In Philadelphia, we begin with Independence Hall. Take note of the old building against the new background.
Once inside Independence Hall we toured the courtroom. Note the area where the defendants had to stand. This area was called the “cage” which appears to make the individual look guilty before the trial even begins.
The layout for the courtroom was based on the same design as England – House of Commons on one side of the hallway and House of Lords on the other.
Note the picture above the bench. This is a copy of the King’s (King George III) Coat of Arms that once hung there. The original was taken down, dragged through the streets and burned.
The next area in the tour was where the Continental Congress met and the Declaration of Independence was signed. On the back of the chair at the presider's table, where John Hancock was seated, the is the image of a sun on the horizon. Ben Franklin mused on this as a symbol of the nascent country --- was it a rising sun, or a setting sun? At the time of the signing he concluded that indeed, the sun was rising.
After visiting Independence Hall we walked to Carpenters Hall. This building was interesting for several reasons both historical and sentimental. Barbara’s father was a carpenter and it is through the carpenters that this hall got its name. On the way to Carpenters Hall once stood a wood frame house that no longer exists. It was the site of the Fawcitt House which was destroyed by fire.
Due to so many homes being wood frame, there was a greater threat of fire in Philadelphia. The carpenters banded together here to established architectural standards, to set prices for work and to aid the members families in times of need. The land for Carpenters Hall was purchased in 1768 and construction began in 1770. The Carpenters’ Company held their first meeting here in 1771. The following includes pictures and history of the Carpenters Hall Building.
The carpenters Coat of Arms was instituted in 1724 and incorporated in 1790.
The most important events that took place in Carpenters Hall occurred in the autumn of 1774. Representatives from the twelve colonies met here collectively to address their grievances against Great Britain. The group was the first Continental Congress and they were asking that the King repeal the unjust laws and taxes that were being levied. Their main agenda was to restore “union and harmony…most ardently desired by all good men.”
A picture of the first prayer in the Continental Congress and members present. A total of 36 members were listed in the picture. 1 – Cesar Rodney, DE 2 – Edward Rutledge, SC 3 – T. Cushing, MA 4 – Ephilet Dyer, CT 5 – Samuel Adams, MA 6 – John Adams, MA 7 – Patrick Henry, VA 8 – John Rutledge, SC 9 – George Washington, VA 10 – Peyton Randolph, VA 11 – Col. N. Folsom, NH 12 – Robert Treat Paine, MA 13 – George Read, DE 14 – Silas Dean, CT 15 – Richard Smith, NJ 16 – Philip Livingston, NY 17 – Thomas Lynch, SC 18 – Stephen Hopkins, RI 19 – John Dehart, NJ 20 – William Livingston, NJ 21 – Thomas McKean, DE 22 – Roger Sherman, CT 23 – William Paca MD 24 – Rev. Mr. Duche, PA 25 – Samuel Rhodes, PA 26 – Col. William Floyd, NY 27 – Stephen Crane, NJ 28 – Samuel Chase, MD 29 – John Morton, PA 30 – Thomas Mifflin, PA 31 – Charles Thomson, VA 32 – Rich. Henry Lee, VA 33 – John Jay, NY 34 – Isaac Low, NY 35 – Benjamin Harrison, VA 36 – Samuel Ward, RI.
Here are some of the other sites we saw in Philadelphia.
The gravesite of Ben Franklin and his wife, Deborah.
The Betsy Ross House
Washington Square and its monuments.
We also observed training of the young troops.
We had a nice day and went to the City Tavern for lunch. Our waitress was wearing her colonial dress which was apporpriate to the surroundings. The food, drink and atmosphere were really good; no wonder this was one of our founding fathers favorite spots.
