Part 5

NO. 6. BISHOP WHITE HOUSE, 309 Walnut Street. This large brick residence, an excellent example of an early Philadelphia row house, was built shortly after the Revolution by the Reverend William White, Rector of Christ Church and St. Peter’s Church from 1777. He became the first Bishop of Pennsylvania in 1787 and acted as a unifying force in reorganizing the Episcopal Church after the Revolution. After a long life of service to mankind, he died in his home on July 17, 1836. The building is not open to the public pending its restoration by the National Park Service.

NO. 7. CITY TAVERN (site of), southwest corner of Second and Moravian Streets. A three-story structure, built about 1773, this was the most fashionable tavern in Philadelphia and was famous as the gathering place of members of the Continental Congresses and the Constitutional Convention and officials of the Federal Government from 1790 to 1800. The building was demolished about 1852.

NO. 8. PHILADELPHIA (Merchants’) EXCHANGE, on the northeast corner of Third and Walnut Streets. Built between 1832 and 1834, this building is noteworthy for the beauty of its architecture. For many years it was the meeting place for merchants and was the center of the commercial activities of Philadelphia. The building is not open to the public.

NO. 9. FIRST BANK OF THE UNITED STATES, on the west side of South Third Street, between Walnut and Chestnut Streets. Built between 1795 and 1797, this structure is probably the oldest bank building in the United States. The First Bank of the United States was established as part of the comprehensive program developed by Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, to rectify the disordered state of Government finances. The building, with its interesting classical facade, was occupied by the First Bank of the United States until the expiration of its charter in 1811. In the following year, the building was purchased by Stephen Girard, the wealthy merchant of Philadelphia, who opened his bank there. Now the office of the Board of Directors of City Trusts, the building is open to the public from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. daily, except Saturday and Sunday.

NO. 10. CARPENTERS’ HALL, 320 Chestnut Street. In September 1774, when the delegates to the first Continental Congress came to Philadelphia, they chose to meet in Carpenters’ Hall rather than the State House. The Hall, built in 1770, was the guild hall of the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia, founded in 1724. In 1773, the building was also occupied by the Library Company of Philadelphia, whose books were used by the Continental Congress. Following the Revolution, the building was rented for many purposes by the Carpenters’ Company. In 1857, they repaired the Hall and opened it as a historic shrine. The building and its grounds, still maintained by the Carpenters’ Company of Philadelphia, is a part of Independence National Historical Park under a cooperative agreement with the Department of the Interior and is open daily, except Sunday and Monday, from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m. free of charge.

NO. 11. FRANKLIN COURT (site of Benjamin Franklin’s home), on Orianna Street, south of Market Street. In this court, entered through a picturesque archway on Market Street, stood the imposing brick house of Benjamin Franklin from 1765 to 1812. Until 1785, Franklin lived in the house for only a year, since he served as Provincial agent in England from 1764 to 1775 and as a Commissioner to France from 1776 to 1785. In 1776, however, he served on the committee named by the Continental Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. Franklin had an important part in the successful negotiation of the Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States, in 1778, which was largely responsible for the success of the Revolution. Upon his return to Philadelphia, he was elected President of Pennsylvania, and, in 1787, he was a delegate to the Federal Constitutional Convention. After a long and worthy life, Benjamin Franklin died in his home on April 17, 1790, at the age of 84. The house was demolished about 20 years after his death.

NOS. 12 AND 13. CHRIST CHURCH, on west side of Second Street, north of Market Street, and CEMETERY, at Fifth and Arch Streets. Founded in 1695 and built between 1727 and 1754, Christ Church, one of the most famous churches in America, had in its congregation many leading figures of the Revolution, including Washington, Franklin, Robert Morris, and Francis Hopkinson. Architecturally, the building, with its 200-foot steeple, is a monument to colonial craftsmanship—one of the largest and most beautiful structures in 18th-century America. Ecclesiastically, Christ Church is famous as the scene of the post-Revolutionary organization of the Episcopal Church. Its rector, William White, was the first Bishop of Pennsylvania and the second American prelate. Seven signers of the Declaration of Independence, as well as four signers of the Constitution, are buried at the church and in the cemetery. Franklin’s grave is at the corner of Fifth and Arch Streets. The preservation of the church is assured by a cooperative agreement made in 1950 between the Department of the Interior and the Corporation of Christ Church. The church and grounds are open to the public from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m.

