I’m not entirely sure what I expected.  I was certainly romanced by the concept of the bell ““ its historical significance and message of freedom ““ and it remains one of the most identifying symbols of the American Revolution.  It has been an enduring symbol of independence, freedom, and liberty. 

Originally, a bell was cast in London that was to be used at the Pennsylvania State House.  The bell cracked soon after its arrival in Philadelphia, so local craftsmen cast a new one in 1753, weighing a little over a ton, and made predominantly of copper.

The bell rang many times as the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House, mostly for public announcements.  Some notable bell ringings include the 1774 opening of the First Continental Congress, and after the 1775 Battle to Lexington and Concord.  The most famous ringing of the bell occurred on July 8th, 1776, when it called citizens together for the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

A thin crack developed in this bell, and it repairs were required.  On February 22, 1846, the bell rang for a George Washington birthday celebration.  The bell cracked again, this time growing from the top of the previously repaired crack and running to the crown of the bell.  This crack made the bell unusable, and it has not been rung since.

During the late 1800’s, the bell traveled the country, making appearances and fairs, expositions, and local events, in its efforts to heal the country post-Civil War.  In 1915 the bell at last returned home to Philadelphia, where it now rests silently, reminding us of the power and importance of our freedoms, and of the intangible concept of liberty.

Originally the bell was housed in the bell tower at Independence Hall.  In preparation for the American bicentennial celebration, a small glass pavilion was built to showcase the bell.  This facility proved unsatisfactory, and eventually a larger pavilion was created and named the Liberty Bell Center.  When the pavilion was dedicated in 2003, Queen Elizabeth presented a gift of a replica “Bicentennial Bell” that had been cast from the same British foundry as the original one.  That 1976 bell now hangs in Independence Hall.

I went to see the bell on a sunny, but cold, Saturday afternoon.  The line wrapped around the entrance, and down the block.  (It seemed to consist mostly of students on a group trip.)  The line stalled at the security checkpoint, where visitors are required to pass through a metal detector.  This process requires that all coats and jackets be removed, and EVERYTHING removed from pockets, resulting in people having to make numerous attempts to pass through the security screen.

Once through security, you proceed to a lobby area that features a video presentation, exhibits about the creation and history of the bell, along with additional bell artifacts.  After passing through these exhibits, you come to the glass chamber that houses the Liberty Bell, displayed at ground level, and you can look through the windows to see Independence Hall in the background.

The Liberty Bell Center is located on Market, between 5th & 6th.  It is open daily 9 am ““ 5 pm, with extended summer hours.  There is no admission fee.  Not counting the time spent waiting in line, the Liberty Bell Center can be seen in about an hour.  It’s a great family outing, and a chance for the kids to see history, not just read about it.

I did lots of things while in Philadelphia, but from a personal standpoint, seeing the Liberty Bell, a slice of American history, was probably the most important.

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti

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February 19th is Presidents Day, a federal holiday here in the United States.

Originally, the holiday was designated as Washington’s Birthday, and was celebrated on George Washington’s actual date of birth, February 22nd.  In 1971, however, as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, the holiday was moved to the third Monday in February.  The holiday has also been expanded to honor Abraham Lincoln (birthday February 12th).  Various states choose to observe the holiday on different days, under different titles, and even different presidents, but as far as federal holidays go, today is Presidents Day.

I have already written about the Washington Monument and Washington’s estate home in Mount Vernon, but I haven’t written about Lincoln.

The Lincoln Memorial is at one end of Washington DC’s National Mall.  The building looks like a Greek Doric Temple, with huge columns, and a bigger-than-life marble statue of Lincoln.  The statue is 19 feet tall and 19 feet wide.  Above the statue of Lincoln are inscribed the words:

In this temple
As in the hearts of the people
For whom he saved the Union
The memory of Abraham Lincoln
Is enshrined forever

On the south interior wall is inscribed the Gettysburg Address, on the north wall is inscribed Lincoln’s second inauguaral address. 

The memorial steps was the site for Martin Luther King’s 1963″I Have a Dream” speech, part of the March on Washington.  A tile on the step marks the spot from where Dr. King delivered his speech. 

