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| Our time in Philadelphia |
I was deep in my dreams thinking of caissons and cannons being rolled on rough gravel. It was a part of the dream where cannons and rifles fired and men lay dead all over the fields with buzzing insects all round. I slowly woke up and looked out the mesh window of our tend to see the buzzing, flying insects and large RV's slowly rolling on the pebbled road near our campsite. Deep in the woods near Gettysburg, the sun had not made its way through the trees yet, so it was still early morning. John was still snoring deep in his dreams, and I didn't want to wake him. I got up as quietly as I could and headed for the bathroom to shower up and get dressed. When I returned, John was up, the tent was down, and he already started to put things in the car.
We left Gettysburg and headed east on highway 30 to Philadelphia. The ride would be approximately a hundred miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains, so it would be slow going. John used his low gears going down the steep hills, and often we saw runaway truck ramps where trucks could exit the road if they got out of control. I can imagine what it must be like in the winter months when the road is icy. Those runaway trails must be used a lot.
Our next campsite was in a town called Coatsville near Downingtown west of Philadelphia. Again we had to consult the Garmin Girl to give us directions. She lead us in and out of roads through the woods until finally she led us to a large, beautiful campground. This campground was one of the best rated by the KOA review board, and it was huge. The pool was large enough to warrant a life guard and there was also a state of the art activity room with a large dance floor only used on weekends.
We registered and were lead down to the lower level on a steep road to the tenting area by the Brandenwine River. The campsite did not suit us because it did not have electricity, so we moved to the one away from the river where the electric boxes stood and settled in there. The area was full of trees and on hot days this would be a perfect location. Several campers were already fishing and some were kayaking on the river. This was Thursday, and we were told that by the weekend, the place would be packed.
We registered and were lead down to the lower level on a steep road to the tenting area by the Brandenwine River. The campsite did not suit us because it did not have electricity, so we moved to the one away from the river where the electric boxes stood and settled in there. The area was full of trees and on hot days this would be a perfect location. Several campers were already fishing and some were kayaking on the river. This was Thursday, and we were told that by the weekend, the place would be packed.
It was mid afternoon when we hit the pool for our swim workout. There were some young teen-age girls that John befriended while I was finishing my swim. Three were here with their grandparents who had brought them to Philadelphia to learn about American History. They enjoyed throwing the football around, and we included the life guard in the game. She was the grand daughter of the owners. They were all going to college in the fall and were looking forward to leaving home for the first time. We asked the life guard where there might be a place to get some groceries as we needed to get some food to cook for the evening. She referred us to her grandmother who was checking people in at the front desk. After our swim we went in to talk to her, and she said the Deli-Mart was about few miles away on the way to a lake where we might be able to go windsurfing! We were really excited then, since we had not gone windsurfing until we left Hood River.
We got Moby Dick ready and went to find the lake. We consulted the map she give us and followed as best we could, but we got lost. So we went to the Deli-Mart to buy our groceries. We decided to get Hogie sandwiches and soup. While we were there, we asked a few patrons about the mysterious lake. Yes, they knew of it but it was more than twenty-miles away and probably not suited for windsurfing unless there was a hurricane passing through. Now, we felt we were led in a wild goose chase, so we decided to let the Garmin Girl bring us back to camp.
We returned to our camp and set out our table for our supper. While we were getting things ready there was a lot of activity a few campsites away down by the river. One fellow, an older man, started measuring the distance between the trees and mapping out the campsite. The mapping out continued into four more campsites and he then proceeded to rope off with a very long rope all four campsites by wrapping the rope around the trees. Soon there were two more groups that started setting down their tents while "Dad" made a big campfire with flames dancing about three feet. We were now sitting down to eat and had our Reggae music going thinking this was going to be a nice mellow night. We were mistaken and we should have thought better when we saw that "Dad" hanging a large University of Wisconsin flag between two trees.
