Amtrak Keystone 665 to Philadelphia
Philadelphia is like Boston one of the most important places for the history of the United States. In a country deeply divided by race, wealth or better poverty and politics, the common history, nation and constitutional values have to serve to bind people together. National historic sites useful to demonstrate keystones like independence and liberty are constantly promoted. But Philadelphia has far more to offer.
Ticketed waiting area New York Penn station. A picture of the old station is in the background
I want to take the 665 Keystone service to Harrisburg leaving in New York at 13.05 (1.05 pm). Of course I am at Penn station an hour early and so I can watch what goes wrong. It is not so much today. An Acela has a delay of an hour, otherwise all trains are on time. But why is the waiting room full of people?
Where the rats scuttle into trains ... New York Penn station
Around half an hour before departure the Northeastern Regional service to Washington departing at 12.24 is canceled. People are alarmed. First the Amtrak announcement asks passengers to report to the ticket counters but then they honor the tickets of this train on all other Northestern services departing today. There is one at 11.55 and another one 13.17. They emphasize that the tickets cannot be used on the Acela trains. It is always good to be early at the station: those early enough can take the earlier train.
Newark and station
Old Pennsy electricity poles along the track to Philadelphia
My train is on time. When we board we are told that the train will be very full since passengers from other, canceled trains will also join. It turns out that the previous keystone service was also canceled. Nevertheless nobody claims the seat next to me and even after the stops in Newark and Trenton there are plenty of spare seats left.
Keystone 665 passes Northeastern regional on route from New York to Washington
This time we pass through the tunnel under the Hudson river which was opened by the Pennsylvanian Railroad in 1910. The keystone is a rather fast train with fewer stops than the Northeast Regional. On the way we even pass the train which left 10 minutes earlier somewhere between Newark and Trenton.
Building the new high speed line between Philadelphia and New York
Entering Philadelphia 30th street station
There is not a lot of nature left along the tracks between New York and Philadelphia. We traverse a postindustrial landscape full of rusty ruins. Nature is gaining ground back, at least on the railway right of way, since scrubs and barren trees grow on what the former railbed for additional tracks was. The rusty old electricity poles from the times of the Pennsylvania are still standing strong above the weeds. The catenary is gone. However, they are building new tracks and bridges for the high speed line.
30th street station underground and the waiting hall
Keystone 665 arrives in Philadelphia’s 30th street station on time. Although it was only inaugurated in 1933 this is the first really grand old station building I encounter. It is the third busiest Amtrak station after Penn station and Union station in Washington and serves 4 million passengers plus 12 million commuters annually. The station has a commuter level in east – west direction and an perpendicular underground long distance level where the Amtrak trains stop. Half a block away there is a suburban line even below the Amtrak long distance line.
Philadelphia 30th street station
Although built as late as 1933 the wide and well-light main concourse features art-deco ornaments. The street entrance on the upper-level has a six column entrance porticus which very much resembles similar buildings built shortly afterwards in Germany. The porticus mainly shields the waiting row of taxis from sun and rain.
A real station has to have a real clock....
When you survive crossing the multi-lane main street in front of the station you can cross the bridge above the Schylkill river to get into downtown Philadelphia. The historic downtown is separated from river and station by Philadelphia’s version of downtown Manhattan: high-rises mainly built from glass without any other architectonic characteristic than being big.
View from the station yard to downtown Philadelphia
In the great times Philadelphia was served by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. They all had their station in the center of Philadelphia. Most of the lines still exist and are mostly turned into metro- or commuter lines which run underground. Pennsylvania’s Broad Street station was replaced by 30th street station and demolished in 1953. B & O‘s Walnut street station was closed with the end of passenger traffic on the B & O west of Baltimore in 1958 and demolished in 1963. Philadelphia and Reading Railroad’s station, however, was redeveloped.
Reading terminal market
When the station was built in 1889 it was to occupy the space of an open air market. After protests the P & R built the station on stilts so that the market could be placed under the train shed. The market still exists today and offers a big selection of delicious treats and endless photo-opportunities.
