Philadelphia, PA
The obligatory horse and buggy tour thru the historic district.
I have always enjoyed history….especially
American history. I remember my high
school American history teacher, Miss Hodges, being one of the best teachers I
ever had. I know what you are
thinking……MISS Hodges, she must have been a hot, single, young teacher that I
had a secret crush on…..NOT. She was
probably in her late 50’s at the time, and to my knowledge never married. But, she was a great teacher and a great
person. She was good at her job for a
number of reasons, but the one that really stood out to me was the fact that
she loved WHAT she taught. She really had
a love of this country that came across daily in how she taught American
history. She was passionate about
it.
We were forced to memorize the Preamble to
the Declaration of Independence…..”When in the course of human events, it
becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands……” ; and the
Gettysburg address……”Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers brought
forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to
the principal that all men are created equal……” I still remember most of both
of them. At the time, we hated it…we
thought we would never be able to complete the task. Part of the problem, at the time, was we were
memorizing words instead of the thoughts, principals, and ideas those words
were communicating. Life has taught me
to appreciate the ideas and principals behind the words, and maybe that is why
it is easier for me to remember now (40+ years later), than it was for me to
learn it in the first place.
That was a long lead-in to this post. Dahleen and I had the opportunity to visit
Philadelphia’s historic district for the first time the other day. Wow, I really enjoyed it. I wish I had a whole week to visit and digest
all there is to see. To visit places
where Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Betsy
Ross and other American revolutionary heroes lived and/or worked was fascinating. We visited Independence Hall, where the
Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed; the Liberty Bell; Betsy
Ross’ house; Ben Franklin’s house and neighborhood; and countless other places
of historical significance. Just wish we
had more time….
I am posting some pics of our visit......
Inside Independence Hall...this is where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The courtyard just outside Independence Hall
The Liberty Bell.......duh!?
Just outside Betsy Ross' house.....you can see part of the house in the background.
Betsy Ross' house........the part right behind the blue sign on the sidewalk.
I love the architecture of the buildings.
Dahleen at the passage-way between the street and the entrance to Ben Franklin's house.
Passage-way to Ben Franklin's house from the main street.
Post Office on Ben Franklin's street.