The group had grown larger as more cars came down the hill. They all got busy setting up their tents and they reminded me seemed me of Hobbits. Most were under 5'8" and spoke in high decibels as if they were yelling though they were talking right next to each other. There was a problem with setting up one of the tents, and they yelled at each other and nothing got done. Finally, "Dad" stepped in and showed them how the tent came together and they all saw at once and finished the set up without a peep. I wondered if this was the way the Hobbits acted in Wisconsin?
The next morning we could have had our revenge and blown our horn on the sleeping compound, but we didn't. We just drove slowly up the hill took our showers and headed for the train station. When we arrived there, the lot was full of early commuter cars and there were only a few spots clear at the end of the lot. A young mother parked next to us with her two young sons. We all got out and went to pay for our spots. We walked up to the paying board which was a metal board with ring slots the size of a quarter below each number. It cost two dollars which was eight quarters. We were lucky we had gotten a five dollar role of quarters for laundry. Unfortunately, Janet, the mother with the two sons, did not have enough. John gave her three more quarters and we were set.
Janet was going to Philadelphia with another mother and her three year old daughter. They were planning on shopping and on to Freedom Park. Just as we finished inserting our quarters, Janet's friend got dropped off by her husband, and they had a little reunion while we made our way up the green stair case to the other side of the platform. Soon the train came and we got on the second from the last car. We settled in and took our our apples and muffins, and water to eat for breakfast. Just as we were enjoying our crunching the back doors open and into our car comes Janet behind her two rambunctious boys and her friend with a baby girl and a stroller. We looked up surprised to see them and they said, "Imagine that. We were too noisy for the "Quiet Car" so we have come here to make some noise!"
The train started moving and as it picked up speed. The sound of the train covered all the other sounds so it was a good time to put on our IPODs and mellow out for the trip ahead. The train made many stops as it picked up more people on their way to Philadelphia. A young man sat in front of us and he said he was on his way to work as a maintenance helper at a store in a Mall close to Philadelphia. At another stop a lady came and sat in the chair opposite our isle. John struck a conversation with her. She said she was teaching a class in Business Administration at Drexel College. She liked taking the train as it was only a ten minute walk from the Galleria where the train ended in the city. John told her that we were in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and other historical sights. She recommended to first go to the visitor center and get a map and plan the day accordingly. We thanked her as the train stopped, and we all exited into a large Mall called the Galleria.
We walked around the huge mall which was on a lower level than the street. We asked for directions and found Sixth Street where we would find the Independence Visitor Center. It was situated in Independence National Historical Park and is run by the National Parks System. We entered the Visitor Center and noted that we were too late for the film presented by the center. So we headed to the snack restaurant where we bought lunch. While we were there, we called Lynda and told her that we had mailed the birthday presents for Berkeley and Jake back in Cleveland. We mailed them to her brother Terry who would give the kids their presents when they came for the family reunion in a few weeks.
We then checked the map to make our plans. We noticed that we had to have a ticket to tour the Independence Hall. So we went and stood in line to get our tickets. Then we left the Visitor's Center and went to see the Liberty Bell. The line went all the way down past the park. So I opened up my umbrella and we stood in line in the shade under the hot sun. Eventually, we made it to the door and passed security and stood for a few minutes breathing deeply under the air conditioned room. We walked in and began reading all the exhibits.
I found out that William Penn was a pretty cool dude. As the leader of the colony he told his people that they had to help him make the rules for the colony to live by, and they could worship in what ever way they wanted. The colonist felt that was great, and in time got the Assembly to obtain a Bell from England and write this inscription: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" from the Leviticus 25:10 in the Bible. The bell weighed 2,000 lb. and was made of 70% copper, 25% tin with small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. It was put in the State House and rang many times for public announcements even after it was repaired the crack made shortly after it arrived from London. Oddly, it cracked again in after 1846 and has never rung to this day.
