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Edgar Allan Poe
National Historic Site
Our celebration of the Poe Bicentennial has been a great success. This celebratory year comes to an end with Poe's 201st birthday on January 16, but our fun and educational programming about Poe and his life will continue! Keep an eye on the website www.nps.gov/edal for more events this year.
Secrets of the Purloined Letter
Join park rangers on Saturday, January 16th, from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm to celebrate Poe's 201st Birthday with renowned Poe scholar Richard Kopley as he speaks about "The Purloined Letter," which Poe himself regarded as his best tale of "ratiocination" (detective story). The free program will be at The German Society of Pennsylvania, 611 Spring Garden Street. For more information call 215-597-8780.
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Conservation and Cleaning for the
Tomb of the Unknown Solider
Washington Square Monument is protected and preserved through cleaning process
Later this winter, conservators working
with the National Park Service will steam clean the monument of George
Washington in Washington Square to remove organic material from the
memorial's wall and surrounding marble. Originally scheduled in
December, the cleaning had to be delayed because of freezing
temperatures. Organic material on the statue could promote mold growth,
and will be removed as soon as temperatures rise.
The
statue of George Washington in Washington Square stands before a
reminder that, "Freedom is a light for which many men have died in
darkness." Washington Square is one of the original squares in the 1682
plan for the City of Philadelphia as designed for William Penn. It
became a Potter's Field or Strangers' Burial Ground in 1706 and also
served as a burial ground for the town's free and enslaved Africans.
During the Revolutionary War it doubled as a military cemetery; more
than 2,000 soldiers - both patriots and prisoners of war -were buried
there and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution
was established in 1953.
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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 StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19106 _________________________ U.S.Department of the Interior Photographers: Inde Park Staff 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
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Greetings!
Throughout the winter, INHP programs' deliver a warm welcome to our friends and guests.
We are excited to offer new programs in the coming months, such as "The Many Faces of George Washington", as well as a few favorites of the staff. Join us as we enjoy the winter season with the free programs offered in the park.
Best Wishes for a happy and healthy New Year,
Cynthia
MacLeod
Superintendent
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Independence Featured by the National Park Service as a "National Park Getaway"
The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution articulate principles and values that have challenged, guided, and identified our nation. Books and webpages offer photographs and transcripts of these foundational documents, but a thorough understanding of them requires a look beyond text to context. To situate the Declaration and the Constitution in history, know their authors better, and have a great time, travelers of all ages should visit Independence National Historical Park.
One of many attractions in the city of Philadelphia,...
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President's House Exhibit Opening Postponed to Fall 2010
Independence National Historical Park and the City of Philadelphia, working with guidance from an Oversight Committee, will be delaying the opening of the President's House site commemoration until Fall 2010. Once complete, the exhibit will mark the site of the nation's executive mansion during the years of the federal presidency in Philadelphia. The commemoration will honor the men and women who lived and toiled in the George Washington household, including at least nine enslaved Africans. After extensive review, the Oversight Committee met on December 11 and again on December 18, 2009, and concluded that more time was needed to incorporate content and graphic design changes into the exhibit plan. The major construction of the project is already underway and will be finished by early July 2010. The Oversight Committee met to review the status of the exhibits as presented by the consultants and to consider additional options for various aspects of the exhibit. There continues to be a lack of consensus on issues of content. However, the Oversight Committee agrees that total consensus is not the goal. There is broad agreement that the optimum visitor experience will evoke critical thought and compelling questions about the complex paradoxes that existed during the early days of the new nation. The Oversight Committee met to review the status...
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Staff Transitions at Independence
It's a season of transition,with familiar faces moving on and a number of new staff joining the Independence team. Please visit www.friendsofindependence.org for images of all our new and departing staff.
We offer our thanks and appreciation to Independence staff who are moving on to new adventures: Steve Sitarski, Chief of Interpretation; Mary Jenkins, Interpretive Program Specialist; John Gray, IT Specialist; Steve Murphy, Gardener Supervisor; Bob King, Interpretive Ranger; James Crouch, Electrician; Isabel Ziegler, Museum Curator; Heather Honnold, Law Enforcement Ranger; and Mike Thacker, Park Guide. The park and our partners have been fortunate to work with these dedicated National Park Service employees, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors. We welcome the following new staff to the park: Nicholas Iannelli and Eli Bowers, Law Enforcement Rangers; Robert Boyer, Joy Springer, Sharon Wilkinson and Beth Mansfield, Specialists for the National Park Service Facility Management Software System; Daryle Steiner, Darryl Williams, Keith Boyd and Paris Blackwell, Maintenance Division.
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EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA™
The park will offer a variety of free, ranger-led programs in the coming months. For more information about the park and programs, visit our website at www.nps.gov/inde or follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/independencenhp) or Facebook!
Jefferson in Philadelphia, Wednesday - Sunday at 10:00 am. Join a park ranger for a presentation about Thomas Jefferson's life in Philadelphia while he was writing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. This free program program will be offered in the Declaration House.
Barnacles and Bullets, Saturday and Sunday at 11:00 am. Learn about life on the high seas and life in the camps at New Hall Military Museum. A park ranger will use replica artifacts to interpret the lives of our sailors, marines and soldiers during the revolution.
Franklin's Glass Armonica, Saturday and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Did you know Benjamin Franklin was a musician? He invented his own instrument called the Glass Armonica after seeing wine glasses being played in England. Hear a demonstration of his instrument in the Underground Museum in Franklin Court!
The following special programs are offered in the Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank:
The Many Faces of George Washington, February 13 and 14, 2010 at 1:00 pm. Celebrate George Washington's Birthday with this special tour of the many portraits of Washington. The Portrait Gallery also features a portrait of Martha Washington and many friends and comrades. Join a park ranger to see the generals, diplomats and congressmen he knew.
Generally Speaking, February 7, 2010 at 1:00 pm. Celebrate Thaddeus Kosciuszko's birthday (February 4, 1746) a few days late. Join a park ranger for a special tour of the Second Bank Portrait Gallery featuring Kosciuszko and other notable foreign Generals who helped American win independence.
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