Liberty Bell.

The Liberty Bell is one of the most important symbols of the America's struggle for independence at the end of the 18th century. The famously cracked bell occupies a separate pavilion at the Independence Mall in Philadelphia and can be visited free of charge.

The bell was ordered in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Assembly, the colonial government, reportedly to commemorate the 50 year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges. The bell was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London and arrived in Philadelphia in September 1752.

CRACKED

Six months later, in March 1753, the bell was hung in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House, now the Independence Hall. The bell cracked the first time it rang. It was recast by two foundry workers in Philadelphia who - in an effort to make the bell less brittle - added additional copper. The bell sounded awful due to the extra copper, so they recast it again. The final bell was put in place in June 1753.

The bell was rung to announce all sorts of events. One of the historically most important events was on July 8, 1776 when the bell summoned the citizens to attend the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

ANOTHER CRACK

A crack in the bell started to appear again somewhere in the first half of the 19th century but was repaired. The current crack dates from 1846 when the bell rang in honor of the birthday of George Washington. In 1852 the bell was taken down from the steeple and put on display in the Declaration Chamber in the Independence Hall.

LIBERTY BELL CENTER

In 2003 the bell moved to the Liberty Bell Center, a modern pavilion at the Independence National Historical Park. The bell is displayed in a glass room with the Independence Hall in the background.

Source. 

Independence Hall

The Independence Hall is one of the most important historical landmarks in the United States. Major steps towards independence were taken here by delegates of the English colonies, amongst them George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was signed in this building on July 4, 1776. The Independence Hall was also the site were the American Flag was first unveiled in 1777. In 1781, the Articles of Confederation uniting all thirteen British colonies were ratified here. And in 1787 the US Constitution was drafted in this building.

Construction

Construction of the Independence Hall, originally known as the State House of the Province of Pennsylvania started in 1732. It was built at the outskirts of the city, on a block of Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th streets.

The architect was Edmund Woolley who received help from Andrew Hamilton, a well-known Philadelphia lawyer. The latter is often credited for the design of the Independence Hall but he probably only supervised the construction.

The brick Georgian building with a tall wooden steeple was completed in 1756.

The steeple now holds a bell donated in 1876 for the centennial anniversary celebrations. The original bell, known as the 'liberty bell' is housed in a separate pavilion.

1776 Appearance

The Independence Hall was restored several times, changing the appearance of the building. In 1950 the National Park Service restored it back to its 1776 appearance. Most of the furniture visible inside the Independence Hall is not authentic: in 1778 British troops occupied the building and used the furniture as firewood.

Location

The Independence Hall is located in the middle of the 45 acre Independence National Historical Park. The historic building can be visited free of charge by guided tour only.

Text: http://www.aviewoncities.com/philadelphia/independencehall.htm