Independence Hall

Construction on the building started in 1732. Built to be the Pennsylvania State House, the building originally housed all three branches of Pennsylvania's colonial government. The Pennsylvania legislature loaned their Assembly Room out for the meetings of the Second Continental Congress and later, the Constitutional Convention. (NPS)

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Through These Doors

View of southern entrance to Independence Hall from Independence Square.

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Independence Square

Independence Hall is situated on Independence Square. On July 8, 1776 this was the scene of the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. (NPS)

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Mid-Day on Chestnu

Here, George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in 1775, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and Benjamin Franklin gazed upon the "Rising Sun" chair in 1787.

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Independence Hall & the West Wing

Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and signed.

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Congress Hall.

Constructed in 1787-1789 as the Philadelphia County Court House, this building served as the meeting place of the U.S. Congress from 1790-1800. The House of Representatives met on the main floor, while the Senate assembled upstairs. (NPS)

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That Old Philadelphia Feeling

In 1790, Congress selected Philadelphia to be the temporary capital of the United States. Philadelphians immediately offered the use of their new court house as a meeting place for the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, making Congress Hall the oldest building to serve as such. The city and county of Philadelphia spared no expense in furnishing the building to suit the needs of Congress, hoping to keep the capital in Philadelphia. However, as the size of the House grew, a result of the first census, Congress moved to Washington D.C. and the building became a courthouse once more. The building, inside & out has been restored as much as possible to the period of time when it served as the US Capitol (NPS)

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Free Quaker Meeting House

At the time of the American Revolution, a rift occurred among Pennsylvania's Quakers, or members of the Society of Friends. As pacifists, the Friends would not take up arms, pay war taxes, or take an oath of allegiance. A group calling themselves "Free" Quakers supported the the Revolution while the majority of Friends contended that there was no justifiable reason for going to war. The Free Quakers came together and established their own place of worship here in 1783, after having been disowned or "read out of meeting" by the mainstream Friends. Thirty to fifty men and women, including Betsy Ross, regularly attended this meeting. (NPS)

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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution

Designed by architect G. Edwin Brumbaugh in the 1950s. This memorial contains the remains of an unknown Revolutionary War soldier who perished in the fight for independence. An eternal flame honors the high price paid by soldiers in the name of freedom. (NPS)

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Freedom's Light.

William Penn patented this square in 1706 as a Potter’s Field, or a public graveyard for the poor. Free and enslaved Africans were interred here alongside suicide victims, those unaffiliated with a church, and strangers to the city. More than 60 Native Americans who died from smallpox were buried here in 1763. During the Revolutionary War, Potter’s Field served as a military cemetery for British and American soldiers. John Adams walked these grounds in April 1777, where “…upwards of two Thousand soldiers had been buried…” Victims of the yellow fever epidemic, numbering more than 1300, filled the remaining space in the burial ground in 1793. The city closed Potter’s Field to burials in 1794. (NPS)

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Carpenters Hall

A Georgian style building, completed in 1774, was a the meeting place of a group of Philadelphia master builders known as the Carpenter's Company. The Carpenters banded together to establish architectural standards, to set prices for work, and to aid members' families in times of need. The Carpenters aided the leaders of the American Revolution by offering them the use of Carpenter's Hall. It was here that the First Continental Congress gathered in 1774 to air their greivences against Great Britain. (NPS).

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New Hall Military Museum

This building is a reconstruction of the one constructed by the Carpenters' Company in 1791 and originally used to house the office of the first Secretary of War, Henry Knox, and his staff. The building currently houses exhibits highlighting the founding of the United States Marine Corps and the Army and Navy Departments from the American Revolution through the last decades of the 18th century. (NPS)

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Carpenters Hall

A visitor to Philadelphia in the 1700s would have seen many building designed and constructed by members of the Carpenter's Company, including the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall), Old City Hall, The Pennsylvania Hospital, Benjamin Franklin's mansion, and their own Carpenters' Hall. Carpenters' Hall is a part of Independence National Historic Park, but is still owned and operated by the Carpenters Company. (NPS)

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Christ Church

Built between 1727 & 1754, Christ Church stands not only as a masterpiece of Colonial architecture, but as a reminder of the role of religious faith in the struggle for American freedom. Although it is part of Independence National Historical Park, Christ Church remains independent of the Park. The Church is an active congregation of the Episcopal Church in the United States, & the building continues to be used regularly for worship. (NPS)

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Steeple Above All

The 200 foot high steeple of Christ Church dominated the Philadelphia skyline in 1776, serving as a landmark for residents and travelers. Equally prominent were were the Church's leaders who signaled their commitment to American independence by eliminating from their service all references to the King. Congress worshipped here as a group. Among the congregation were Revolutionary leader Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, & Robert Morris. Seven signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried in the churchyard here or in the Christ Church burial ground three blocks west of here at 5th & Arch Streets. (NPS)

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Lights On Liberty

The birthplace of America. The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both debated and signed inside this building.

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Ghost Walks at Independence Hall

A group of ghost walkers being led by candlelight in front of Independence Hall as ghostly colonial tales are told.

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