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STEM Walking Tour
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Inde
pendence Visitor Center
6th and Market Streets
Plan your visit at the Independence Visitor Center with the assistance of park rangers and concierge staff
for the city. Pick up a map and tickets for Independence Hall, or use the free WiFi to download the NPS
Independence app. Public restrooms are also available. Wheelchair accessible.
Declaration House
7th and Market Streets
Closed September-June
Not only did Thomas Jefferson draft the Declaration of Independence while living on this site, he also
recorded the daily temperature and precipitation at least twice every day. Much like scientists at the
National Weather Service today, Jefferson gathered data to learn about weather patterns and advance
the science of meteorology. Curious about the weather on July 4, 1776? Dry and 76F at 1pm, according
to Jefferson’s weather record.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution
Washington Square, closest to 7th and Walnut Streets
This memorial, erected in 1954, includes an eternal flame, a tomb, and a bronze cast of Jean Antoine
Houdon’s statue of George Washington. The tomb contains the remains of an unknown Revolutionary
War soldier who perished in the fight for independence while the eternal flame honors the high price
paid by soldiers in the name of freedom.
Washington Square
6th and Walnut Streets
This beautiful park was originally a burial ground and cattle pasture. Today, there are more than 30
species of trees in the square, including a sycamore (platanus occidentalis) cloned from the original
Moon Tree, which was grown from seeds that orbited the moon 34 times with the Apollo 14 mission in
1971. Scientists wanted to know if a change in gravity would affect the seeds. Can you find the Moon
Tree?
President's House Site
6th and Walnut Streets
The house is gone, but outdoor exhibits mark the spot where Presidents Washington and Adams lived in
the 1790’s. Look for the foundations of the home embedded in the ground. Washington’s large
household included family members as well as indentured and enslaved servants. Adams, never a
slaveholder, employed a small staff of servants. Outdoor exhibits examine the paradox between slavery
and freedom in this house, and in the nation.
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Liberty Bell Center
6th and Market Streets
The wide "crack" in the Liberty Bell is actually the repair job! Look carefully and you'll see over 40 drill bit
marks. But the repair was not successful, and the bell cracked again in 1846. Today, computer modeling
gives us an approximation of the Liberty Bell's sound. Visit the park’s website (www.nps.gov/inde
) and
look under Photos and Multimedia to find the link to the sound of the Liberty Bell.
Independence Square
Enter through a security checkpoint on 5th and Chestnut Streets.
Free, timed tickets required for Independence Hall.
Scientists observed the Transit of Venus (Venus crossing in front of the Sun) from an observatory on
Independence Square in 1769. Their measurements of this a rare astronomical event, along with
calculations from over 170 other observers around the globe, enabled scientists to figure out the
distance between the Earth and the Sun (Astronomical Unit or AU), and begin to understand the size of
our solar system. (The observatory is long gone).
Congress Hall
Enter through the security checkpoint on 5th and Chestnut Streets.
This building was home to the Congress in the 1790’s. The story here is all about addition… and division.
Vermont, Kentucky, and Tennessee joined the original 13 states, boosting the number of senators to 32.
Meanwhile, membership in the House increased from 65 to 106 representatives due to census results
and the new states. But political disagreements caused deep divisions among lawmakers, and political
parties were born.
Great Essentials Exhibit
Enter through the security checkpoint on 5th and Chestnut Streets.
Rare printed documents from the late 1700’s are displayed in the Great Essentials Exhibit, including the
Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Preserving these documents is serious business, so
the documents are kept in a case with argon, an inert gas that will not facilitate organic decay. Harmful
sunlight has been blocked from the room, and the pages of the documents are turned periodically so
they all get an equal amount of light exposure.
Independence Hall
Enter through the security checkpoint on 5th and Chestnut Streets.
Entry by tour only. Free, timed tickets required.
The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were both signed at Independence Hall. But
from 1802 to 1827, Charles Wilson Peale’s Philadelphia Museum occupied the second floor of this
building, working to educate and entertain. Visitors marveled at more than 700 mounted birds, 4,000
insects, 190 quadrupeds, and countless rocks and minerals, while portraits of notable men were meant
to inspire citizens. Today, entrance to Independence Hall is by tour only; tickets required March through
December.
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Old City Hall
5th and Chestnut Streets
Old City Hall served as the city’s governmental hub in the 1790’s. In 1793, an epidemic of Yellow Fever
swept through Philadelphia. Community organizers like Absalom Jones and Richard Allen met here with
city officials to discuss efforts to nurse the sick and bury the dead. Today, we know that Yellow Fever is
spread by mosquitoes, but in the 1790’s, some people suspected that a load of rotting coffee on the
wharf was to blame.
Philosophical Hall
5th Street, just south of Chestnut Street
Home to the American Philosophical Society, Philosophical Hall now features a gallery of changing
exhibits. Benjamin Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society in 1743 to “promote useful
knowledge.” Early members included politicians, doctors, artisans, clergy, and tradesmen – all interested
in science. Members today are recognized as leaders in the fields of science and humanities.
Library Hall
5th and Library Streets
The research library of the American Philosophical Society houses thousands of books, manuscripts, and
periodicals, including the journals of Lewis and Clark. Beginning in 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark led the Corps of Discovery on an expedition from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean, passing through
territory that no European had ever seen before. Their journals provide a record of the geography, flora
and fauna, and inhabitants of those regions.