Pastry stand at Reading terminal market
The former departure hall above the market was redeveloped into the main event hall of the Philadelphia convention center while the station building was redeveloped in office space.
Philadelphia convention center.... the former train hall of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
The town center of Philadelphia is full of other impressive art deco buildings. Many were owned by banks or insurance companies. All have lush decorations, gilded doors, candelabras and reliefs.
Wells Fargo Building downtown Philadelphia
One is the Wells Fargo Building, a limestone and granite skyscraper of 123 m high constructed in 1928. The street level facade is decorated with medallions depicting early American coins, bas-relief figures decorate the spandrels above the building's bronze doors. The doors are decorated by metal relief panels depicting the history of commerce and civilization.
Art deco ornaments and embossed doors, Wells Fargo building
Suddenly I stand in front of the former building of the Curtis publishing company. It was one of the most influential publishers in the US in the early 20th century. In 1910 the company headquarters were built by Edgar Viguers Seeler (1867–1929) at the intersection of South Sixth and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia.
Curtis publishing company headquarter building
Tiffany mosaic in the entrance hall
Courtyard with cascade in the background
The building in the Beaux Arts style has an entrance lobby displaying the mosaic “dream garden” by Tiffany. When I enter I am welcomed with quiet music from a grand piano in the corner. The center of the building is a courtyard with a tiled waterfall and enormous steel beams which used to carry the roof, which was replaced by a new, even higher one.
P J Clarke's bar in Curtis building
In the corner of the ground floor is P J Clarke’s. I discover a stylish bar and restaurant. The sun has set and I am ready for a drink. And it is happy hour time, so the beer prices are affordable. After a couple of beer and very tasty happy hour snacks I also decide to have dinner here. Afterwards it is still 1.5 km to walk back to my hotel.
Parking lot decoration and illumination in Philadelphia
In this town they even have tried to give parking lots or parking garages some attraction. A parking lot is decorated with dragons and a park-house is nicely illuminated.
Homeless sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk
In the dim light of the street lamps I see rats scuttling towards safety. One of the many homeless of Philadelphia has spread out his clean white sheet in the middle of the sidewalk. His belongings are spread out around his resting place. Is he not afraid of the rats? Or does he not take any notice of anything any more?
Chinatown Philadelphia
The gate to Chinatown
Another good place for dinner in Philadelphia is Chinatown. The entrance is easily recognizable by the chinese gate bridging the road. There are numerous Asian and in particular chinese restaurants. I end up in a place called Penang. The place is mainly visited by Asian guests, and it is accordingly loud. Without asking you get a big pot of chinese tea on your table. And I can tell you, such a pot of tea feels better than the beer I had in the other place. I order a seafood soup as a starter and a beef and broccoli main course with white rice. The portions are huge and the soup would have been enough easily.
Penang restaurant in Philadelphia and their fish soup
Huge portions are no problem in the United States. When you are so stuffed that you cannot finish your meal you ask for a doggy bag. After you have left the restaurant you will immediately find one of the homeless who sleep at the corners of the streets. They are grateful for your gift.
More art-deco, below the main post-office
The city of Philadelphia is very good in publicity. The tourist information at the Independence visitor center will supply you with maps, flyers and information booklets. Public transport is very good for American standards and it is easy to travel around town.
To find your bearings the city has subdivided the town in different districts. There is the historic waterfront district, washington square district, old city cultural district, fashion district, museum district, independence national historic park, Rittenhouse square district, Chinatown and even a French district. Almost every street corner has a sign indicating the district, the direction to the main sights and the direction to other districts.
Historical marker commemorating the Baldwin locomotive works
Philadelphia was the home of what probably was the world’s most iconic builder of steam engines. Found by Matthias W. Baldwin in 1825, it built more than 70.000 steam engines. The original site on 16th and Hamilton street in Philadelphia was rather confined. At its zenith Baldwin would built 3000 locomotives in this area of 8 city blocks (0.8 km2). Eventually the production was moved to Eddystone just outside Philadelphia and the factory in town was closed around 1920. Baldwin is a typical example of how a conservative management can run a big company into ruin. While American railroad companies started switching to Diesel and Electric power even before WW II, Baldwin stubbornly tried revolutionary new concepts for steam locomotives. Their S-1 and T-1 Duplex locomotives for the Pennsylvania Railroad were behemoths which never really did what they were supposed to do. The M-1 class steam turbine engines built in 1947-1948 were the heaviest railway locomotives ever built. After bankruptcy in 1951 Baldwin merged with Lima-Hamilton. The last steam engines were delivered to the Indian railways in 1955. A Pennsylvania historic road side marker is all what remains.
