DAY 18 – (5/7/06) – An independent town

We are back to trains again today so we head for Union Station to take the regional “R” service train. At the centre of Columbus Circle, in front of Washington’s Union Station, stands the Columbus statue. Christopher Columbus (approximately 15 ft. high) wears a mantle, staring forward with his hands folded in front of him. Beneath him is a ship prow that features a winged figurehead that represents the observation of discovery. A globe, representing the Western hemisphere, is on top of the shaft with four eagles on each corner connected by garland. The left and right sides of the shaft have two male figures decorating them. The right side figure is an elderly man, representing the Old World, and on the left side is a figure of a Native American, representing the New World.



So like Columbus we are off to discover something - Philadelphia in the State of Pennsylvania. Geoff has always been intrigued by the “Founding Fathers” of America and very much wants to see “where it all began.” We board the MARC train (Maryland Area Commuter Service).



The train passes out of Washington D C and heads in a two o’clock direction up towards Bowie, Maryland. There’s nothing really remarkable about this place other than it gets listed in the top 30 places folk would most like to live in the USA.



Next up is Baltimore. This city has more public monuments than any other city per capita. Baltimore's Inner Harbour was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States after New York. These days it is a major manufacturing centre. Famous residents have included writer Edgar Allan Poe, singer Billie Holiday; actor and filmmaker John Waters; and baseball player Babe Ruth. In the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote The Star-Spangled Banner, later the American national anthem, in the city.



Wilmington, Delaware is our next stop. It is built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. The greatest growth in the city occurred during the Civil War. Delaware, though officially remaining a member of the Union, was a border state and divided in its support of both the Confederate and the Union causes. The war created enormous demand for goods and materials supplied by Wilmington including ships, railroad cars, gunpowder, shoes, and other war-related goods. In the 1980s, job growth and office construction were spurred by the arrival of national banks and financial institutions in the wake of the 1981 Financial Centre Development Act, which liberalized the laws governing banks operating within the state, and similar laws in 1986. Today, many national companies have their address registered in Delaware including the Disney Corporation!



The journey is roughly 90 minutes and remarkably arrives nearly on time! The 30th Street station is yet another grand building.





The station is some distance from the old town where the heritage sites are. They lie in an L shape - about five blocks by two and are named the Idependence National Park.

The first part of our trail is to see the Liberty Bell. It is housed in a deliberately designed centre. Originally cast by the Whitechapel foundry in London (the same foundry that made “Big Ben”), it has quite a history and has become the most powerful symbol of freedom to all Americans –black and white.

In 1751, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly—part of the state’s colonial government—paid around 100 pounds for a large bell to hang in its new State House (later known as Independence Hall).

You can see inside the bell and see the repairs done to its famous crack. There are several versions of how the damage happened. According to one of many stories, it first cracked back in 1824, during the visit of the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette. Another story holds that it fractured later that year, while tolling to signal a fire. One of the most popular legends claims that the bell cracked during the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835, but newspaper accounts of the funeral do not mention such an incident. Whatever the truth is, it seems the bell was certainly damaged by 1846, when (according to official city records) Philadelphia’s mayor requested that the bell be rung on George Washington’s birthday. Though attempts were made to repair an existing fracture in the bell for the occasion and the bell reportedly tolled loud and clear at first, it subsequently cracked beyond repair and had to be taken out of service.





It toured the USA on a specially adapted railroad carriage in the past but today it is housed in a specially designed informative centre. They discourage you touching the actual bell and so have made a casting of the Leviticus inscription: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”.



The next time you are in Disney's Magic Kingdom at Liberty Square go and look at the replica of the bell and think about what it signifies.

We go over to the State House (more commonly known as Independence Hall). It was here that the likes of Franklin, Jefferson and George Washington thrashed out the beginnings of the United States.



We view the court which was the fore-runner of the Supreme Court.



Across from the court is the Assembly Room. Here the politicians of the day would debate and ratify the Declaration of Independence.



A nearby portrait shows how the scene may have looked:



Upstairs we visit the Governor's rooms:







In front is the square where the Declaration of Independence was first read to the citizens of Philadelphia. The museum also contains Dunlap Broadsheets – the first printing of the Declaration. These are kept in humidity and oxygen free controlled environments because of their rarity. Photos are only permitted without flash and a National Parks Ranger will check your camera to ensure that the flash function has been turned off.



Our final visit on the history trail is Benjamin Franklin’s grave. It’s quite a plain affair considering the importance of the man.



We are not quite sure why people throw coins on to it but some research reveals that Franklin coined an adage about a penny keeps bringing in the cash. Ever since the mid-1800s, when brides are said to have first tossed pennies onto his grave for an extra measure of luck on their way to the altar, Franklin's little saying has been twisted in his own favor. The folks at Christ Church Burial Ground, where his grave is, say Mr. Franklin “earns” $750 to $1000 on average each year, which goes to the historic church's preservation efforts.

The city itself seems poor for shopping – the large stores are currently empty and awaiting development by Macy’s. We do, however, call in at Sharper Edge and I finish up buying a nose trimmer!



(** In the ten years since we visited Philadelphia shopping has greatly improved in the city. There is a Premium Outlets Mall plus two shopping malls).

We found a great place for lunch – the Philadelphia Fish & Company.
Sorry about the watermarked picture. I hadn't taken one of the exterior and this is the only one I could find online.



The interior picture is mine:



Their speciality, a kind of lobster sandwich served hot dog style. Washed down with a Sam Brown beer – it was delicious.



We take a stroll to Penn’s Landing which is a waterfront area of Centre City Philadelphia along the Delaware River. Its name commemorates the landing of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in 1682. These days it serves as the site for several summertime events in the city. It also features a Seaport museum.



The Benjamin Franklin bridge (originally the Delaware River bridge) that spans the river leads over to Camden, New Jersey.

It’s time to return to Washington D C and so we take the 20 minute walk back to the station. We bypass the City Hall. This featured in the Tom Hanks' film.



The train wends it way back to Washington D C. We are tired so we grab burger and fries, get back to our room, watch some TV and fall deep asleep.



INDEX: http://DIBB.in/11466192

Geoff. The first train on time!

Some awesome architecture on those buildings you saw and visited. I liked it there albeit we didn't do it justice as we only saw the bell and a little bit more.
I did chuckle about Darrins shopping! Reminds me I must get a new one!
The Americans certainly invested heavilly in their railroad stations. I know we have a few really grand ones but they have loads more. So good that they haven't been demolished for some glass and concrete monstrosity.
Where to next? Love it.

One and a half more days in Washington Mr T. M.

USA stations really put ours to shame. What great imagination and architecture.

Baltimore looks an interesting harbour area. Philadelphia is definitely on our future list and need to track down those lobster rolls!

The Lobster rolls look lovely

Glad you managed to be the bell

Lesley and Melvin