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Olde City
Visitor Center
http://www.ushistory.org/tour/index.html
3rd and Chestnut Streets, 215-597-8974, Open daily 9am - 5pm
The Visitor Center is one block from Independence Hall and
the best place to begin a tour of Historic Philadelphia. City
maps (in thirteen languages) and visitor information is available,
such as the film, Independence. Ask at the Visitor Center
for specific site information before beginning your tour. |
Betsy Ross House
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/index.html
239 Arch Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets, 215-686-1252
Betsy Ross was a young widow who supported
her five daughters by making naval colors, or flags. Commissioned
by Francis Hopkinson and the Continental Congress, she completed
his design in 1777. Her flag was adopted on June 14, 1777,
and became the first official flag of the United States of
America. Her colonial home is now preserved as a tribute to
the working class contribution in our nation's history.
Open daily Memorial Day through October 31, 10am - 5pm Closed
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day Open November to May,
Tuesday through Sunday, 10am - 5pm Open Monday holidays (Veteran's
Day, MLK Birthday, and Presidents' Day) |
Elfreth's Alley
Off Second Street, between Arch and Race Streets
 Considered
to be the oldest continuously inhabited street in the United
States, the alley is named after Jeremiah Elfreth, a local
blacksmith, who built many of the alley's homes. Bladen's
Court ,located midway down the street, is an alley that leads
into a charming circular courtyard.
Elfreth's Alley Museum (126 Elfreth's Alley) is open Daily
10am - 4pm, 215-574-0560. |
Christ Church
Second and Market Streets, 215-922-1695
The church is one of America's most historic
buildings, built between 1727 and 1754 when George II was
king of England. It contains the 600 year-old the font in
which William Penn was baptized. George Washington and Benjamin
Franklin worshipped here, as did other members of the Continental
Congress.
Open Monday through Saturday for guided tours,
9am - 5pm; Sunday, 12:30pm -5pm. Closed on Monday and Tuesday
in January and February. Open for services.
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Christ Church Burial Ground
At the corner of 5th Street and Arch Street
 In
1719, the burial ground next to Christ Church was nearly full
and land was purchased along Fifth Street to add to the Churchyard.
Interred at Christ Church Burial Ground are Colonial, Revolutionary
and Post-Revolutionary historical figures. The most famous
is Benjamin Franklin. Five Signers of the Declaration of Independence
are buried here.
Christ Church Burial Ground is owned by Christ Church and
is closed to the public to protect the graves. To explore
the Burial Ground, call ahead to Christ Church, 215-922-1695. |
St. Augustine's Church
Northwest corner of 4th and New Streets (between Race and
Vine in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge), one block
north of the U.S. Mint, 215-627-3911.
St. Augustine's, though not the first Catholic church built
in Philadelphia, was the largest church in the city. A local
architect Nicholas Fagan designed and built the original church.
The cupola and tower (added in 1829) housed the Sister Bell
(made by the same company that produced the Liberty Bell).
St. Augustine's became a center of educational and musical
activity. Handel's Messiah and Haydn's Creation were performed
at St. Augustine's. Henry Thunder, a musical director at St.
Augustine's, organized both the Choral Society of Philadelphia
and its instrumental accompanists. These musicians became
the legendary Philadelphia Orchestra, organized in 1900. Villanova
College grew out of the St. Augustine's Academy, founded in
1811. Inside, the ceiling frescoes depict scenes from "St.
Augustine in Glory." painted by Philip Costaggini, who
painted part of the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington,
D.C. Light from two tiers of stained-glass windows flows throughout
the church. The approach to the main altar is framed by an
arch supported by Corinthian columns flanked by flying angels.
The arched altar consists of carved white marble with Mexican
onyx illuminated from overhead by a dome skylight.
Mass daily Monday through Friday, 7:30am and noon. The church
is open to the public at these times. Tours of the church
are available if made in advance. |
Friends Meeting House
320 Arch Street between 3rd and 4th Streets
 The
oldest Friends Meeting House still in use in Philadelphia
and the largest in the world was built in 1804 and enlarged
in 1811. The ground around the Meeting House was first used
for burial purposes under a patent issued by William Penn
in 1701. Many victims of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793
are buried here. In the East Wing of the building there are
dioramas depicting the main events in the life of illustrious
Quaker William Penn. Depicted are: Penn the Peacemaker laying
down his sword (1668); Penn the Defender of Liberties in prison
(1670); Penn the Builder of Democracy writing his "Frame
of Government" (1682); Penn the Friend of the Indians
completing a treaty with a tribe (1682); Penn the City Planner
with his surveyor Thomas Holme, studying Holme's map (1683);
and Penn the Founder of Schools (1699). Also on display is
a dollhouse representing the home of noted Quaker journal-keeper
Elizabeth Drinker and her husband Henry.