Girders that formerly supported the factory wall
The most unique surviving example of a Baldwin steam engine is preserved in the Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia. Already in 1926 Baldwin tried an inventive concept for a new steam engine. 4-10-2 Number 60000 had a three cylinder compound engine and thus a designation of 2’E1’h3v. This means that the steam first decompresses in a high pressure cylinder and then is led into two low pressure cylinders. The new engine also had a water tube firebox, a combustion chamber, innovative brakes and a so called stoker to feed coal into the boiler.
Number 60000, on display in the Franklin Institute since 1933
It was sent for test runs to many of the big railway companies of the time, from the Pennsylvania railroad in the east to the Southern Pacific in the West. In general it performed better than comparable engines of those railroads with lower consumption of water and coal. It was able to pull a coal train of 5400 metric tons and reached speeds of up to 110 km/h.
Manometer showing the allowed maximum boiler pressure of 350 psi, normal were 250 psi max
0Footplate of number 60000 with the drivers for the stoker to feed coal into the firebox
However, there were many failures with the complicated compound engines and the tubes in the firebox tended to burst. Maintenance was difficult and none of the companies where it was tested placed an order.
Front of number 60000. In the middle the big high pressure cylinder
In 1933 Baldwin donated the engine to the Franklin institute. Their new building was built around it. It is still there today and shares the space with another steam engine, Philadelphia & Reading 4-4-0 number 3 built in 1842, the oldest steam locomotive preserved in the US, which had been used not far from here, at the Reading Terminal above the brilliant market.
Philadelphia & Reading engine #3 from 1842
The Franklin Institute is a Science Museum and its hand-on exhibits are mainly designed to be enjoyed by young kids. There are few explanations and nobody realizes what special engine number 60000 actually is. There is nothing comparable elsewhere in a museum in the world.
Early stationary indoor exercise bike
I get into a conversation with a couple of employees who watch the visitors. The exhibit around the railway hall is newly arranged and they want to observe how it is accepted. The 316 ton engine is the biggest in the museum’s collection of around 40000 pieces. They never can show all of them. Now it forms the center of the “Hamilton collections gallery”, glass cases stuffed with rarities ranges from an 18th century robot able to draw different designs to an eight-seated tandem bicycle or a bicycle home trainer. Most of the families run through. Very few bother exploring the screens to get more information. The employees explain that the majority of the museum visitors are school classes who get guidance on the certain topics.
18th century robot able to draw different designs
In the space above is the air show. Its highlight is the only biplane which is preserved from those originally constructed by the brothers Wright in 1913. The children are busy with the hands-on exhibits. Few have the patience to finish the tasks. Except of the collections gallery most of the Institute has degenerated into a huge playground.
Wright brothers biplane of 1913
The Institute offers more explanation during theme-oriented experimental shows with topics like electricity, space, liquid air or combustion. The most popular is the planetarium. When I appear at the end of an enormous queue to enter the projection space I am sent away. It is full. It is school vacation and for many it is a day off after all. I am a bit fed up with the noise and confusion of all the little children and leave.
When moving down the streets of Philadelphia it seems that every intersection is occupied by a homeless. Many just lie or sit in a dirty sleeping bag at the street corners on the middle of the sidewalk. At one corner on Race street they seem to line up, maybe for help or shelter. Sometimes somebody passing me asks for some change.