NO. 14. GLORIA DEI (OLD SWEDES’) CHURCH, at Swanson Street and Delaware Avenue, is the oldest church building in Pennsylvania. The present structure, erected in 1700, replaced a log church built in 1677. The Swedes preceded the English to this part of the New World and began the Gloria Dei congregation in 1646. For almost two centuries this church was under the Swedish hierarchy, but after the Scandinavians had been absorbed into the general American population, Gloria Dei applied for admission into the Episcopal Church and was received by the Bishop of Pennsylvania in 1845. Swedish treasures are plentiful in the church to this day: many old documents and books; carved cherubim (imported in 1643); and the baptismal font. The church is nine blocks south from Market Street to Christian Street, then east to Delaware Avenue. Assurance that the church will be preserved unchanged is given in a cooperative agreement with the Department of the Interior. It is open to the public from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. daily.

NO. 15. DESHLER-MORRIS HOUSE, 5442 Germantown Avenue. President Washington lived in this house during the fall of 1793 and summer of 1794. It may be considered the oldest “White House” standing. Erected by David Deshler in 1772-73, it was bought in 1792 by Col. Isaac Franks, who had served in the Revolutionary War. The latter rented it to Washington, who moved out of Philadelphia during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. Bequeathed by the Morris family to the United States Government in 1949, the house has been restored and is today exhibited by the Germantown Historical Society in cooperation with the National Park Service. It is open daily except Monday, from 2 p. m. to 5 p. m., with an admission fee of 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for children. The house may be reached by public or private transportation: north on Fifth Street to Germantown Avenue, then northwest about 3.5 miles.

Other points of historic interest in Old Philadelphia in the neighborhood of Independence National Historical Park are:

NO. 16. ST. MARY’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, west side of South Fourth Street between Locust and Spruce Streets;

NO. 17. ATWATER KENT MUSEUM OF PHILADELPHIA, 15 South Seventh Street;

NO. 18. HOLY TRINITY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, northwest corner of South Sixth and Spruce Streets;

NO. 19. OLD PINE STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, southwest corner of Pine and South Fourth Streets;

NO. 20. ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, southwest corner of Pine and South Third Streets;

NO. 21. POWEL HOUSE, 244 South Third Street;

NO. 22. ST. PAUL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH (City Mission), east side of South Third Street and South of Walnut Street;

NO. 23. ST. JOSEPH’S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, south side of Walnut Street between Third and Fourth Streets;

NO. 24. BETSY ROSS HOUSE, 239 Arch Street;

NO. 25. FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE, south side of Arch Street between Third and Fourth Streets;

NO. 26. FREE QUAKER MEETING HOUSE, southwest corner of North Fifth and Arch Streets;

No. 27. ST. GEORGE’S METHODIST CHURCH, 235 North Fourth Street.

_How to Reach the Park_

Independence National Historical Park is located in the old, or eastern, section of downtown Philadelphia. It may be reached by automobile via Chestnut, Market, or Vine Streets, by the Market Street subway, and by several trolley and bus lines. As a large transportation center, Philadelphia is served by an extensive system of major highways, railroads, and airlines.

_Service to the Public_

The Independence Hall group of buildings is open to the public daily from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. For other buildings in the area, see “Guide to the Area.” Exhibits relating to the history of the park are on display in the several historic buildings. Free literature, as well as other publications, is available in the Information Centers in the west and east wings of Independence Hall. Services of historians and other personnel are available. Organizations and groups are given special service if arrangements are made in advance with the superintendent.

_Administration_

Since January 1, 1951, the Independence Hall group of buildings has been administered by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior as a part of Independence National Historical Park. Under the terms of a cooperative agreement made in 1950 between the City of Philadelphia and the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service assumed the administration and maintenance of the buildings and Independence Square, with the City retaining ownership of the property. Also under National Park Service administration are the Deshler-Morris House in Germantown, as well as those properties within the park which have been acquired by the Federal Government. All inquiries concerning the area should be addressed to the Superintendent, Independence National Historical Park, Old Custom House, 420 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia 6, Pa.

_Related Areas_

Independence National Historical Park is one of the several areas of the National Park System representing the Revolutionary and early Federal periods in American history. Others are: Colonial National Historical Park, Va.; Federal Hall Memorial National Historic Site, N. Y.; Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, N. C.; Hopewell Village National Historic Site, Pa.; Kings Mountain National Military Park, S. C.; Moores Creek National Military Park, N. C.; Morristown National Historical Park, N. J.; and Saratoga National Historical Park, N. Y.

REVISED 1954 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1954 O—309743

_I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence and I have pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled here and adopted that Declaration of Independence and I have pondered over the toils that were endured by the officers and soldiers of the army who achieved that independence. I have often inquired of myself, what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the colonies from the mother land; but something in that Declaration giving liberty, not alone to the people of this Country, but hope to the world for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights should be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance. This is the sentiment embodied in that Declaration of Independence._

ABRAHAM LINCOLN at Independence Hall, on Washington’s Birthday, 1861

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—Transcribed some text within images.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.

—In the text versions only, added descriptions {in brackets} to uncaptioned images.