Philadelphia – part 4
As with other National Historic Regions (e.g. Washington D.C.), the U.S. National Park Service provides free access as well as many free tours of historic buildings and monuments in and around Independence Mall.
One such tour I took was of the State Courthouse next to Independence Hall. This Pennsylvania State Courthouse was provided as a temporary home to the U.S. Congress by the City of Philadelphia from 1789 through 1800. I waited on line for less than 10-minutes for a tour. The guide was informative, enthusiastic, and entertaining for children and adults alike.
Unfortunately, I was too late to get a guided tour of Independence Hall and open access to the building offered from 5-6:00pm required waiting on a line that snaked through the courtyard. Based on the progress of the line, I projected the threatening rain would easily beat me to the door, so I decided to move on.
On my way back to my car, I visited the gift shop across the street from the courthouse. As you would expect, it had everything uniquely American like rulers with thumbnail pictures of all 43 Presidents and t-shirts sporting George Washington crossing the Delaware. The integrity of patriotic overtures heralded by such historic buildings was seriously tarnished when I turned over a ceramic replica of the liberty bell to find the all-to-familiar oval sticker which read made in China. Anyone who knows me can attest that I am a huge advocate of free trade and the reality of a globalized economy. It just seemed that in this setting, a made in the USA sticker would have been more consistent with the experience.
This gift shop is located in the building along with the Lights of Liberty ticket and information center. Lights of Liberty is a non-profit tourist attraction sponsored by Peco Energy, which uses special effects and lighting to create images on historic attractions throughout Independence National Historical Park. This experience costs $19.50 (less a discount for students, seniors and children under 12) and begins at dusk on selected evenings. To compliment the images, participants are provided headsets for the audio portion which tells the story of the risks and struggles undertaken by the most notable of our founding fathers. Children can choose an alternate audio channel for a less fact-stuffed version and non-English speaking visitors can choose from several foreign languages.
Naturally, Ben Franklin was an important figure in Philadelphia as well as the early development of our Nation. As you would expect, images of Ben are littered throughout the city. What occurs to me is that Franklin is among the most recognizable U.S. historic figures, and would be more easily identified by the average American than most presidents of the 19th century.
There were quite a few places I wasn’t able to see during my extremely brief visit, most notably the Mint, and the Atwater Kent Museums radio exhibit. Regardless, I certainly felt that I was able to get a solid glimpse of Philadelphia, both then and now, and intend to return in order to consume the historic significance of Philadelphia more thoroughly.