Historical Philadelphia

Our first stop the next day was at Independence Hall to start a historical walking tour & see the sites.  We ended up taking the Franklin’s Footsteps Tour from the Philly Trolley Works Company where we could get a combo deal to do a tour & the bus pass around the city.  The first site we toured was at Christ Church Burial Ground where we viewed the grave of the man himself- Benjamin Franklin.    Many people hoping for luck, take his saying “a penny saved….” to heart & leave him a little token of their appreciation.

So much to see in such a small area- I loved all these stately building with their (Roman??) architecture.  The were fairly small, compared to other typical buildings, but still looked quite formidable.

We walked by the Betsy Ross House & heard the latest debates and rumors on the true origin of the flag.

Next stop was at Elfreth’s Alley, where you can see a storyteller.  At many of the sites, they had storytellers from Once Upon A Nation & guides that, for free, would tell you about each location & many appeared to have an activity for the kids to complete related to that location.

The homes here are some of the oldest continuously occupied in the country- since the early 1700′s and I loved the old cobblestone & wagon tracks.

Our tour was great- our guide was all dressed up, there was only 1 other couple with us & he had some awesome stories to tell.  Here he is explaining how Franklin organized early fire fighters to use better techniques & more quickly put out dangerous fires.

Walking along, we visited the actual Christ Church, founded in 1695 and surrounded by lovely trees.

There are many famous people & several signers of the Constitution buried on the the grounds.

I loved all the old brick & was amazed that they were able to build this bell tower so tall.

The actual inside of the church was in immaculate condition & many people still attend services here every week.  It was neat thinking about all the famous people that have graced these doors & warmed these pews over the past few centuries.

Lovely sidewalks, stunning buildings, amazing details.

And more beautiful clocks!

The US Custom House loomed over everything else- it was so tall & looked like it belonged in NYC somewhere.

Next stop was the Philadelphia Merchant’s Exchange- a stunning building from the 1830′s that looked perfect for a wedding reception!  Our guide told us that many of these buildings, including this one, had been derelict & abandoned for many years, but huge efforts had been made in the last few decades to repair & maintain these gorgeous historical buildings.

Many banks & other exchanges were started & quickly failed in the 1800′s, but their impressive buildings remain a testament to the money & influence that was circulating at the time.

One of our last stops was at Carpenter’s Hall, where the first Continental Congress met in 1774.  As a history geek, H was so thrilled to be at the same place where so many important things happened & where our country was born!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:  Found a great new blog Motherhood in Mexico, where Leslie from California raises her family in Mexico, a slower life with more friends/family/neighbors,  the importance of the sidewalk, the neat & normal things of a Sunday in my City, and how she hung up on the President!