The Memorial is open 24 hours, every day exept Christmas.  I’ve seen the memorial as different hours of the day, and is particularly spectacular at night.  There is no fee to visit the Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial is at one end of the Reflecting Pool, with the World War II Memorial at the other, and beyone that the Washington Monument.  Metro access to the Lincoln Memorial requires a bit of a walk, but is reachable from the Smithsonian or Foggy Bottom stop, both on the Orange and Blue Line.

If you can’t make it to Washington DC to see the Lincoln Memorial, all you have to do is grab some US money. You can see Abraham Lincoln on the front side of the penny (commonly called the Lincoln Penny), and the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse side.  Lincoln is also depicted on the front side of the five dollar bill, with the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse side.

Photo credit:  Memorial at night; statue

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Yes, there really is a little red lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge. It is right at the edge of the Hudson River on the Manhattan side, and I have biked up to it many times.

In recent years, New York City has spruced up and expanded the bike path, building parks and recreational piers along it to attract people to the water’s edge.  The ride up is varied and scenic, and takes only 45 minutes from midtown.

The lighthouse itself was immortalized in the 1942 children’s book “The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge“  written by Hildegarde Swift and illustrated by Lynd Ward. The book itself is still in print, and is largely responsible for the preservation of the lighthouse after  the U.S. Coast Guard deactivated it. The NYC Parks Department holds a festival to honor the lighthouse every September, with tours and refreshment, and of course a reading of the book.

The Lighthouse is in Fort Washington Park, 178th Street & Hudson River, New York, NY [From Lafayette Place at W. 181st Street, take steps, footpath and footbridge over the highway, down to the park and south to the Lighthouse.]

If you prefer my way, take the bike path north along the Hudson. You’ll encounter 3 twists:

• Just north of the 79th Street Boat Basin, the path is blocked and you’ll detour through a tunnel up a ramp into a broad promenade in Riverside Park. Go up a quarter mile until the promenade breaks into paths; take the left most one down the hill back through another tunnel and you’ll be back at the river.
• At 125th Street, take a sharp right under the West Side Highway and the first left under Riverside Drive. Head up to 135th Street where you’ll see the bike path resume on your left, back under the West Side Highway
• At about 160th Street, the path appears to dwindle with a soccer field ahead. Look hard on your right, and you’ll see the path resume along some railroad tracks, my favorite tretch, dipping down through a canopy of trees.

Photo credit:  flickr 

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The monument is the oldest in Washington, and was built as a tribute to our first President, in recognition of his contributions to liberty and democracy.  It stands just over 555 feet high, is shaped like an Egyptian obelisk, and is made of marble, granite and sandstone.  It is the tallest structure in D.C., and in clear weather can been seen from about 40 miles away. 

The interior of the monument contains 193 memorial stones.  In 1848, the Washington National Monument Society invited states, cities, and patriotic societies to contribute memorial stones.  The stones needed to be durable, a product of the state’s soil, meet specific dimension requirements, and pay tribute to the character and achievements of George Washington; a number of stones have also been donated by other countries.  Although damaged over the years, the stones are currently undergoing restoration, and you can see many of them online at the National Park Service website.

The monument is open to the public daily (except Christmas and July 4th), from 9 am-4:45 pm.  Admission is free, although it does require a timed ticket.  These free, same-day tickets are available at the ticket booth located at the base of the monument on 15th Street.  They are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 am.  You can pick up six tickets per person.  In peak tourist times, the line up for tickets starts very, very early, so plan accordingly. 

Advanced tickets are available for a token service charge.

There is visitor screening, and the usual prohibitions apply.  There is no food or drink allowed, except for water in a clear, plastic bottle.

By day, the monument may seem part of the nitty gritty Washington landscape.  At night, however, it is illuminated, and, when viewed from afar, it creates a wonderful romantic glow about the city. 

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti (above), c. 2006; Freddy Montilla (at right).

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The Archives maintains documents and materials created in the business affairs of the Federal government that are deemed legally or historically important.  The documents are preserved, and available to the public.

