Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Our final destination for the day was Independence National Historical Park, also in Downtown Philadelphia.

Independence National Historical Park encompasses dozens of historical buildings directly relating to the founding of the United States.

One such building pictured here, Independence Hall, was the site of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

The most famous ringing of the Liberty Bell occurred on July 8, 1776, summoning Philadelphia citizens for the reading of the Declaration.

The Liberty Bell first cracked during its initial testing outside the Pennsylvania State House.

A second crack appeared some time later and was repaired in 1846. That same repaired crack grew on February 22, 1846 when the bell tolled for several hours in honor of George Washington's birthday.

Following the growth of the crack in 1846, the bell was no longer usable.

The Liberty Bell hung in this bell tower for its first 100 years.

In 1852, it was removed from the bell tower and placed on display in the "Declaration Chamber" of Independence Hall.

The American Flag flies high above Independence National Historical Park.

In the 1770s, Independence Hall was known as the Pennsylvania State House and housed the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chamber.

Prisoners stood in the dock pictured here throughout the course of their court proceedings. Thus, the expression "standing trial" originated.

Across the hall from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chamber sits the Pennsylvania Assembly Room. The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed here.

A famous guy and a not-so-famous guy pose in front of Independence Hall.

Watch a short carriage ride down the cobble-stoned street in front of Independence Hall in the last part of this video.

The U.S. flag Lincoln raised on this spot in 1861 had 34 stars. At the time, Kansas was the newest state to be admitted into the Union.

A short walk down the street we came across the Ben Franklin House.

Originally opened in 1925 as the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, Doug and his family stayed here during the Bicentennial celebration of 1976.

During the mid-1980s the hotel was converted to an apartment building.

Carpenters' Hall is a showcase for 18th century building trades and design. The buildings were closed by this time, but this courtyard view was kind of neat.
Here stands the First Bank of the United States restored to its 1790s appearance. It functioned much like a modern Federal Reserve Bank.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/philadelphia/ pictures 109-158.

To be continued...

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From Valley Forge, we headed toward the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Our first stop was at the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site.

Poe lived in several houses in Philadelphia from 1837 to 1844, but this house is the only surviving one. It was Poe's final home in the city before moving to New York.

The house has NOT been restored to look as it did during Poe's time.

Ascend these stairs at your own risk.

Poe lived here with his wife, Virginia, who suffered from tuberculosis, and his mother-in-law, Maria Clemm.

Edgar and Virginia were also first cousins as Maria was also Edgar's aunt.

A view from the side yard of the house.

A view from the bad side of Doug reveals that this was not a good picture pose.

The National Historic Site consists of Poe's former residence and two adjoining residences which were built after Poe lived here.

An avid fan of Poe, Richard Gimbel (son of the founder of Gimbel's Department Store) purchased the home, refurbished it, opened it as a museum, and left the property to the city of Philadelphia upon his death.

The National Park Service took over the site in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1980.

Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

Doug appears to have lost some weight since his last photo.

Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe lived to the ripe old age of 40?

The scary basement of the house reminds us of one of Poe's stories...

particularly of "The Cask of Amontillado" in which a living man is entombed in a stone wall.

The reading room is not part of the original home but has been furnished based on Poe's theories in "The Philosophy of Furniture".

Here you can read Poe's works or listen to many of them on CD.

Poe's works are featured on compact disc in a volume of Smithsonian Legendary Performers.

This mural of Edgar Allan Poe can be found on a nearby building.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/philadelphia/ pictures 63-108.

To be continued...

Valley Forge National Historical Park, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Today we headed to Valley Forge National Historical Park which preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment.

General George Washington led the main body of the Continental Army of approximately 12,000 which encamped here at Valley Forge from December 1777 to June 1778.

Cabins have been constructed to demonstrate the conditions under which the soldiers endured the winter at Valley Forge.

Interpreters are dressed in the garb of the day and display items used by the troops to survive the winter.

The National Memorial Arch is inscribed with Washington's tribute to his army:

"Naked and Starving as they are

We cannot enough admire

the Incomparable Patience and Fidelity

of the Soldiery."

General Knox' Quarters during the encampment is in the process of rehabilitation in preparation for future use.

The Knox Covered Bridge was built over Valley Creek in 1865. It is still used by over 2,000 vehicles per day and has a height clearance of only 10 feet.

General George Washington's headquarters during the encampment is open to the public. George's wife, Martha, lived with him here during the later months of the encampment.

Incredibly, George Washington's Headquarters wasn't declared a National Historic Landmark until 1972.

The house's interior contains many actual and recreated artifacts of the revolutionary period.

Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben served as inspector general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

He is credited with teaching the army the essentials of military drills and discipline and wrote the standard United States drill manual which was used until the War of 1812.

The Washington Memorial Chapel was completed in 1917 and serves as a National Memorial to General Washington, as well as being an active Episcopal Parish.

The church features The National Patriots Bell Tower with its carillon of 58 tuned bronze bells, representing all states and U.S. territories.

Listen to the music of The National Patriots Bell Tower in the first portion of this video.

The entry hall to the church.

The interior of the church.

The ceiling of the church.

The church is surrounded by gardens and statues and also features its own thrift store.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/philadelphia/ pictures 1-62.

To be continued...

Views of Atlantic City and Square Dancing

Today we took a drive to the city that is "always turned on"...Atlantic City.

The visitor center located right in the median of the Atlantic City Expressway will provide you information on many things to do in the city. First thing to know...there is NO free parking at Atlantic City casinos unless you have gambled enough to become a Gold Card holder.

Atlantic City is surrounded by water. This is a view from the Atlantic City Expressway.

Atlantic City has several casinos surrounded by a lot of shopping with run-down areas of the city right next door.

The walkways of Atlantic City connect casinos to each other and parking garages.

Big casino names of Atlantic City include Trump Plaza, Caesars, Showboat, Tropicana...

who can forget the Trump Taj Mahal?

And, of course, Bally's, not to be confused with Bally's Total Fitness. Ain't much exercise going on inside these walls.

After driving through Atlantic City, we headed back to Holly Acres RV Park.

When we arrived, we found some Square Dancers in the activity hall.

Take a look.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/drive-to-atlantic-c/ .

To be continued...