The symbol of the Liberty Bell has been heralded by many groups to show the importance of freedom. In 1830 the abolitionist called it the "Liberty Bell"and it became the symbol for outlawing slavery. In the late 1800s the Bell traveled around the country to expositions and fairs to heal divisions of the Civil War and to remind the people when they all fought for independence. In 1915 it made its trip back to Philadelphia where it has stayed. It was proclaimed as a symbol after World War I in forming the League of Nations. Again during the suffragette movement it was a symbol for the rights of women to vote. During the 1960 it again made its mark during the peace walks of the civil rights movements. Finally, it is important to mention that the Liberty Bell was a symbol of South Africa's abolition of the Apartheid policies.
By now we got ready to take a closer look at the actual Bell. Everyone was taking turns getting in front of the Bell to have their picture taken so we did the same. We took pictures of a family and they took one of us!
We walked out to the park in front of Independence Hall. Our tickets said 1:15 and we had about half an hour to wait. The park was lovely with trees all around and lots of benches to sit and wait. Everyone
sat patiently waiting until the Park Ranger asked for the 1:15 group to line up. She counted all of us in line and then led us into the lecture hall. There half of us sat on one side and half on the other. I counted how many men and women there were and who would be the first to fall asleep. The speaker traversed across the center telling the story of why the American Colonist were upset with King George III.
England's biggest concern was France. They were in battles all over the world including the America. The colonies helped England fight the French and Indians and were beginning to be more empowered in defending themselves. By defeating France, England got all of Canada. But as a result of this war England was running out of money and since it was spending extra money keeping a military force in the new world to defend the colonies against Indians, it felt that the colonies should have to pay for this service. It proposed a bunch of taxes on the colonies to fill their coffers. Also since the military was defending them from Indians, the colonies could house and feed them. This would also save England a lot of money. This infuriated the colonies even more. The officers were not so bad, but the infantry were an uncouth bunch seeking out prostitutes and rum. The Puritan society was totally against having them in their homes. The soldiers were supposed to protect the colonist from Indians in exchange for room and board. But the troupes were stationed in Boston and New York not in the frontier where the Indians posed most concern.
England saw the colonies as a pain in the ass. They felt that the colonist were there to support Mother England not to run off and do their own thing. They proposed an act that the colonies only buy goods from England and sell to English mercantile ships. They sent British officials to search homes for smuggled goods. Royal custom collectors, inspectors and Naval patrols were sent to keep the colonies in line. So the colonies retaliated by boycotting goods from England. The English merchants had a fit because they were losing lots of money, and put pressure on Parliament to rescind the laws and they did. But they put in place the Townshend Act to put a tax on paper, glass, paint, and tea. The colonist retaliated by dumping the tea in Boston Harbor. The British were outraged and wanted to shove the colonies into submission. They closed Boston Harbor and took over the Massachusetts government. At this point the colonies were not yet united. It seemed it was mostly New England's problem. Then the British demanded Quartering soldiers anywhere in the colonies which affected all the colonies. Furthermore, they passes the Quebec Act that expanded the Quebec territory all the way down the western part of the colonies thus closing western expansion into the Appalachian Mountains. Add to this the only settlers in this territory were to be Catholics! This really upset the Protestant Puritans in New England. It was also learned that King George was using German mercenaries to fight against the colonies. Implementing these acts and using mercenaries was the last in a long string of errors made by the British. The colonist had their back to the wall and had no choice but to seek their independence from Mother England. The Revolutionary War had already began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and now the colonist were ready to state their position to Parliament.
The lecture was over and we all got up and marched to the Assembly Room in Independence Hall to see where the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. I couldn't help but hear myself humming the theme of the play 1776. It all came back when the speaker was retelling the tale of that hot May day when feisty John Adams was bringing up the resolution of Independence from England. Not all people were convinced that they wanted to part with England and some hoped for a reconciliation. They did not want to be seen as traitors. Some said they hadn't seen anything written on the resolution. So John Adams brought up who was going to write it. After several people flatly refused he put pressure on Thomas Jefferson who was a well educated scholar and said he would do it. Jefferson graduated with honors from William and Mary College and had studied and was influenced by the readings of John Lock, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton. He wrote the initial draft of Declaration of Independence, then it was edited by congress. The phrase to free all slaves was a point of great discussion since it would drastically change the economics of the colonies in the South with large plantations. The last to hold off however were the middle colonies, but as soon as Pennsylvania lent its support, the resolution passed unanimously.
