Philly Day 2

Day two in Philly
Day 2 in Philly
Well I will count this as our second day in Philly because yesterday was spent doing repairs. So today we again headed into the birthplace of the American Revolution.
To start we visited the Carpenter’s Hall which was used by the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was one of the first guilds in the US.
Next on the list was the Second Bank of the United States which now is a repository of the paintings and portraits of the Revolutionary Heroes as well as their wives and other influential Philly residents of the time.
Later on the list was the Mercantile Exchange and the Fist Bank of the United States which is being redone to house exhibits on the Civil War. We also saw a recreation of the City Tavern where Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and others met to discuss the events of the day over a pint of ale or beer and food.
We also saw the Library of American Philosophical Society. Washington, Jefferson and again Franklin were all members of this prestigious organization and it was again a place to meet and discuss radical ideas. The library houses such things as Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration as well as letters to Washington asking for his input. There were also many of the other original documents such as Wm Penn’s documents on the Pennsylvania Colony.
Afterwards we toured the Franklin Court where Franklin’s home was located and his rentals. Did you know that he invented a musical instrument the armonica, wrote prolifically (Poor Richard’s Almanac), was greatly interested in electricity (one of the first batteries), bifocal lenses, and the Franklin fireplace and lightning rod.
After all of these we were almost done but had to see the Free Quaker Meeting House which was one of the first Quaker Churches in America. Remember that Wm Penn was a Quaker but he gave religious freedom to most any group that wished to come to the Penn Colony. There was even land sold to a Jewish Synagogue across from the Quaker Church and next to Christ’s Church Burial Ground where Franklin is buried.
Last was a visit to the National Constitutional Center. We did not have time to spend an entire tour of the building and facilities but it is truly a monumental structure. All of this and parkland have made this city a truly wonderful experience.
We saw the US Mint on our way out after we had left the parking lot or we would have spent some time there. Always nice to know where they print the money.
1 Carpenters House
2 Old City Tavern
3 First Bank of the United States
4 Franklin Court
5 Quaker Friends Church