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December, 2000...
Philadelphia is the Birthplace of America and served as the Nation's Capital from 1790-1800.
Philadelphia means Brotherly Love in Greek. Thus, it was nicknamed the City of Brotherly Love. There
is something for everyone and so much history. The entire historical district covers only 22 acres.
December 2000 Ronnie was working in Philadelphia for a couple of weeks and Kathy joined him
for a great vacation in this famous city and then we took a train trip into the Big Apple - New York City. See
our NY vacation page...
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| INDEPENDANCE HALL ON A COLD WINTER'S NIGHT... |
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| A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHERE THOMAS JEFFERSON STAYED WHILE HE WROTE THE DECLARATION OF INDENENDENCE... |
Above is the house where Thomas Jefferson rented
a room from his friend, Jacob Graff, while he drafted The Declaration of Independence. Notice the small size and
shape of the home, which was typical in those days. The stairwells were so narrow, they had to lower the furniture in
pieces through a large door on the street level that opened to the cellar where they then took it upstairs to be assembled.
Through this doorway, they also had coal delivered for heating the home.
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| BEHIND THE BRONZE FENCE IS THE GRAVESITE OF BEN FRANKLIN... |
Above is the last resting place of Benjamin Franklin, 1706 -1790. Philadelphia was
the home of Ben Franklin who was into absolutely everything! ...the first fire station, the first insurance company,
the first hospital, he was into electricity, the first street light and paving, he was a printer, invented better sails for
the ships, even diet for the sailors, etc... Bottomline is, when you think of Philly - you got to think of Benny!
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Philadelphia, PA 2000 - what a GREAT city!
There is so much history to take in that you really need at least a week.
The Liberty Bell, First Continental Congress, Independence Hall, First Capital of the United States, The First Bank
of the United States, Ben Franklin's home and gravesite, the home of Betsy Ross, Christ Church where we sat in George Washington's
and Ben Franklin's pew. The first library established by Ben Franklin, the first
stock exchange, and the city hall is simply breathtaking. We visited the
actual sites where the Declaration of Independence was written and signed. The
Philadelphia Museum of Art where we climbed the steps that Rocky Balboa ran up in the movie "Rocky."
What a memorable trip...
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| THE "OLD"...INDEPENDANCE HALL SURROUNDED BY THE "NEW" MODERN DAY SKYSCRAPERS... |
Independence Hall was built between 1732 and
1756 as the Pennsylvania State House. Famous as the scene of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776,
the Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and the U.S. Constitution was adopted and signed in 1787.
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| A PAINTING OF THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS HUNG IN INDEPENENCE HALL... |
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| THE LIBERTY BELL...LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET FROM INDEPENDANCE HALL... |
The Liberty Bell is housed across the street from
Independence Hall. This large bell that is known to represent freedom, actually is made of inferior metals and cracked
on the first ringing back in the late 1700's.
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| THE FIRST BANK OF THE UNITED STATES... |
This is literally the First Bank of the United
States. It is home of the Government's bank from 1797 to 1811 and the oldest bank building in the United States.
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