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Contact: Andrew McDougall, 215-597-0060
PHILADELPHIA – Independence National Historical Park will celebrate its 75th birthday on June 28 with a kick-off event. Members of the media are invited to cover the event which will include remarks from the Interim Park Superintendent, members of Philadelphia City Council, and the presentation of certificates of recognition from various levels of government. After the birthday celebration, the park will offer a sneak peek of the Second Bank Portrait Gallery highlighting original works, owned by the City of Philadelphia and the National Park Service, from famed artist Charles Willson Peale and others. The Park Curator and the Project Manager for Second Bank will be on site to answer questions. The Second Bank will officially reopen to the public on Friday June 30th after a yearlong restoration project.What: Birthday celebration to mark 75 years of Independence National Park. Our history is America's History!
Where: South side of Second Bank of the United States, 420 Chestnut St.
When: June 28, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.
On June 28, 1948, Congress authorized the creation of Independence National Historical Park. Today, the park covers over 54 acres in Philadelphia's Old City, and includes Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Congress Hall, and other historic buildings associated with the founding of the nation. The park's crown jewel, Independence Hall, is universally regarded as the birthplace of the United States. The creation of the park had a tremendous impact on the revitalization of the surrounding neighborhoods. The park continues to drive the tourism industry in the City today as we look towards our nation's 250th birthday in 2026 and beyond. The park's greatest resource has always been the people who work as gardeners, curators, park rangers, law enforcement, painters, mechanics, and in the park's administrative offices. They are a skilled workforce who believe in the NPS mission and take pride in their role as stewards.
Independence National Historical Park is many things to many people. It is, first off, a national shrine, a place to be reminded of the ideals that formed the basis for the creation of the United States. Park visitors are reminded that the formation of this nation was the work of imperfect men, who transcended their faults and created an enduring democracy, the oldest in the world, and a model for free people everywhere. Independence is also a place of reflection and of protest, where people can peacefully assemble to redress grievances, petition leaders, and call for a more inclusive vision of America than that originally intended by the founders.
As an urban park, independence is a green oasis in the middle of a busy city. It serves as steward to some of Philadelphia's greatest outdoor public spaces. Independence Mall runs between 5th and 6th Streets, from Chestnut Street to Race Street. It provides space for buildings such as the Liberty Bell Center, Independence Visitor Center, and the National Constitution Center. Independence Mall also includes the openair museum, the President’s House Site, which highlights the paradox between slavery and freedom in the new nation. Presidents Washington and Adams - and their households - once lived and worked at a house on this spot. The house was demolished in 1832, but remnants of the original cellar are still visible. The site contains a Slave Memorial which shares the stories of the enslaved who lived and worked here during the administration of our first President. As an area that has always included walks and green space for public enjoyment, the block now known as Independence Square was last redesigned in 1915 and is designated an historic landscape. 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 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 British and American - are interred in the Square, alongside the anonymous soldier who rests in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution. Franklin Court contains the area where Bejamin Franklin's home originally stood along with the interactive Benjamin Franklin Museum and the Printing Office. Welcome Park, a lesser-known area within Independence NHP, provides visitors to Philadelphia with an overview of the city layout and a brief history of William Penn. it will soon be reimagined to tell the story of the Lenni-Lenape and other native people who resided in the area for thousands of years prior to European settlement.
Independence National Historical Park is accredited by the American Association of Museums and preserves over 1 million artifacts. The park is grateful to its many partners and friends, including the Independence Historical Trust, a 501(c) 3, philanthropic organization. The Trust was created in 1972, (formerly called Friends of Independence NHP) and is the first Friends group in the National Park Service.Events, programs and special exhibits which celebrate our 75th Anniversary will be held throughout the year.For more information on our 75th Anniversary events, visit the park’s website, http://www.nps.gov/indehttp://www.nps.gov/inde.
http://www.nps.gov/inde
Celebrating 75 years: Our history is America's history.
A unit of the National Park Service, Independence National Historical Park was created 75 years ago by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1948. Independence NHP covers almost 54 acres in Philadelphia’s Old City, and includes Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Congress Hall, Franklin Court, and other historic buildings associated with the founding of the United States. Events, programs and special exhibits which celebrate our 75th Anniversary will be held throughout the year. For more information on our 75th Anniversary events, visit the park’s website, http://www.nps.gov/inde
Last updated: July 7, 2023