quakers for their early support of the American Revolution, this structure served as the meetinghouse of the "Free Quakers." Because Quakers were pacifists, the majority of the city's Quakers opposed this group's support of the colonists who took up arms against England. A few dozen Quakers met at this meetinghouse until 1836. During the 1780s when the group was most active, members included some of the leading men and women who supported the rebellion such as Betsy Ross. With military conflicts between England, France, and the United States coming to an end after the War of 1812, the factors that led to the division between the Free Quakers and others in the city declined. In addition, fewer and fewer members lived in this part of the city by 1830, and this meeting house was no longer utilized by the Quakers after 1836.
Also referred to as the "Synagogue of the American Revolution," Congregation Mikveh Israel is Philadelphia's oldest, continuously operating Jewish congregation. It was founded in the 1740s by Spanish and Portuguese Jews. The congregation continues to worship according to the practices began by those Jews of Spanish and Portuguese origin (which is also known as Sephardic). The current temple was built in 1976 and it originally housed the National Museum of Jewish History, which moved to a new location just to the south. The congregation uses the extra space for exhibits and events.
Focused on the formation of the Jewish-American identity, the National Museum of American Jewish History was founded back in 1976. It moved to its current, 100,000-square foot home on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall in late 2010. The museum covers the Jewish-American experience from colonial times to present day through permanent and rotating exhibitions as well as educational programs. This Smithsonian affiliated museum is open every day except Mondays and certain holidays, Jewish and national alike.
The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation is an open-air commemoration of America's first executive mansion, the residence of George Washington and John Adams during their terms as President while Philadelphia was the temporary national capital following the Revolution. It is also a commemoration to the nine enslaved African Americans who worked in this house during George Washington's time there, two of whom escaped. It is part of the Independence National Historical Park site, and features a house outline and partial elevation, with interpretive displays on Porcelite panels and illustrated glass, including text and video 24 hours a day. In addition to the history of the site and the people who lived and worked there, the interpretive material explores the paradox of a nation founded on the principle of equality and freedom while still allowing the institution of slavery [1; 9].
The Liberty Bell is one of the iconic American historical artifacts. It was commissioned in 1751 to commemorate William Penn's Charter of Privileges (1701), which was the first constitution of Pennsylvania colony. It hung in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (what is now called Independence Hall; this is where colonial delegates debated and signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) and is now on display inside the Liberty Bell Center at Independence National Historical Park. A verse from Leviticus 25:10 is inscribed on the bell: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all inhabitants thereof." The crack in the bell appeared in the 1830s, but the quality of the bell was suspect from its earliest day. After being recast, the colony ordered a second bell but decided to keep the original. That second bell was sold to a Philadelphia Catholic church in 1828. After an anti-Catholic mob destroyed that church and damaged the second bell in 1844, that bell was recast and is now the property of Villanova University.
From 1965 to 1969, gay rights activists from Washington, DC, New York, and Philadelphia met each July 4th to picket in front of Independence Hall to demand legislation that would protect the rights of LGBT citizens. The event came to be known as the “Annual Reminder” that many American citizens were denied the basic rights enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. The events were commemorated in 2005 with the dedication of this historical marker across the street from Independence Hall.
Congress Hall, located on Philadelphia’s Independence Square, served as the seat of the U.S. Congress from December 6, 1790 through May 14, 1800 while Philadelphia was the nation’s capital. The building was initially the Philadelphia County Courthouse when construction was completed in 1789. It went back to that function after Congress moved to the newly created Washington D.C. Congress Hall has since been restored, is now part of the larger Independence National Historical Park and is open for guided tours on a daily basis from March through December.
Completed in 1753, Independence Hall is considered the birthplace of the United States. It was here that both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed establishing the foundation of the law in this country. It served as the first capitol building for the United States, but was originally built to serve as the state house for Pennsylvania. It was also a convention site hosted by President William Howard Taft which would lead to the creation of the League to Enforce Peace. It is a part of Independence National Historical Park, which also includes the Liberty Bell Center and the Benjamin Franklin Museum along with a visitor center that includes theaters, exhibits, and a gift shop.
Robert Morris’ statue is situated between the First and Second National Banks, in the Independence National Historical Park, as a reminder of his pivotal role in the Revolution, 1734 - 1806. The monument represents Robert Morris, dressed in great coat and Tricorn hat, struggling through the snow to raise money for Washington's troops at Valley Forge. Robert Morris Jr. (1734-1806) was an American merchant and a signer to the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution. Morris was known as the Financier of the Revolution, because of his role in securing financial assistance for the American side in the Revolutionary War. Ironically, he was sent to debtor's prison in later life.
