Friends of Independence
Fall 2011 Newsletter (to read the newsletter in a PDF format, Click Here)

Proud Friends Volunteers Display Patriotism

FINHP in the July 4th Parade

Proudly, the Friends of Independence National Historical Park including Board members, staff, Twilight Guide volunteers and Park Staff strutted their patriotism in the July 4th Independence Day Parade. The "Friends" and the Park Rangers walked alongside a replica of the Liberty Bell dressed in green which rode atop an INHP energy efficient vehicle commanded by Park Ranger Thomas Abraham. The green that adorned the Bell illustrated William Penn's original design of a "green country towne", as well as showed the

Park's and Friends' commitment to a "green-friendly" urban national park.

 

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Chairman's Letter
Support the Park by Supporting the Friends
  
FINHP ChairmanThe delegates in Philadelphia who adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 would likely be pleased that an organization like Friends of Independence National Historical Park exists.

 

Independence National Historical Park (INHP) was established in the birthplace of American democracy to preserve national treasures and provide educational interpretation.  The delegates in 1776 believed in individual sacrifice and patriotism, so it was natural that a volunteer organization, Friends of INHP, consisting of committed citizens and community partners, would emerge to support and assist INHP in its important mission.

 

 
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Building of the Year Tour
Germantown White House

Save the Date for our Member-Only Building of the Year Tour

 

Friends of Independence is in its third season of offering this great program which gives our members an in-depth

look at some of the interesting and historical buildings located within the park boundaries. The first year we

looked at the untold stories and architecture of Independence Hall; the second season we examined the

Archaeology of Franklin Court and 18th-century printing; and in our third year, we are pleased to offer a look at the Germantown White House.

 

The oldest official presidential residence, the Germantown White House (Deshler-Morris House) twice sheltered George Washington. In October 1793, he found refuge

during the Yellow Fever epidemic in Philadelphia. Continuing the business of government, he held four cabinet

meetings there. The next summer, the house was a welcome retreat for Washington and his family near

Philadelphia, the Federal Capital.

 

Please join us as we take an in-depth look at this summer retreat of the first president as well as the neighboring

house, Bringhurst. Listen to our Rangers as they discuss the history and significance of the house and follow along with our curators as they present the new exhibits recently

installed and the artifacts on display.

 

Information:

 Date: Tuesday, October 4, 2011

 Time: 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Location: Germantown White House

5442 Germantown Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19144

Parking: Street parking is available

Cost: $7 for members

 

If you would like to register online, Click Here or send a

check to:

 Friends of Independence

143 S. 3rd Street

Philadelphia, PA 19106

 

Save the Date!  Friends Annual Meeting Scheduled for November 15th
 
Friends of Independence National Historical Park will be hosting its 39th Annual Meeting on Tuesday,November 15, 2011 at the Pyramid Club, 1735 Market Street. This year we will introduce two featured guest speakers,George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Washington (portrayed by Dean Malissa) and Jefferson (portrayed by Steve Edenbo) will have an open discussion with audience members on the actions of the Founding Fathers and the Civil War.
 
As we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War,we ask the Founding Fathers,"If you had known that your actions would have led this country to Civil War,would you have done things differently?" Join us for this lively discussion on the"what-ifs"of history and discuss the Friends' own history and future. Invitations to follow and details can be found on our website. 
Speaker Series Begins on September 20th with a "Mischianza"

 

Friends of Independence is starting a monthly Speaker Series. Every Third Tuesday of the month, unless otherwise noted, The Friends will be presenting programs from local authors and speakers on topics that touch on many of the themes of Independence National Historical Park. A full list of the programs and speakers can be found on the Friends website 

 

 

Tuesday, September 20 - 7:00 pm Thomas H. Keels 

Friends of Independence National Historical Park invites you to learn about one of the most bizarre episodes of the American Revolution. In 1778, to honor the departing commander of the British Army in America, his officers threw an extravaganza called a Mischianza, a night-long orgy of feasting, dancing and gambling in a commandeered mansion. 

 

Join us as Thomas H. Keels, author of  Where: Second Bank, INHP,  420 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19106

Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love, explores the boundaries among Tories, Patriots, and Neutralists through his illustrated presentation of this extraordinary event. If you bring a copy of

his book,Mr. Keels will autograph it after the event.

 

Cost: Members: $7, General Public: $12

 

 

 

 

Click Here for October's Speaker

November's Program will be our Annual Meeting

Click Here for December's Speaker

 

Member Benefits 
  

Friends Suport You When You Support The Friends

As a Friends of Independence member, you know that the best benefit you can receive is the knowledge that your donation goes to the support and preservation of America's Birthplace. Your support allows us to enhance the

already great programming the park provides to visitors, acquire artifacts for educational purposes, and provide the little extra things that make a visitor's experience extraordinary.