Second Bank of the United States
Chestnut Street, between 4th and 5th Streets
Hours vary
The Second Bank building is a marvel of Greek Revival architecture that houses an impressive gallery of
original portraits of early American politicians, soldiers, and scientists. Note the deterioration of the
exterior marble columns. Pollutants in the air cause the columns to peel apart over time. Surprisingly,
the parts of the columns most shielded from the elements deteriorate faster because it’s more difficult
for rainwater to reach and wash away the pollutants.
New Hall Military Museum
Chestnut Street, between 3rd and 4th
Closed September-June
The exhibits in the New Hall Military Museum tell the story of the Continental Army, Navy, and Marines
during the Revolutionary War. Much of the story is about the technology and physics of warfare. For
example, weapons like mortars and cannons required artillerymen to understand trajectory and recoil.
Sailors, on the other hand, learned to use wind speed and position to their advantage, though
communication in the fog of battle challenged both soldiers and sailors.
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Carpenters' Hall
Chestnut Street, between 3rd and 4th Streets
The Carpenters’ Company literally shaped the city. Members were skilled craftsmen and master builders
experienced in design, engineering, and construction. In 1774, they loaned Carpenters' Hall to the First
Continental Congress. Look carefully at the weather vane. Do you see the tools at the very top? The one
that has a right angle is a try square. The other one is a divider.
Dock Creek
Between Chestnut and Walnut Streets, and 3rd and 4th Streets
This beautiful landscape was once home to a foul creek. Slaughterhouses dumped animal carcasses into
the creek, while residents threw their everyday trash into the waterway. Benjamin Franklin associated
outbreaks of yellow fever with its putrid smell and unhealthy conditions. He urged the city government
to restore the creek to its original clean condition, but they merely concealed it with a street.
Rush Garden
3rd and Walnut Streets
This garden was once the site of Dr. Benjamin Rush’s home. Dr. Rush treated many city residents
suffering from yellow fever in 1793. He promoted the “English cure,” which involved using a lancet or
leech to remove some of a patient’s blood, and giving the patient medicine to purge his/her intestines.
Today we know that Dr. Rush’s well-intentioned efforts may have harmed patients. There is still no cure
for the yellow fever virus.
Franklin Court
Between Market and Chestnut Streets, and 3rd and 4th Streets
Although long gone, Benjamin Franklin's elegant home and rather unique garden once stood in this
courtyard. While living in London, Franklin participated in a seed exchange with a network of scientists.
His wife, Deborah, often acted as an intermediary from Franklin Court, passing along seeds to Franklin's
friends and planting some in the garden here--among them broccoli, cauliflower, and some “curious”
beans.
Fragments of Franklin Court
318 Market Street
Closed September-June
This home, built in 1786 by Benjamin Franklin as a rental property, features an architectural and
archeological exhibit. Stripped down to the bare walls, the building allows visitors to examine 18th
century building practices and observe some of Franklin's fire safety improvements. Exhibit cases
contain artifacts found buried in Franklin Court. From teapots to lice combs, the artifacts reveal the stuff
of everyday life in the past.
Benjamin Franklin Museum
Between Chestnut and Market Streets, and 3rd and 4th Streets
Fee applies
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This museum allows visitors to learn about Benjamin Franklin through his life-long interests in science,
business, philanthropy, and politics. See historical objects, like a fossilized mastodon tooth and a family
Bible. Animated videos and computer interactives engage visitors with stories of Franklin’s inventions
and community improvements. Fee applies. Reservations for school groups are recommended; fee
waivers may be available.
Franklin Court Printing Office
320 Market Street
There were no computers in Benjamin Franklin’s day. Books, newspapers, and even paper money were
printed on a printing press. Printers spelled out everything with lead letters, putting them in one at a
time, upside down, whereas pictures were made by carving images into a block of wood. Printers inked
the lead type and wood cuts, and then pressed them against paper, printing one sheet at a time.
Welcome Park
2nd Street, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets
This small outdoor park is the place to learn about William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.
Embedded in the ground is a giant map of the original street grid for Philadelphia, with trees marking
the original squares. A small scale replica of the City Hall statue of William Penn sits in the middle of this
urban space while a biographical timeline wraps around the two perimeter walls.
Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
3rd and Pine Streets
Open April-October
This house is a national memorial to an international champion of human freedom. Thaddeus
Kosciuszko, a Polish military engineer and volunteer in the American Revolution, designed and
supervised the construction of fortifications for the Continental Army, including those at West Point. He
designed a huge chain that stretched across the Hudson River, preventing British ships from entering the
area. He later led an unsuccessful uprising in Poland against the Russian occupation.
Christ Church
2nd and Church Streets
Constructed in 1744, the church features many elements of classic Georgian architecture, including a
Palladian window. The steeple, added ten years later and funded through the sale of lottery tickets in
Benjamin Franklin’s printing office, was easily recognizable from all of colonial Philadelphia. George
Washington attended services here, as did members of Franklin’s family. Don’t miss the bishop’s mitre
(hat) on the weathervane!
Christ Church Burial Ground
5th and Arch Streets
This is the final resting place of some of the nation’s most prominent founders, including Benjamin
Franklin. There are about 1,400 markers in the burial ground; another 5,000 have eroded and
disappeared through time. Franklin’s gravestone now has a significant crack caused by weather
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exposure. The damage is exacerbated by the Philadelphia tradition of tossing a penny for good luck on
Franklin’s grave.
National Constitution Center
Arch Street, between 5th and 6th
Fee applies
Experience the U.S. Constitution through more than 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits. Life-size
bronze statues in Signers’ Hall will transport you to September 17, 1787, when 39 men signed an
enduring compact of government beginning with the words “We the People.” The National Constitution
Center is a private, non-profit museum. Fee applies.