The lecturer read parts of the Declaration especially the part that has inspired people's from all over the world who planned their independence since 1775:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Then he went and read the part with all the grievances the colonies had against the crown. The whole lecture might have been boring to many of the kids who were in our group, but the speaker was so good and so animated that he drew everyone into the happenings. He even stopped from time to time and asked questions of some of the adults which made us all stand up straighter in hopes that we would know the answer and not show that we were complete dumb-dumbs. So it was a great honor to actually be in the place where all these important events happened.
We then filed out and found ourselves in the park where we encountered a group of actors dressed in colonial clothes. We decided to have our pictures taken with them.
We then checked our map and went to some of the remaining sights we wanted to see; The Portrait Gallery, Franklin Court, The Supreme Court Chamber in Old City Hall, and the first Bank of the United State. By that the time we were done, we walked all the way to Penn's Landing where we wanted to eat a light dinner before catching the train back to the campground. It was very hot and we were happy to find the Hyatt Hotel right by the pier. We were seated at a table overlooking the water and relaxed in the luxury of air conditioning. After a relaxing dinner we caught a bus. The golly bus driver drove us to the Galleria and said "Seniors go for Free!" Wow, did we look that old? It had been a long day! We where we were just in time to catch the five o'clock train back to our stop near the camp ground. The clicking of the tracks sent us to our nap as we dreamed of being in the old colonies making candles and churning butter!
We returned to our camp and set out our table for our supper. While we were getting things ready there was a lot of activity a few campsites away down by the river. One fellow, an older man, started measuring the distance between the trees and mapping out the campsite. The mapping out continued into four more campsites and he then proceeded to rope off with a very long rope all four campsites by wrapping the rope around the trees. Soon there were two more groups that started setting down their tents while "Dad" made a big campfire with flames dancing about three feet. We were now sitting down to eat and had our Reggae music going thinking this was going to be a nice mellow night. We were mistaken and we should have thought better when we saw that "Dad" hanging a large University of Wisconsin flag between two trees.
The group had grown larger as more cars came down the hill. They all got busy setting up their tents and they reminded me seemed me of Hobbits. Most were under 5'8" and spoke in high decibels as if they were yelling though they were talking right next to each other. There was a problem with setting up one of the tents, and they yelled at each other and nothing got done. Finally, "Dad" stepped in and showed them how the tent came together and they all saw at once and finished the set up without a peep. I wondered if this was the way the Hobbits acted in Wisconsin?
The next morning we could have had our revenge and blown our horn on the sleeping compound, but we didn't. We just drove slowly up the hill took our showers and headed for the train station. When we arrived there, the lot was full of early commuter cars and there were only a few spots clear at the end of the lot. A young mother parked next to us with her two young sons. We all got out and went to pay for our spots. We walked up to the paying board which was a metal board with ring slots the size of a quarter below each number. It cost two dollars which was eight quarters. We were lucky we had gotten a five dollar role of quarters for laundry. Unfortunately, Janet, the mother with the two sons, did not have enough. John gave her three more quarters and we were set.
Janet was going to Philadelphia with another mother and her three year old daughter. They were planning on shopping and on to Freedom Park. Just as we finished inserting our quarters, Janet's friend got dropped off by her husband, and they had a little reunion while we made our way up the green stair case to the other side of the platform. Soon the train came and we got on the second from the last car. We settled in and took our our apples and muffins, and water to eat for breakfast. Just as we were enjoying our crunching the back doors open and into our car comes Janet behind her two rambunctious boys and her friend with a baby girl and a stroller. We looked up surprised to see them and they said, "Imagine that. We were too noisy for the "Quiet Car" so we have come here to make some noise!"