Open Monday through Saturday, 10am - 4pm. Worship meetings
are held biweekly and visitors are always welcome. Call 215-627-2667
for times and visitor information. |
Pemberton House
Chestnut Street between 3rd and 4th
Joseph Pemberton, a Quaker merchant, built
a fine Georgian mansion when the First Continental Congress
had just finished meeting in Carpenters' Hall in the autumn
of 1774. Pemberton House is to the left of Carpenters' Hall.
The Pemberton House was formerly a museum, and is a bookstore. |
American Indian Cultural Center
225 Chestnut Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets, 215-574-9020
Next door is the American Indian Cultural
Center, the heart of the American Indian community in the
Delaware Valley. Visitors are treated to a small exhibit of
American Indian crafts. The Trading Post has arts and crafts
and jewelry for sale. A statue of Chief Tamamend, the Lenape
Indian chief who greeted William Penn, stands the Center at
Front and Market Streets.
Open Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm; Saturday, 11:30am - 4:30pm;
and Sunday 1:30pm - 4:30pm. |
Corn Exchange Bank Building
At the corner of Second and Chestnut
Loxley Court
321 and 323 Arch Street
 A
picturesque alley between the US Mint and the Betsy Ross House. |
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Independence Hall
Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets
 Independence
Hall was built in 1732 as the Pennsylvania State House and
was a symbol of the nation to come. At the time, it was
the most ambitious public building in the thirteen colonies.
Independence Hall is the birthplace of the United States.
Within its walls, the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
It was here that the Constitution of the United States was
debated, drafted and signed.
Open daily 9am - 5pm. Hours extended to 8pm in July and
August and on spring weekends. By tour, every 15 minutes.
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Liberty Bell Pavilion
Market Street between 5th & 6th Streets, 215-597-8974
Our nation's most cherished symbol of
freedom. On July 8, 1776, the Liberty Bell rang out from the
tower of Independence Hall to summon Philadelphia's citizens
to hear the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
The bell was rung for the last time in 1846 in celebration
of Washington's birthday.
Open daily 9 am - 5 pm. (9 am - 8 pm in July and August) The
bell is visible 24 hours a day. |
Old City Hall
5th and Chestnut Streets
 Known
as Old City Hall, this building was completed in 1791. Philadelphia's
original City Hall, built during Penn's lifetime, was near
the Delaware River on 2nd Street. From 1790 to 1800, Philadelphia
was the Capital of the United States, and the United States
Supreme Court held sessions in the courtroom on the first
floor of Old City Hall, sharing space with the Mayor's Court.
Thousands of immigrants entered the U.S. through Philadelphia
in the last decade of the 18th century. Naturalization ceremonies
for new citizens took place in this courtroom.
Open Wednesday through Sunday 2pm - 4pm. |
Congress Hall
5th and Chestnut Streets
Congress Hall was occupied by the newly
formed United States Congress when Philadelphia was the capital
of the United States from 1790-1800. Congress Hall has been
restored to its appearance during those important years. The
first floor had been occupied by the House of Representatives;
the upper floor occupied by the Senate. In 1793, President
George Washington was inaugurated here for a second term.
Four years later, in the House of Representatives chamber,
power passed peacefully from George Washington to John Adams
in a ceremony that set a precedent for the modern transfer
of government power. |
Carpenters' Hall
Carpenters' Court between Third and Fourth Streets on Chestnut
Street, 215-925-0167
 This
building housed the First Continental Congress in 1774. In
attendance at the First Continental Congress were George Washington,
John Adams, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry. Carpenters' Hall
also served as the headquarters of the First Bank of the United
States in 1791. Other organizations that occupied the hall
include: United States Custom House, Franklin Institute, Society
of Friends, the United States Law Office, the Apprentice's
Free Library, the Second Bank of the United States, and the
Philadelphia Auction Market.
Open March to December, Tuesday through Sunday, 10am - 4pm.
January and February, Wednesday through Sunday 10am - 4pm. |
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