That motivates me to visit another unique place in Philadelphia: the United States mint. It is actually logical that the coins are minted in Philadelphia since this is also where the first bank of the United States was located. It is the place where all those pennies, dimes, quarters and dollars are produced, 14.4 billion in 2024. In a self-guided tour you not only learn everything about the sculpting, die making and stamping but you also can observe the whole process from above. Regrettably they have stopped the production while I visit since it is the end of the year and they prepare for the coins dated 2025. The whole process is well described on their website. The presses produced by the Schuler company can produce 12 coins in a second. The national mint also produces collectors items and medals. Formally it also was possible to visit the vault in the basement of the mint where gold ingots where stored. An employee tells me that that facility was moved to West Point.
The national mint
When visiting the mint they ask you to check the oldest coin you find in your pocket and look what has happened in that year on a timeline provided in the lobby. My oldest one is a quarter from 2001. Two are so worn out that I cannot decipher the date any more. The design is changed annually and the mint employs a number of sculptors who design new models. Each new design has to be approved by congress. All the coins have the word “liberty”, the most important asset of this society, stamped integrated into the design.
Benjamin Franklin Bridge across Delaware River ot New Jersey for road and railway
There are numerous spots in Philadelphia which remind of Benjamin Franklin. The biggest is the imposing blue bridge which links the town to New Jersey across the Delaware river. Under the bridge a number of the municipal piers have been preserved. Two of the piers provide shelter for a marina which also houses a quiet Deli and coffee shop where I get a blueberry muffin and a cappuccino and can give my legs a rest.
Former municipal pier 9 beneath Franklin bridge
The Philadelphia river front, separated from the town by one of the omnipresent highways, houses the Independence seaport museum. Moored next to it are a couple of boats which are about as rare as Baldwin’s engine number 6000.
USS 319 Becuna and USS Olympia
Next to the WW II submarine number 319 “Becuna” is USS “Olympia” a protected cruiser in service between 1895 and 1922. It is a symbol for the rise of the USA from an isolationist American power to a globally operating superpower. After its launching in San Francisco it first operated in Asia, where it took part in the battle of Manila during the Spanish-American war. During WW I it operated as escort along the American East Coast but after the war it was sent to Russia to intervene in the Russian civil war and then to promote peace in the Balkan countries. In 1921 it carried the remains of World War I's Unknown Soldier from France to Washington, D.C. Afterwards it was put in storage until it was turned into a museum in 1957. Across the Delaware river in New Jersey is its modern counterpart, battleship “New Jersey”, which also is turned into a museum.
MS Kurt or Moshulu
Next to it is a floating restaurant which has an even more odyssean history. In 1904 the Hamburg shipping company G.J.H. Siemers & Co ordered a four mast steel barque from W. Hamilton & Co in Glasgow, Scotland. Until the first world war the ship named “Kurt” transported coal from Wales to South America and from Australia to Chile, nitrate from Chile to Germany and coke and patent fuel from Germany to Santa Rosalía, Baja California, Mexico. In 1917 it was seized by the United States and renamed into “Moshulu” by Edith, the wife of US president Woodrow Wilson. Under US flag the ship transported wool, chrome and timber until 1928. Then it rusted away on the American West Coast until it was bought by Swedish owners and sailed under Finnish flag. It is the protagonist of the book “the last grain race” by Eric Newby describing how it won the last race of square rigged sailing ships in 1939 by sailing non-stop in 91 days from Australia to Ireland. In 1940 it was seized by Germany in Norway with a load of grain from Buenos Aires. It was used as a grain storage, capsized, was refloated, used as a storage again and finally in 1970 ended up in Scheveningen in the Netherlands, where it got new masts and was towed to New York as exhibit in the South Street seaport museum. From there it came to Philadelphia to be used as a restaurant.
Eastern State Penitentiary
The begin of the 19th century saw a reformation of the prison system. Punishment as a goal was replaced by rehabilitation. In Philadelphia the society for alleviation of the miseries of public prisons was formed. The idea was to keep prisoners in absolute isolation so that they had time for themselves to discover the good inside. In 1829 a suitable prison was finished after the plans of the British architect John Haviland. It was the most expensive public building of the time.