The train started moving and as it picked up speed. The sound of the train covered all the other sounds so it was a good time to put on our IPODs and mellow out for the trip ahead. The train made many stops as it picked up more people on their way to Philadelphia. A young man sat in front of us and he said he was on his way to work as a maintenance helper at a store in a Mall close to Philadelphia. At another stop a lady came and sat in the chair opposite our isle. John struck a conversation with her. She said she was teaching a class in Business Administration at Drexel College. She liked taking the train as it was only a ten minute walk from the Galleria where the train ended in the city. John told her that we were in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and other historical sights. She recommended to first go to the visitor center and get a map and plan the day accordingly. We thanked her as the train stopped, and we all exited into a large Mall called the Galleria.
We walked around the huge mall which was on a lower level than the street. We asked for directions and found Sixth Street where we would find the Independence Visitor Center. It was situated in Independence National Historical Park and is run by the National Parks System. We entered the Visitor Center and noted that we were too late for the film presented by the center. So we headed to the snack restaurant where we bought lunch. While we were there, we called Lynda and told her that we had mailed the birthday presents for Berkeley and Jake back in Cleveland. We mailed them to her brother Terry who would give the kids their presents when they came for the family reunion in a few weeks.
We then checked the map to make our plans. We noticed that we had to have a ticket to tour the Independence Hall. So we went and stood in line to get our tickets. Then we left the Visitor's Center and went to see the Liberty Bell. The line went all the way down past the park. So I opened up my umbrella and we stood in line in the shade under the hot sun. Eventually, we made it to the door and passed security and stood for a few minutes breathing deeply under the air conditioned room. We walked in and began reading all the exhibits.
I found out that William Penn was a pretty cool dude. As the leader of the colony he told his people that they had to help him make the rules for the colony to live by, and they could worship in what ever way they wanted. The colonist felt that was great, and in time got the Assembly to obtain a Bell from England and write this inscription: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" from the Leviticus 25:10 in the Bible. The bell weighed 2,000 lb. and was made of 70% copper, 25% tin with small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. It was put in the State House and rang many times for public announcements even after it was repaired the crack made shortly after it arrived from London. Oddly, it cracked again in after 1846 and has never rung to this day.
The symbol of the Liberty Bell has been heralded by many groups to show the importance of freedom. In 1830 the abolitionist called it the "Liberty Bell"and it became the symbol for outlawing slavery. In the late 1800s the Bell traveled around the country to expositions and fairs to heal divisions of the Civil War and to remind the people when they all fought for independence. In 1915 it made its trip back to Philadelphia where it has stayed. It was proclaimed as a symbol after World War I in forming the League of Nations. Again during the suffragette movement it was a symbol for the rights of women to vote. During the 1960 it again made its mark during the peace walks of the civil rights movements. Finally, it is important to mention that the Liberty Bell was a symbol of South Africa's abolition of the Apartheid policies.
By now we got ready to take a closer look at the actual Bell. Everyone was taking turns getting in front of the Bell to have their picture taken so we did the same. We took pictures of a family and they took one of us!
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| The Liberty Bell |
We walked out to the park in front of Independence Hall. Our tickets said 1:15 and we had about half an hour to wait. The park was lovely with trees all around and lots of benches to sit and wait. Everyone
sat patiently waiting until the Park Ranger asked for the 1:15 group to line up. She counted all of us in line and then led us into the lecture hall. There half of us sat on one side and half on the other. I counted how many men and women there were and who would be the first to fall asleep. The speaker traversed across the center telling the story of why the American Colonist were upset with King George III.
England's biggest concern was France. They were in battles all over the world including the America. The colonies helped England fight the French and Indians and were beginning to be more empowered in defending themselves. By defeating France, England got all of Canada. But as a result of this war England was running out of money and since it was spending extra money keeping a military force in the new world to defend the colonies against Indians, it felt that the colonies should have to pay for this service. It proposed a bunch of taxes on the colonies to fill their coffers. Also since the military was defending them from Indians, the colonies could house and feed them. This would also save England a lot of money. This infuriated the colonies even more. The officers were not so bad, but the infantry were an uncouth bunch seeking out prostitutes and rum. The Puritan society was totally against having them in their homes. The soldiers were supposed to protect the colonist from Indians in exchange for room and board. But the troupes were stationed in Boston and New York not in the frontier where the Indians posed most concern.
