The following Philadelphia area placemarks record a few of the many sights that Keyhole Community member Jumble showed me yesterday.



He is a friendly and enthusiastic host; a charming man; a caring husband, father and doctor; and a zealous fan of Keyhole. His wife, "Mrs. Jumble", had kindly researched many places for us to visit and the resulting tour was great fun. Hopefully the sites will be interesting for you as well. (At least to the extent that the following posts are successful in telling even a small part of the story. )


Sleeve from 45 RPM record commemorating release of the song
Image from Paul Maclauchlan's exemplary Cornflakes and Classics site.

Written and released in 1975 just before the US Bicentennial, Philadelphia Freedom is what I'm listening to right now as I post this collection of placemarks about the city that is America's historic and political fountainhead.

Philadelphia Freedom
Lyrics by Bernie Taupin
Music by Elton John

I used to be a rolling stone
You know if the cause was right
I'd leave to find the answer on the road
I used to be a heart beating for someone
But the times have changed
The less I say the more my work gets done

`Cause I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom
From the day that I was born I've waved the flag
Philadelphia freedom took me knee-high to a man
Yeah gave me peace of mind my daddy never had

Oh Philadelphia freedom shine on me, I love you
Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light shine a light
Shine a light won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom I love you, yes I do

If you choose to you can live your life alone
Some people choose the city
Some others choose the good old family home
I liked living easy without family ties
Till the whippoorwill of freedom zapped me
Right between the eyes

After attending a sweet Bar Mitzvah at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Beth Sholom Synagogue, then hitting the Continental Martini Bar for some refreshment, we headed straight for Christ Church Philadelphia.


Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

Christ Church was established on 15 November, 1695, and for 66 years was the only Church of England parish in the city of Philadelphia. The present building was started in 1727 and completed in 1744. The tower and steeple, financed in part by lotteries managed by Benjamin Franklin was completed in 1754. The building is an outstanding example of colonial architecture in the Georgian spirit.


Bright, sunny interior has sparse 'New England' sensibilities.
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

Christ Church was intimately associated with the men and events that brought forth our nation, and because of this it is often called 'The Nation's Church'. In this sanctuary worshipped such persons as John Penn, George and Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, Francis Hopkinson, Dr Thomas Bond and Tench Coxe.

See the large pillar at the front left? There is a short pew at its left side just by the flag. It looks like this:


Note American flag and brass plaque...
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005


...it marks the spot where Mrs. Elizabeth Ross ("Betsy Ross") worshiped.
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

We met a friendly guide who shared many facts about the history of the church, its construction and congregation, and events of the modern day.


Kind man with an answer for every question.
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

Here is the kneeling view from the pew in the center aisle directly across from the much-touristed pew of George and Martha Washington. Very pretty. Jumble observed that the view would have been even brighter and more picturesque back in the Washington's day since there would have been no tall buildings across the street.


Note engraved stones in floor
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

On the outside we passed the comprehensively annotated final resting place of Mr. James Wilson. I liked the quote at the bottom, which was as true in the America of 1776 as it is in the Iraq of today:

"That the Supreme Power, therefore, should be vested in the People is, in my judgment, the great panacea of human politics."


This engraved marble tablet was about six feet in length just like the ones inside.
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

Finally, we noticed this interesting plaque on the side of the bell tower.


Let Freedom Ring, in Philadelphia and around the world.
Seer photo, Copyright (C) 2005

"...Oh Philadelphia freedom shine on me, I love you
Shine a light through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine a light shine a light
Shine a light won't you shine a light
Philadelphia freedom I love you, yes I do..."

Located in the heart of Philadelphia's history-rich Old City neighborhood, Elfreth's Alley is a National Historic Landmark and the nation's oldest residential street, with the first house being built here in 1713. Benjamin Franklin once lived here although no one is sure in just which house. Betsy Ross visited the alley, for, although at the time of the Revolution Philadelphia was the second largest city under British rule (second only to London), the city itself was small by today's standards and most people in the city were known to one another.


Strolling down a snowy Elfreth's Alley in Philadelphia
Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

Halfway down toward Front Street and the Delaware River, there is a small cobblestoned way to the left, Bladen's Court. There are only three houses that actually open on Bladen's Court, but two others have rear or side doors onto it. The last house has a spinning balcony, a tiny porch on the second story the width of the house itself, where, in earlier times, on pleasant days, the lady of the house set her spinning wheel. Jumble and I stood beneath the porch and had a nice chat.

"Care for a ride, Gentlemen?"
Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

We saw about a dozen carriagemen on the streets of Philadelphia. This fellow had a charming personality and had a great rapport with his business partner, who almost seemed to sense that I'd seen Peter Shaffer's Eqqus from the stage in the 1970's.

