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FINHP_NPS_BANNER_09

 Spring 2009
In This Issue
President's House Update
Kosciuszko Exhibit Opening
Germantown White House
Volunteering Opportunities
Spring Programs

President's House Update

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The City of Philadelphia, and Independence National Historical
Park are one step closer to making the proposed commemoration at the site of the President's House a reality. Work
on the commemoration, The President's House: Freedom and Slavery in Making a New Nation, is scheduled to start this summer.

This work will include digging to re-expose some of the archeological
remains that were uncovered during the archeological dig two years ago.

Quick Links
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Staffing Changes

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Joe Becton retired after 21 years of service as both a front line interpretive ranger and later a Supervisory Park Ranger. Joe's unflagging devotion to interpretation and the park story was an inspiration to us all. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors!

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INDE is pleased to welcome the following staff to the park (L eft to right): Brian Przystawski, Park Ranger, Resource and Visitor Protection;
Nicole Brenton, Park Ranger, Resource and Visitor Protection; Katie Morris, Dispatcher; and 
Heather Honnold, Park Ranger, Resource and Visitor Protection (not pictured)
National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

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The National Park service cares for the special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage

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Independence National Historical Park
143 S. Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

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Comments?  Write to:

Jane Cowley, INHP
Public Affairs Officer
143 S. Third Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Phone: (215) 597-0060
Fax: (215) 597- 0042
Email: Jane_Cowley@nps.gov

U.S.Department of the Interior
NPS Photographers
Carol H. Feeley Photography
Park Staff
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Greetings!

History may be "over and done" but we are alive with activities.  So many things are happening at Independence National Historical Park (INHP) this spring!  INHP along with Friends of Independence held a  preview of the new exhibits at the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial and welcomed noted historian Gary Nash to speak on his book Friends of Liberty.

This summer we have another site which will open its doors to new exhibits as well.  The Germantown White House, known as the Deshler-Morris House is currently being renovated and new exhibits will be installed.  A grand re-opening party is in the works.

Plans are also underway to break ground for the President's House Commemorative Site this summer. With so many events occurring, it's no wonder the days are just flying by for all of us at the park.  With the winter season behind us, it is time to kick it into high gear for the start of our busy spring and summer.
 
Best Wishes for a Happy Spring,

Cynthia MacLeod
Superintendent
 

New Exhibits Open in Kosciuszko Memorial

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The Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial in Philadelphia has opened its new permanent exhibit to celebrate the life and legacy of Thaddeus Kosciuszko, hero of two continents.

Thanks to an exciting international loan project, the new exhibits feature objects on loan from the Kosciuszko collection of the Historical Museum of the City of Cracow in Poland. Loaned artifacts from the Cracow Museum's Memorial Kosciuszko collection include a pistol and sword, a variety of 19th century paintings, and one of the three remaining original copies of Kosciuszko's famous 1794 call to arms against Russian rule.



The Germantown White House

FINHP_Deshler_Morris_HouseThe Germantown White House is almost ready for its grand reopening this summer. INHP staff and contractors have been working to renovate the Deshler-Morris and Bringhurst houses and install new interpretive exhibits.

New exhibits at the Bringhurst House will interpret the outcome
of the the Battle of Germantown, introduce President Washington's household, including the enslaved Africans who were held by the Washingtons, and link the 300 year history of Germantown with other neighborhood sites and museums.  The construction project has included updating the electrical and drainage systems and completing architectural repairs on the original wood and masonry of the houses.  In an exciting new feature, geothermal wells have been installed to provide an environmentally friendly hearing and cooling system.


 
Volunteer Opportunities Available at INDE
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INHP relies on its dedicated crew of volunteers, who help the park in all divisions. Volunteers in I&VS greet visitors and offer tours of historic buildings around the park. Volunteers in the division of Cultural Resource Management help catalogue archeological artifacts in the Independence Living History Center, research the history of the park and its buildings, and work with museum artifacts. Volunteers in the Maintenance Division help maintain and improve gardens throughout the park, including Washington Square, the Edgar Allan Poe House, and the Rose Garden.

Anyone interested in volunteering with the park can contact VIP Coordinator Beverly Morris at 215-597-1293 for more information.

Congratulations Graduates

The International Police Mountain Biking Association bike patrol certification training was held at Valley Forge National Historical Park (VAFO), March 23rd through the 26th.  Four of INHP's Law Enforcement rangers graduated, along with two rangers from VAFO.

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IPMBA Bike Patrol Certification training at VAFO
(3/23-3/26) - Rangers(left to right)
T.Tracy (Inde), C. McLane (Inde), S. Maile (Inde), M. Valora (Vafo), K. Bassolino (Inde), J. Waterman (Vafo), G. Tinkham (Indtructor - Vafo)
 
Spring Programs

The park will offer a variety of free, ranger-led programs this spring and summer.

Glass Armonica Demonstrations at the Franklin Court Museum. This 15-minute demonstration is given on Saturdays and Sundays at noon and 2:30 pm. Listen to the story of Ben Franklin's musical invention that started with water glasses.

Barnacles and Bullets at the New Hall Military Museum, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm. Enjoy a 15-minute program to learn about life for the average sailor and soldier during the Revolution.

Junior Ranger Induction Ceremony at the Independence Visitor Center. Meet the Ranger at the Information Desk on Saturdays and Sundays at 4-4:15 pm. A Park Ranger conducts a special ceremony for all the children who have completed our Junior Ranger booklet.

The following programs are offered in the Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank

Hidden History. Ask a park ranger for a card Wednesday -Sunday, 2-4:30 pm. Kids follow clues to uncover the special people in the exhibit, and then get a reward.

Moses Williams: Cutter of Profile. Wednesday - Sunday, 2:15- 2:30 PM. Hear the amazing story of Moses Williams who learned to operate the Physiognotrace to earn his freedom an a good living making silhouettes in Peale's Museum.

The Underground Railroad in Philadelphia. Saturdays only, 3:30- 4:15 pm. Learn how Philadelphia's free black population helped the enslaved to seize their freedom on the "Underground Railroad."

Untold Stories of Independence Hall. Sundays only, 3:30-4:15 pm. Join a park ranger to hear about little known events that took place in Independence Hall after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Learn about the fugitive slave trials, the huge mastodon bones assembled in Peale's gallery on the second floor and more.