England saw the colonies as a pain in the ass. They felt that the colonist were there to support Mother England not to run off and do their own thing. They proposed an act that the colonies only buy goods from England and sell to English mercantile ships. They sent British officials to search homes for smuggled goods. Royal custom collectors, inspectors and Naval patrols were sent to keep the colonies in line. So the colonies retaliated by boycotting goods from England. The English merchants had a fit because they were losing lots of money, and put pressure on Parliament to rescind the laws and they did. But they put in place the Townshend Act to put a tax on paper, glass, paint, and tea. The colonist retaliated by dumping the tea in Boston Harbor. The British were outraged and wanted to shove the colonies into submission. They closed Boston Harbor and took over the Massachusetts government. At this point the colonies were not yet united. It seemed it was mostly New England's problem. Then the British demanded Quartering soldiers anywhere in the colonies which affected all the colonies. Furthermore, they passes the Quebec Act that expanded the Quebec territory all the way down the western part of the colonies thus closing western expansion into the Appalachian Mountains. Add to this the only settlers in this territory were to be Catholics! This really upset the Protestant Puritans in New England. It was also learned that King George was using German mercenaries to fight against the colonies. Implementing these acts and using mercenaries was the last in a long string of errors made by the British. The colonist had their back to the wall and had no choice but to seek their independence from Mother England. The Revolutionary War had already began at Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and now the colonist were ready to state their position to Parliament.
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| Assembly Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed |
The lecture was over and we all got up and marched to the Assembly Room in Independence Hall to see where the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. I couldn't help but hear myself humming the theme of the play 1776. It all came back when the speaker was retelling the tale of that hot May day when feisty John Adams was bringing up the resolution of Independence from England. Not all people were convinced that they wanted to part with England and some hoped for a reconciliation. They did not want to be seen as traitors. Some said they hadn't seen anything written on the resolution. So John Adams brought up who was going to write it. After several people flatly refused he put pressure on Thomas Jefferson who was a well educated scholar and said he would do it. Jefferson graduated with honors from William and Mary College and had studied and was influenced by the readings of John Lock, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton. He wrote the initial draft of Declaration of Independence, then it was edited by congress. The phrase to free all slaves was a point of great discussion since it would drastically change the economics of the colonies in the South with large plantations. The last to hold off however were the middle colonies, but as soon as Pennsylvania lent its support, the resolution passed unanimously.
The lecturer read parts of the Declaration especially the part that has inspired people's from all over the world who planned their independence since 1775:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Then he went and read the part with all the grievances the colonies had against the crown. The whole lecture might have been boring to many of the kids who were in our group, but the speaker was so good and so animated that he drew everyone into the happenings. He even stopped from time to time and asked questions of some of the adults which made us all stand up straighter in hopes that we would know the answer and not show that we were complete dumb-dumbs. So it was a great honor to actually be in the place where all these important events happened.
We then filed out and found ourselves in the park where we encountered a group of actors dressed in colonial clothes. We decided to have our pictures taken with them.
 |
| Colonist is period costumes |
We then checked our map and went to some of the remaining sights we wanted to see; The Portrait Gallery, Franklin Court, The Supreme Court Chamber in Old City Hall, and the first Bank of the United State. By that the time we were done, we walked all the way to Penn's Landing where we wanted to eat a light dinner before catching the train back to the campground. It was very hot and we were happy to find the Hyatt Hotel right by the pier. We were seated at a table overlooking the water and relaxed in the luxury of air conditioning. After a relaxing dinner we caught a bus. The golly bus driver drove us to the Galleria and said "Seniors go for Free!" Wow, did we look that old? It had been a long day! We where we were just in time to catch the five o'clock train back to our stop near the camp ground. The clicking of the tracks sent us to our nap as we dreamed of being in the old colonies making candles and churning butter!
 |
| Irish Arrive in America - Near Penn's Landing |
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