The building consisted of a central watchroom from where 8 spokes originate: the entrance and 7 aisles of cells, each with an exercise cubicle in the back. From the center all entrances to the cells could be easily seen. The spokes were surrounded by a castle-like wall 10 m high with watch towers at the corners and a castle like entrance. The battlements were fake and the loopholes only visible from outside. The prison covered an area of 42.5 ha and had almost a kilometer of walls.
One of the spokes in more original state
Individual exercise courtyard for each prisoner
There were no life sentences for the convicts. They were sentenced to 2 – 8 year of solitary confinement in absolute silence. The guards even wore woolen socks to not make any noise. During their time in the prison the inmates would never see another prisoner. Their only connection to the outside world was a hatch through which their food was delivered. Otherwise they spend 22 h alone in their cell. When they were allowed to go outside into their exercise space twice a day for half an hour, it was taken care that they could not communicate with their neighbors, i.e. that the neighbors were not outside at the same time. They were only allowed a book in their cells, the bible. However, all cells had a toilette and a faucet, amenities which were even missed by the President in the white house. They also could do some work. Some where begging to be allowed to.
Central yard of the spoke
Eastern state was the first real penitentiary. More than 300 prisons mainly in Europe were built after its model called the Philadelphia system. It competed with the New York system exemplified by the famous Sing-Sing prison which formed the model for most of the prisons in United States.
The 2 story spokes
Originally there was only space for around 300 prisoners. Soon a second floor was added to blocks 4-7. In 1842 Charles Dickens visited the prison. He gives an accurate account of what he saw and about his conversations with prisoners in his American Notes. About the penalty in silence he wrote: “I hold this slow and daily tempering with the mysteries of the brain, to be immeasurably worse than any torture of the body”.
Dickens was not alone. Somebody commented: “There is only one step between the prisoner and insanity”. Eventually the Pennsylvania system was abandoned in 1913. In 1940 East State Penitentiary was reclassified into a high security prison. A death row was added, but no executions carried out on the site.
Death row cells added during WW II
Elno Smith was the last of 350 convict who awaited the electric chair in Pennsylvania. He was regarded as a deadly killer who had raped, killed and mutilated a girl. Although there are still 200 convicts in Pennsylvania prisons waiting for execution by injection no death penalty has been carried out in the state since 1999. However, there are still 28 states in the US who execute and there are 2500 convicts waiting for their execution.
Al Capone's cell
In 1929 Al Capone was arrested in Philadelphia for carrying a .38 gun without a license. He got the maximum penalty of one year. His luxurious cell was reconstructed according to descriptions. This cell was on the guards’side of the gates, not in the convicts tract. Because of good behavior he was to be released in 1930 after 7 month. However, a big crowd had assembled in front of the only entrance. Warden Herbert Smith was afraid of his inmate’s safety since some of Al Capone’s enemies were in the crowd. Secretly he transferred him to Greaterford prison before his official release date from where he was released at the exact time. In 1931 Al Capone was convicted again, of tax evasion and prohibition charges, and spend another 7.5 years in Atlanta and Alcatraz prisons.
Exit ... but only from spoke to wall ... to the left was the tunnel
There were attempts of breaking out. On April 3rd, Clarence Klinedinst escaped through a tunnel he had dug 5 m deep and then under ground for 20 m to the other side of the perimeter wall. On that day they surfaced on the pavement of the sidewalk on the other side of the wall. With him 11 others escaped. However, all were recaptured. One came back voluntarily, rang the door bell and asked to be readmitted because he was hungry. Willie Sutton, a famous bank robber, escaped with Klinedinst. When he walked down the Fairmount Avenue in front of the prison he noticed that he had left a trace of footprints from his muddy shoes. Then he knew he was in trouble.
Surgery facilities
Eventually a hospital tract was added. Healthcare had to be paid for and in some cases money was collected to pay for an operation. Up to 300 operations annually were done by medical staff from the hospitals in town. In 1929 Al Capone’s nostrils were removed. 13 children were born in the hospital, one mother was a 13 year old girl.