Benjamin Franklin is to Philadelphia whay Lincoln is to Illinois. At every corner you expect to be told that Franklin paused there once while walking his dog. The center of the city's well-placed respect for all things Franklin is Franklin Court, the site of great man's only home. Unfortunately, nothing remains but the foundation. Even that fact was not a barrier to raising a shrine...


The volume once occupied by Benjamin Franklin's house. Neat!
Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

Franklin spent comparatively few years in his house. Political missions kept him abroad for almost 19 of the next 20 years. When he returned for the last time in 1785 after his brilliant tour as envoy to France, he was 80, home for good with time to devote to his home. He now built an addition on the west side of the house that expanded it by half. This gave him space for a library, two additional bedrooms, two garrets, and a place to store wood. "I hardly know how to justify building a Library at an age that will so soon oblige me to quit it", he mused, " but we are apt to forget that we are grown old, and Building is an amusement."

Beneath the Franklin Court is a museum, showcasing his inventiveness, contributions to society, wit, widsom, and lasting legacy.

Here is an interesting presentation of Franklin's political work that is located in the underground museum.


Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

The one surviving artifact of the house is the site of the Franklin privy pit.


Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

Carpenters' Hall is one of the great treasures of historic Philadelphia. The Hall has been owned and operated by the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia, the oldest trade guild in America, since 1770. The Hall has been home to a host of firsts including the First Continental Congress.


Historic Carpenters' Hall
Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

Many famous institutions met in Carpenters' Hall: Franklin's Library Company, The American Philosophical Society, the First and Second Banks of the United States -- just to name a few.

Homework: Could we say that the American constitution was framed here?

P.S. Rusty, the History Dog, is just out of view.

Few Americans are well-acquainted with the gallantry and heroic exploits of Philadelphia's Irish-born naval commander, Commodore John Barry. Obscured by his contemporary, naval commander John Paul Jones, Barry remains to this day an unsung hero of the young American Republic. As most naval historians note, Barry can be classed on a par with Jones for nautical skill and daring, but he exceeds him in the length of service (17 years) to his adopted country and his fidelity to the nurturing of a permanent American Navy. Indeed, Barry deserves the proud epithet, "Father of the American Navy," a title bestowed on him not by current generations of admirers, but by his contemporaries, who were in the best position to judge.


Commodore Barry statue at Independence Hall
Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005

In the space of 58 years, this son of a poor Irish farmer rose from humble cabin boy to senior commander of the entire United States fleet. Intrepid In battle, he was humane to his men as well as adversaries and prisoners. Barry's war contributions are unparalleled: he was the first to capture a British war vessel on the high seas; he captured two British ships after being severely wounded in a ferocious sea battle; he quelled three mutinies; he fought on land at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton; he captured over 20 ships including an armed British schooner in the lower Delaware; he authored a Signal Book which established a set of signals used for effective communication between ships; and he fought the last naval battle of the American Revolution aboard the frigate Alliance in 1783.


Recognizing Commodore John Barry as the first flag officer of the United States Navy. (Introduced in Senate)

108th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. J. RES. 19

Recognizing Commodore John Barry as the first flag officer of the United States Navy.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 16, 2003


Mr. SPECTER introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

JOINT RESOLUTION

Recognizing Commodore John Barry as the first flag officer of the United States Navy.

Whereas John Barry, American merchant marine captain and native of County Wexford, Ireland, volunteered his services to the Continental Navy during the American War for Independence and was assigned by the Continental Congress as captain of the Lexington, taking command of that vessel on March 14, 1776, and later participating in the victorious Trenton campaign;

Whereas the quality and effectiveness of Captain John Barry's service to the American war effort was recognized not only by George Washington but also by the enemies of the new Nation;

Whereas Captain John Barry rejected British General Lord Howe's flattering offer to desert Washington and the patriot cause, stating: `Not the value and command of the whole British fleet can lure me from the cause of my country.';

Whereas Captain John Barry, while in command of the frigate Alliance, successfully transported French gold to America to help finance the American War for Independence and also won numerous victories at sea;

Whereas when the First Congress, acting under the new Constitution of the United States, authorized the raising and construction of the United States Navy, it was to Captain John Barry that President George Washington turned to build and lead the new Nation's infant Navy, the successor to the Continental Navy of the War for Independence;

Whereas Captain John Barry supervised the building of his flagship, the U.S.S. United States;

Whereas on February 22, 1797, President Washington personally conferred upon Captain John Barry, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, the rank of Captain, with `Commission No. 1', United States Navy, dated June 7, 1794;

Whereas John Barry served as the senior officer of the United States Navy, with the title of `Commodore' (in official correspondence), under Presidents Washington, John Adams, and Jefferson;

Whereas as commander of the first United States naval squadron under the Constitution of the United States, which included the U.S.S. Constitution (`Old Ironsides'), John Barry was a Commodore, with the right to fly a broad pendant, which made him a flag officer; and

Whereas in this sense it can be said that Commodore John Barry was the first flag officer of the United States Navy: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That Commodore John Barry is recognized, and is hereby honored, as the first flag officer of the United States Navy.