.

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In This Issue
Proud Friends
Chairman' Letter
Building of the Year
39th Annual Meeting
Speaker Series
Member Benefits
Twilight Guides
40th Celebration
Scrim Update
Board of Directors

Austin Morris, Jr, Board Chair
Thomas A. Caramanico,
Vice Chair
Flora L. Becker, Secretary
Karen D. Kaufman
Treasurer

Antoinette Stone
Louisa Hanshew

 

Staff
Maiti Gallen, Program Director

Dane Allison, Summer Intern


Special Thanks to Cathy Siegl, Jody Blohm , Mmarci Spiegle and Tag Brewer, our Office Volunteers and to the staff of INHP
 

 

 
Quick Links

 

Twilight Guides - Summer of 2011

 

"Hear ye! Hear ye!" Would you like a free walking tour? The Twilight Guides of FINHP have been offering walking tours since June 1979. There are 21 tour guides who enlighten our tourists with thematic historical facts within the interpretation of the American Revolution. The one-hour tours start at the "Signer's Garden" at 5th and

Chestnut Streets each night from June 15th through Labor Day. One of the unique aspects of the tour is that each

tour guide presents a different theme.

 

As our tour guides have discovered, the most rewarding outcome is to meet people from all over the world and be

able to share with them the history of Philadelphia. This year, there were many families who took the tour to provide their middle-school-aged children with the historical authenticity

to see in person what is being taught in their history books.

   

If you are interested in becoming a tour guide, orientation and training will be held in May 2012. Call the Friends

office to receive an update on the training.

 

Congratulations to our veteran tour guides for a great season: Jody Blohm - coordinator, Earl Burnham, Tish Byrne, Alan Costabile, Mike DiPilla,

Tom Farris, Linda Fein, Jane Friedman, Sheila Haren, Alan Kober, Stephen London, Susan Murphy, Richard Ross, Chris

Shearburn, Cathy Siegl, Marci Spiegle, and Steve Stamm; and to our first year guides: Noel Abjeo, Al Cavalari, Ann Ryan, and Carlo Sena.

 40th Year Celebration

Friends of Independence National Historical Park is turning 40 on June 15, 2012. For 40 years,we have tried to be the Best Friend we can be to our National Park. We have helped the Park to acquire artifacts for its collections, purchase lands to expand the Park, enhance its programs, and support its mission.

 

To celebrate our 40th year,we are looking to host more programs and special events but we need your help. The Friends has always been a community organization and in order for us to celebrate our 40th properly, we need a community of volunteers to help us plan, organize and execute. If you are interested in helping us and would like to volunteer your time, please call the Friends office at 215-861-4971 or email us at [email protected].

 

Our 40th is just the beginning of a ten-year celebration leading up to our 50th anniversary. Come make a difference in the history of the Friends of Independence.

Scrim Update: Independence Hall is Disrobing! 

Decorative scrim around Independence Hall

In 2010, Friends of Independence and our sponsors were happy to proclaim that they had raised the much needed funds to purchase a Decorative Scrim to wrap around Independence Hall Tower during its renovation. To "preserve the visitor experience", the Decorative Scrim covered the

scaffolding around the Tower with an image of the building's facade that was hidden from view.

 

Today we are thrilled to announce that the first level of the Decorative Scrim is

coming down, even though we are a bit sad to see our decorative piece of artwork go away.

 

Since July 2010, the Tower has been under heavy scaffolding to restore the walls that were damaged due to water

infiltration, and at present, the top levels including the Weather Vane system have been restored. With level one completed, visitors can see

the progress on the Tower.

 

As the work progresses toward

completion, the Decorative Scrim will come down in stages.

It is only a matter of time before the next two levels come down. Keep an eye on the work because when the last panel of Scrim is removed, it means the Independence Hall Tower is fully restored.

 

Learn about Independence National Historical Park

Since our beginnings, Friends of Independence has strived to bring you the latest news from Independence NHP through our newsletters, emails and social media. Now we offer one more great way to stay connected and to learn about the Friends and the Park from the insider's perspective.

Friends of Independence has started a Blog - i.e., an electronic site that is updated weekly and shares with its subscribers information, opinions, news and any other thoughts we might have regarding Independence National Historical Park. Each week someone,whether they are an elected Board Member, a volunteer, Park staff or Friends staff member,will share with you their thoughts and feelings.

This is just another great way that Friends of Independence is connecting you to the national park you love and support. To read our blog, please go to this website: http://friendsofindependence.blogspot.com. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog and share it with your Friends!