Completed in 1901, Philadelphia’s Independence Hall is flanked by two buildings: Congress Hall, where the country’s first congressional sessions took place, and Old City Hall. That structure is the city’s second city hall and it did not exclusively serve as a seat of government for much of its history. Designed by David Evans Jr., in the Federalist style, Old City Hall was completed in 1791 and then shut down in 1854. Old City Hall shared space with the U.S. Supreme Court until 1800 when the federal capital moved the court to Washington D.C. It is part of the Independence Hall Complex which is contained within the larger Independence National Historical Park.
Part of Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, the building that is most famous for housing the Second Bank of the United States was completed in 1824. It represented the nation’s second effort at creating a national bank after the First Bank was not re-chartered in 1811. It served as the nation’s bank until it was dismantled, largely by President Andrew Jackson, in 1836. The building now serves the city as an art gallery that features its “People of Independence” exhibit. This exhibit displays over 150 portraits of influential 18th and 19th century Americans. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
Anthony Benezet was a French-born American Quaker and teacher who helped educate numerous African American children from his home which was located here in the decades leading up to the American Revolution. Benezet was one of the leading abolitionists in the city during the 18th century and authored numerous articles that influenced the nascent antislavery movement.
Opened in the spring of 2017, Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution takes visitors on a unique audio and visual experience through the nation’s formative struggle. The museum offers numerous immersive exhibits that include life-like figures, video and audio presentations, historic artifacts and primary documents and was in the planning stages for 20 years. The 118,000 square-foot museum was designed by Robert A. M. Stern and is properly located near the birthplace of the Constitution, near the First Bank of the United States and a few blocks from Independence Hall. The museum is open daily and offers regular and timed tickets to alleviate wait times during peak hours.
The Science History Institute offers exhibits and programs dedicated to preserving the history of chemistry and related sciences such as chemical engineering and the life sciences. Founded in 1982 as the Center for the History of Chemistry and as a collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania and the American Chemical Society, the organization was known as the Chemical Heritage Foundation for many years prior to the merger of that organization with the Life Sciences Foundation. Today, the Science HIstory Institute collects items and stories related to the history of science. In addition to serving as the headquarters of the organization, this building houses a museum, library, archives, conference center, and a research center dedicated to expanding the knowledge and ever-expanding history of the life sciences and chemistry.
This museum is located adjacent to where Benjamin Franklin's house once stood back in the 1700s, and is taking up residence in the Independence National Historic Park. The museum is 20,000 square feet and underground. The exhibits and museum store are underground as well. To get visitors in the appropriate mind set, before the museum entrance is the Benjamin Franklin Ghost house. Above ground, this ghost house is a steel structure designed by architects to trace outlines of Franklin's old house and his old printing shop. Established in 1976, the museum has gone through a massive upgrade within the last two years and reopened to the public in August 2013.
Built between the years 1727-1744, Christ Church, in Philadelphia’s Old Town, is more than just a first-rate example of Colonial Georgian architecture and historic site. Known as the “Nation’s Church” due to the number of colonial leaders who worshipped there at one time or another, it is still an active Episcopalian parish. It traces its origins back to 1695 when the parish formed as a colonial branch of the Church of England and has been faithfully serving its parishioners ever since. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark both in 1970. It is open to the public on a daily basis and group tours are available.
The Betsy Ross House is a historic home in Philadelphia alleged to be the site where the first American flag was created. The Arch Street residence was built around 1740, and during the 1770s it was home to local upholsterer Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross. According to popular legend, Ross was asked to sew the first Stars and Stripes flag in 1777. Most scholars are highly doubtful that Betsy Ross actually made the first American flag; the story did not emerge until nearly a century later. Today the house has been restored and preserved as a museum. It is open to the public for tours, and contains a large collection of artifacts, documents, and memorabilia relating to both Betsy Ross and the story of her sewing the first flag.
Tucked away in Philadelphia’s Old City there exists a small alley that gives visitors a glimpse of a working class, 18th century neighborhood. Elfreth’s Alley, known as the nation’s oldest residential street, is a narrow thoroughfare with 32 small (by contemporary standards) residences built between 1728 and 1836 in the Federal or Georgian architectural style. It began as a cart path in 1702 that permitted the city’s residents easy access to the docks. It is now, in a sense, a living history museum that is still home to Philadelphians. The museum is located in two row houses that were built in the mid-18th century and they now serve as a restored period home. Elfreth’s Alley was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
Fireman’s Hall is a museum dedicated to the history of firefighters and firefighting in Philadelphia. It is located in a former 1902 firehouse, complete with brass fire pole, within the city’s Old City. It features numerous pieces of antique firefighting equipment and the second floor boasts a recreated firefighter’s recreational room and fire chief’s office. It is operated and maintained by the Philadelphia Fire Department and its members serve as volunteer docents who care for and restore the equipment and conduct guided tours of the museum.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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This walking tour includes two dozen museums, monuments, and other landmarks in the area between Chesnut and Race Street and from 7th Street to 2nd Street. Clio users may also customize this tour to create a personal itinerary that can include other nearby sites- be sure to save any customized version for personal use in your Clio account.
