PHILIDELPHIA

Of course, while in Pennsylvania, we had to go to Philidelphia. That was a no-brainer. We saw and learned so much in one day it was unbelievable!! When we first arrived, we walked to where Betsy Ross used to live and saw her house and gravesite. Then we walked to Benjamin Franklin's gravesite (it was good luck to throw a penny on it) and where he used to live.

Derek learned that Benjamin Franklin organized the first Philidelphia Fire Company.

We then walked down the oldest street in America called Elfreth's Alley. This alley was named after blacksmith Jeremiah Elfreth and has been continuously occupied since 1713. The houses standing date from 1728 to 1836 representing Colonial and Federal style architecture.

While walking to Independence Hall, we stopped at The Christ Church. As you can see from the sign it was founded in 1695. While inside we learned that most of our first presidents attended this church. Church back then was an all day process, so some presidents would wander in and out during the day. Down the middle of the pews were actual gravesites that were in the church floor itself. The pews were also marked with the names of the presidents that used to sit there.

Our next stop was Independence Hall. Being there and knowing that was where the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution was drafted and signed was an incredible feeling.

Being in the actual room that that happened in was even more incredible. They had copies of these documents on display for us to see. Wow--did those men have beautiful penmanship back then. After we got home the kids rented National Treasure and saw all of the places that we had visited on the movie. That was really fun for them and a great learning experience as well.

We then went to see the Liberty Bell. That speaks for itself.

We also visited the U.S. Mint, but unfortunately don't have pictures, because we were not allowed to bring cameras into the building. We learned so many things about how our coins are made. The kids and I are collecting the state quarters so it was really interesting to learn the history behind them. We saw the huge rolls of flat metal that are used to cut out the coin blanks. These rolls are a foot wide, 1500 feet long and weigh 6,000 lbs each. We learned that the highest tonnage force is placed on a nickel to give it it's smooth appearance and the least tonnage force is exerted on a dime. It takes 60 tons of pressure to stamp the images on the front and back sides of a quarter. We watched as the coins were being made right before our eyes. The process is really fascinating. There is way too much information to put on this blog about how our coins are made, but you can visit this website to learn all about it and take a virtual tour of one of the Mints www.usmint.gov. This website also has fun games for the kids to play. Check it out.

Believe it or not, we did all of this in one day!! We also had to stop and have a Philly Cheesestake sandwich before we left. I think it would've been considered a sin if we hadn't. So there is our day in Philidelphia. Stay tuned for our trip to New York City.