Hydrotherapy was used as Tuberculosis treatment - TBC was one of the most frequent conditions of convicts
One of several barber shops ... the convicts also shaved the guards
During the first world war various inmates died for the American cause in Europe. They got a commemorative plaque for their sacrifice. There are no names on it, just their inmate number.
Plaque with the numbers of those convicts who died for their country during WW I
The prison not only had a christian prayer room but also got a synagogue in 1924.
Reconstructed synagoge
Eastern state penitentiary also knew prison riots. The most serious happened in 1961. An investigation was conducted afterwards and concluded that the prison was outdated, obsolete and dangerous for the neighborhood.
Cell in final state of prison
In 1970 the front door of the prison was locked for the last time. This time not to lock people up, but to keep them out. Slowly the prison ground was covered in vegetation. There were plans to replace it by housing or a shopping mall. Eventually the historic value of the prison was recognized and it is now slowly reconstructed and opened for the first guided tours in 2005. One of the problems is asbestos behind the white plaster of the walls. Some areas therefore are entirely closed.
Remnant of tree from time when prison was abandoned
A special exhibition is directed to the development of crime in the US since the prison was closed in 1970. The number of prisoners per inhabitants in the US has since increased by 500%, in Pennsylvania by 800%. At the moment 2.2 million US citizens spend their time in prison. In 1980, 41000 were imprisoned for drug related crimes, now it is 0.5 million. In 1985 less than 5% of convicts were gang members, now it is 20%. In 1984 34000 were imprisoned for life time, now 160000. 34 states have a no-parole law. The consequence is that prisons have to introduce geriatric departments even though the relapse rate of people above 60 is very low. 1 in 3 Americans have been in prison by the age of 23.
Interior courtyard for exercises
Walls from the interior
The high number of convicted criminals and prisoners has also a consequence for the number of homeless. Many are not prepared for a normal life after they are released. They end in the streets or relapse into crime. Some are too old to work after their release and end in the street. But even when young and willing to try an honest life they run into problems: ex-convicts have problems to find a job or a rental apartment. And a small income is mostly not enough to rent a space anyway in towns like New York where a simple room will cost you around 1000 bucks.
The modern Federal Detention center in downtown Philadelphia
In the town I pass another prison. The federal detention center is in a tall building not unlike many of the older skyscrapers. It gives a completely different impression to the Eastern State Penitentiary. I can only guess what the impression for the inmates is.
Pennsylvania state house, later Independence Hall
The United States were only 43 years old when Eastern State Penitentiary was built. In 1783 Britain and the United States signed the treaty of Paris which ended the war, confirmed the withdrawal of British troops and recognized US independence. At that time the future capital Washington DC did not exist. Philadelphia was the largest city of British North America. On the path to independence the different colonies established a continental congress which met in Philadelphia. Every colony, later redefined as state, sent delegates to the congress.
Library of the American Philosophical society
The process of independence started in the Pennsylvania state house in 1753. Symbol of the revolution is a cracked bell which originally was sounding from the top of the state house. It summoned the Assembly to work. The bell cracked in 1846. It was promoted as symbol for the foundation of the nation. I hope it does not backfire: a bell of liberty which is cracked might cast some doubt on the state of liberty.
Second bank of America, now portrait gallery
The different sites which were important for the various steps of independence are organized in Independence National Historic Park, an area of 7 city blocks between 2nd and 6th street and Walnut Street and Race Street at the edge of old town Philadelphia. Many of the buildings which were important for the events were rebuilt or reconstructed later. Of some only the foundations remain. A number of enormous and ugly concrete structures, the National constitution center, the Independence Visitor center and the Liberty bell center were added to explain the importance of the otherwise not very spectacular site.
While Boston was the place where the physical struggle for independence had some of its most iconic events Philadelphia is more the Athens of the revolution. Here the intellectual work of drafting the declaration of independence and of the constitution took place. It was also the place where the financial basis for the revolution was laid with the foundation of the first US bank.
Reconstructed declaration house where Thomas Jefferson formulated declaration of independence
The first continental congress took place in Carpenter’s hall, a building erected between 1770 and 1774. In 1775 the congress appointed George Washington as commander of the continental forces. In 1776 Thomas Jefferson drafted the declaration of independence in rented accommodation in Declaration house. On 2. July 1776 the declaration was signed by 56 delegates of the continental congress. In 1777 the congress produced the articles of confederation, which formulated the alliance between the founding states to cooperate in the struggle for independence.