A Bourse is a stock exchange.

The Philadelphia Bourse was the first in the world to house simultaneously a stock exchange, maritime exchange, and grain-trading center. Under the guidance of Philadelphia businessman George Bartol, the exchange thrived. However, as the business community moved westward in the city the sun started setting on the Bourse. In 1982, the Bourse was renovated to a combination shopping mall and office complex.

The renovation was exceedingly well done. Here is a view of the inside from the northwest corner.


The Bourse, Philadelphia's former trading center.
Seer photograph, Copyright (C) 2005



A History of The Bourse

The concept of the Bourse � meaning a place of exchange � was brought to Philadelphia in 1890 by George E. Bartol, a prosperous Philadelphia grain and commodities exporter. While in Europe, Bartol visited the great Bourse in Hamburg, Germany. Upon his return to the United States, Bartol called together the most influential businessmen and merchants in the city, asking them to pool their resources to construct the city�s own business center � a Philadelphia Bourse.



In 1891, The Philadelphia Bourse Corporation was formed, with each member subscribing $1,000 to the project, by an issue of stock and mortgage. The Bourse motto was �buy, sell, ship via Philadelphia�.

The Philadelphia Bourse Building, the first commodities exchange in the United States, was completed in 1895. The building was one of the first steel-framed buildings to be constructed. Three types of masonry were used on the facade: Carlisle redstone, Pompeian buff brick and terra cotta. Inside were large columns and pilasters leading to a balcony surrounding the main floor. Bow-top girders were used to support a skylight at the third floor.

The original tenants included the American Telephone and Telegraphy, Moore and McCormick Steamships lines, grain dealers and export agents. The Bourse was also home to the Commercial Exchange, the Maritime Exchange, Grocers and Importers Exchange and the Board of Trade.

Quotations from all markets of the world and the latest financial news were received by telegraph. Pneumatic tubes connected the Bourse directly with the United States Post Office. A trading clock signaled the end of every business day.

Kaiserman Company, Inc. purchased The Philadelphia Bourse Building in 1979, renaming it �The Bourse� and adapting it as a retail and office complex. The restoration took three years to complete at a cost of $20 million, twenty times greater than the original construction cost.

Celebrating over 100 years as a center for commerce and trade, The Bourse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is one of Philadelphia�s leading commercial complexes, home to 27 retail and food service stores and more than 35 businesses.

The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is a not-for-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to examining the medical sciences and their place in society in order to enhance the understanding of medicine and the roles of physicians in history and in contemporary life. It is an institution of which Dr. Jumble is a member.


Grand entry hall of the College of Physicians
Seer photograph, Copyright(C) 2005

The medical library is upstairs to the right. The closed double-doors at the end of the upstairs hallway lead to a chamber where Dr. Jumble participates in a ritualistic ceremony that we should not divulge here.

Downstairs to the right is the Mutter Museum. Visiting it was my only request of Dr. Jumble when he first asked me what where I would like to go in Philadelphia. Now that I've been there I can say that it is one of the most interesting places that I have ever had the pleasure to visit!

The Museum's collections include a wax cast of woman�s head, her face partly obscured by the six-inch horn sprouting from her forehead; limbs and organs, often buckled with deformities, floating serenely in antiquarian glass vats; and thousands of bizarre objects removed from people�s throats, including a toy battleship, X-rayed while hovering sideways in a child�s windpipe. Pride of place is given to a death cast of Chang and Eng Bunker, the original conjoined �Siamese twins�, who spent their whole lives face to face.


Downstairs in the Museum. Note giant skeleton and wall of skulls, each one labeled with manner of death.
Seer photograph, Copyright(C) 2005


The late Gretchen Worden was the much-admired director of the Museum.

P.S. Thanks again to Dr. Jumble for such a wonderful day in Philadelphia! These are not all the places that we visited, but hopefully they give the flavor of the city's history and charm. Dr. Jumble also took me to a nice restaurant near his home after our tour.


Our table was the one at the lower right. Yummy!
Seer photograph, Copyright(C) 2005

This was a wonderful tour, I lived in Philadelphia most of my life, and now reside in California. But these pictures take me back, I was a all the locations you have here many times. I enjoyed them, and thank you for showing them here !
Sonnyboy !