While the Archives maintain military records, the Presidential Libraries, and a variety of other records, what have always interested me are the chartering documents of our country.  I wanted to see the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are now housed in a newly refurbished Rotunda, and are carefully preserved and displayed in glass cabinets.  The original murals depicting the Founding Fathers and signers have also been restored, and are hung looking down upon the charter documents.  The exhibit is aptly named:  “Charters of Freedom, a New World is at Hand.”

The Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, summarized the ideals of individual liberty in “self-evident truths,” as it set forth a list of grievances against the Kind to justify the colonies breaking away from England. 

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 . . ..

After realizing that attempts to revise the Articles of Confederation would be futile, the Founding Fathers decided to draft a document that would frame an entirely new form of government.  In closed sessions, the delegates debated, drafted, and redrafted what would become our Constitution.  Many believe that the Constitution is the penultimate model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise. 

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

As the debates on the adoption of the Constitution raged on, opponents repeatedly worried and charged that the document, as drafted, would lead to tyranny by the Federal Government.  They demanded a “bill of rights” that would spell out the immunities of private citizens, and individual protections against the power of the Federal government.  The first ten of these amendments became known as the Bill of Rights. 

You can see these documents chartering our government, as well as other historical records at the National Archives. 

The Archives are open during the summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day), daily from 10 am-9pm.  After Labor Day through March 31st, daily from 10 am-5 pm (closed Christmas Day), and April 1st through the Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, daily from 10 am-7 pm. 

Admission is free.

Depending on the crowds, which are heaviest during March, April, and May, you should allow at least an hour to see the exhibits.  If you’re a history buff, or wish to enjoy the multi-media exhibits, allow additional time. 

Photo credits:  Jon Rochetti, c. 2006 (archive building), National Archives (Declaration of Independence).

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On a recent sunny afternoon, a friend shared with me one of the most beautiful and peaceful places that I have been in a long while:  Mount Vernon, the home and estate of George and Martha Washington.

Located sixteen miles south of Washington DC, and eight miles south of Old Town Alexandria, Mt Vernon sits in a pictaresque and undeveloped area on the Potomac River.

Washington acquired Mt Vernon in 1754, and expanded and developed the grounds to reflect his status as part of the landed gentry.  He personally oversaw every detail to the estate design, construction, and decoration, even while he was away at war. 

Mansion tours run on a continuous basis.  Fourteen rooms are open for viewing to the public, and have been restored and furnished based on the standards of the day from 1799, including some original objects used by the Washington family.  No photography is allowed in the Mansion.

In front of the Mansion is the bowling green, a huge expanse of beautifully manicured lawn, which lies just inside the gate where visitors first entered the estate (seen in photo above).  This first view of the estate must have been an impressive one.

The back yard overlooks the Potomac (photo at right), and is a comfortable mix of landscaped grounds and grounds left in a natural state.  There are chairs to sit in, and guests are free to wander and enjoy the view.  I could just imagine the Washington famly and guests playing on the lawn and enoying a sunny day over 200 years ago.

The outer grounds surrounding the Mansion are beautifully, yet practically, landscaped, and reflect the fact that the estate was both a working plantation and a place of respite.  Out buildings available to look at include:  slave quarters, ice house, overseer’s quarters, kitchen, wash house, stable and paddock, and the coach house.

Washington’s tomb is located on the property at Mt Vernon.  He died in the Mansion’s master bedroom on December 14, 1799, and, pursuant to his will, was laid to rest in a brick tomb on his beloved estate.  Martha’s body lies there as well.

I think the gardens are the best part of the estate.  The beds have been restored to their original size, and contain a variety of flowers, herbs, fruit trees, and vegetables, including some boxwood planted back in the 1700’s.

Mount Vernon is open 365 days a year. The Mansion is open for tours from 8 am through 5 pm (summer hours).  Grounds close a half hour later.

Admission is $13 for adults, $12 for seniors, $6 for youth 6-11 (when accompanied by adult), children under five are free.

Photo credit:  Jon Rochetti, c. 2006.
 

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