Milne Larissa - Philadelphia Liberty Trail: trace the path of Americans heritage

Philadelphia Liberty Trail

Philadelphia Liberty Trail

Trace the Path of American History

First Edition

Larissa and Michael Milne

An imprint of Rowman & Littlefield

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2015 by Rowman & Littlefield

All photographs by the authors unless otherwise noted.

Kite icon licensed by Shutterstock.com.

Maps by Melissa Baker Rowman & Littlefield.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Information available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available

ISBN 978-1-4930-0157-6 (paperback)

eISBN 978-1-4930-1638-9 (eBook)

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

All the information in this guidebook is subject to change. We recommend that you call ahead to obtain current information before traveling.

Dedicated to our parents, who encouraged us to see the world

Contents

About the Authors

In 2011, Philadelphia natives Larissa and Michael Milne sold their home, quit their jobs, and gave away their possessions to travel around the world for a year with a Rocky statue. After learning to live much more simply they have continued their nomadic lifestyle with no fixed address. They focus on historical, offbeat, and tasty tales. Their stories appear regularly in the Philadelphia Inquirer, AAA, Huffington Post, and other media outlets. Their travel blog at ChangesInLongitude.com won the 2013 Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Silver Award for Best Travel Blog, awarded by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. Despite visiting 60 countries and all 50 states, their heart still belongs in their hometown of Philadelphia, where they lived a few blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Acknowledgments

Wed like to thank Philippa Chaplin of the Philadelphia Inquirer who first provided an opportunity to two budding travel writers; Paula Fuchsberg who made that chance possible; Adam Duncan of Independence National Historical Park; Visit Philadelphia; Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau; Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill and Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District; Del Conner at the Physick House; Al Harris at the Powel House; Stacey Peeples at Pennsylvania Hospital; Dr. Marla Miller of the University of Massachusetts for her insight into the life of Betsy Ross; Libby Browne at St. Peters Church; George Thomas of the University of Pennsylvania; Chef Walter Staib and Molly Yun of City Tavern; John Price Wetherill, who visited from 1844 to provide us with local color at the Free Quaker Meeting House; Kelly Murphy at the Philadelphia History Museum; Ronn Shaffer of Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church; John Hopkins at Christ Church Burial Ground; Neil Ronk at Christ Church; Mark Kehres and Lauren Saul at the National Constitution Center; Alberto Gonzales at Firemans Hall Museum; Heather Kinkade of Historic Philadelphia, Inc.; Janice Telstar; Jerry Milne; Charlie Davidson; Donald Smith; Karen Page; Larry Schroepfer, Esq.; Andy Murdock; Luca, Sofia, Kate, and Caroline for helping us view the Philadelphia Liberty Trail through the eyes of a child; the wonderful team at Globe Pequot including Tracee Williams, Lauren Brancato, and Joanna Beyer; the truly remarkable people of 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century Philadelphia whose accomplishments, large and small, made this city such an inspiring place to visit; and to William Penn for making it all possible.

Introduction

There is an abundance of sights related to early American history in Philadelphia. Although the area surrounding Independence Hall has been dubbed the most historic square mile in America, the attractions related to the dramatic founding of the nation have not been presented before as a unified group. This book guides you through the Philadelphia Liberty Trail , over 25 sights related to the birth of the United States of America.

The book is broken down into chapters that divide the historic district into five easy-to-navigate sections. Independence Mall is at the center with each section forming a rough loop that begins and ends nearby. Though the entire trail is about 4 miles long, youre never far from the starting point. Begin wherever you like; its not necessary to follow the trail sections in sequence to get a handle on things.

Each section will take about two to four hours, depending on how deeply you like to explore. Weve included Side Trips along the way that may be of interest, as well as Pit Stops for dining, shopping, or just sitting down to rest weary feet. If youre traveling with youngsters, keep an eye out for the kite icon , indicating kid-friendly destinations.

The back of the book contains practical travel information such as lodging and dining options along with historic sights to visit elsewhere in Philadelphia and the surrounding region.

Much of the trail meanders through Independence Park where you can pop your head into many attractions, like the Liberty Bell, for free. For others there is a small admission fee. Details are listed with each individual location.

More than half of the Philadelphia Liberty Trail takes you outside the confines of Independence Park and onto the streets of Philadelphia, giving you a peek into the world that formed a backdrop to early American history. Its where a diverse group of immigrants to 18th-century Philadelphiaboth voluntary and involuntarymade significant contributions to the cause of liberty.

Some of the sights such as Christ Church, Pennsylvania Hospital (the nations first), Headhouse Square Market, and Mother Bethel African Methodist Church (another first) are still in operation today fulfilling their original mission. Others, such as the Powel House and Carpenters Hall, are some of the finest remaining examples of early American building design and part of the largest collection of Georgian architecture in the world outside of London.

Explore the cobblestoned streets, majestic buildings, and tree-lined colonial neighborhoods in the city where this country began, and trace the path of American history.