Reconstructed garden of age of war of independence
In 1787 the constitution was framed and finally ratified in 1788. The Pennsylvania state house, later called the independence hall, was the site were the major decisions were made.
Statue of Robert Morris
Robert Morris, a Philadelphia merchant and Banker, was appointed as financial superintendent in 1781. He is the force behind the Bank of North America. The first bank building was built in 1797. It was replaced later by a Greek revival structure which now serves as a portrait gallery of the major protagonists of the struggle for independence.
Bust of Benjamin Franklin
Between 1790 and 1800 Philadelphia became the national capital. The former Pennsylvania state house now housed the first congress and the US Supreme Court before these institutions were moved to Washington, DC.
Christ church cemetery
One of the most important signers of the declaration of independence was Benjamin Franklin. He was able to form an alliance with France. The French help was essential for the fate of the revolution since it forced the British suddenly to also deal with the French. The alliance of the nascent American Republic with France was even more remarkable since France was still ruled by the absolute, monarchistic Louis XVI, a political system which was entirely the opposite to what the American Revolution intended. The new state, which is so proud of his liberty, therefore is based on the help of a system which suppressed liberty in favor of the rule of an absolute monarch. A contradiction which will be maintained throughout US foreign politics until now.
Grave of Franklin and his wife
The grave of Benjamin Franklin can be seen in a corner of Christ church burial ground. The cemetery also has the graves of 5 other signers of the declaration of independence. Their graves are marked with a flag. A flag with only 13 white stars on blue background symbolizing the first 13 states of the Union.
Cobbled street in Old town Philadelphia
East and south of the Independence National historic park is the old town of Philadelphia. There are houses which actually date back to the 18th century. Although there is a clear priority given to the passage of motorized traffic – the concept of a pedestrian zone also yet has to arrive in Philadelphia – there are actually some cobbled streets which enhance the historic atmosphere of the buildings.
The center of the old town is formed by Christ Church and the Churchyard between second Street, Church Street and American street. It was built during colonial time in 1744. The steeple was added in 1754 and was the town’s highest structure until 1810. The church also preserves colonial remainders. On the wall is still the coat of arms of William III. It marked the seat which was reserved for the representative of the king. It was vandalized during the revolution but is still there.
Christ Church of 1744
The interior is again typical for those bright churches with white pews which were reserved for the prominent families in town. Pew number 70 was bought by the Franklin family. Pew 56-58 was the presidential pew. Here sat the first presidents George Washington and John Adams during the period when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States.
Interior of Christ church with the pews and the coat of arms center left
The steeple of the church has 8 bells, all made in 1754 by the same foundry in London which produced the cracked liberty bell. They still can be heard today. The churchyard is full of graves of notable people during the time of the revolution, including signer of declaration of independence and constitution.
Second row left the presidential pews
I am in Philadelphia at the turn of the year and many American cities organize New Years parades. The parade in Philadelphia is called the Mummer’s parade. It is the longest continuously organized folk parade in the United States.
Already in the 18th century during colonial times and in the early years of the United States masquerade parades were held. The tradition went back to Irish and British roots but there were also Finnish, Swedish, German and African elements.
Already in 1778 the British organized an extravagant, Mummer-like, farewell party for the luckless colonial commander General Howe in 1778.
During the 19th century the masquerades were not well received. However, the city never was entirely able to suppress them. In 1901 Philadelphia decided to organize an official parade at New Year’s day, the Mummers parade.
The word Mummer can be connected to the late Middle English word mommer and the Old French word momeur. Each relates to miming, masking, and folk play.
The parade is held in the streets around the city hall. With 167 m its tower is highest brick structure in the world.
While the Mummers assemble for the parade under considerable noise the homeless keep sleeping in protected corners of buildings and bus shelters. They have little hope that the new year will bring a new life. They are not part of the masquerade.
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