Friday, June 21
After our Grim Philly tour Thursday night, Friday was more of a "traditional" Philadelphia tourist day. We visited the Betsy Ross House, Elfreth's Alley, Christ Church, and Independence Hall.
The Betsy Ross house was surprisingly cool. It was just a house, but what made it was the actress playing Betsy. I've made jokes that my ideal job here in Philly would be to be Betsy Ross at the Betsy Ross House, but I definitely couldn't beat this lady at her job. She's GOOD! (Though, if she decides to retire, I'd happily take on the role. They've added air conditioning to the house and it's oh-so-nice in this God-awful humidity).
Our next stop was Elfreth's Alley - the oldest residential street in America. By that, they mean that there have been people living on this street continuously since 1702. How cool is that?!
Next, we went to Christ Church which was attended by many of our Founding Fathers...
The church was gorgeous...
And Joe and I even got to sit in George Washington's pew!!! Though, got to say I am surprised he was mid-way back. I'd think he'd get a front-row spot!
We wrapped up our day with a visit to Independence Hall. Joe and I had visited when we came to Philly for his interview at Penn, but didn't mind going again. We love history :)
In 1777 the British occupied the building (for a total of 9 months) and burned the original furnishings, so only a few still exist. The painting in the photo below is one of the few original pieces...
In the room below, our Founding Fathers discussed and signed the Declaration of Independence and (several years later) the Constitution. No one mentioned the Articles of Confederation, but I'd guess they were signed and discussed here - though you have no reason to trust me on that ;) The chair in the middle was George Washington's chair, and is another one of the few original items still remaining in Independence Hall.
Fun Fact: John Adams wrote a letter to his wife asserting that July 2nd would be Independence Day.
Saturday, June 22
On Saturday, we went to Valley Forge - which was AWESOME. I highly recommend that anyone visiting the Philly area make trip to Valley Forge and take a trolley tour. The trolley tour was about 2 hours, and the guide knew everything there is to know about Valley Forge and Revolutionary War history.
The cabin below is an example of the cabins that the soldiers lived in when they were at Valley Forge.
Twelve men would live in each cabin, and sleep in bunks like the one below. The cabins would smell so strongly that farmers 6 miles away could smell Valley Forge. George Washington insisted that a musket be discharged every day for the "cleansing effect" of sulfur. In these cabins of twelve, an average of two men would die that winter. For every one death on the field, 10 would die of disease.
Joe was thrilled that there was a lesson on Valley Forge medicine, which included dentistry. The guy below was very knowledgeable and full of fun facts. Just a few:
- Paul Revere made false teeth
- It took only 5 strokes to saw through a femur bone with a saw. After a leg was cut off at the femur, the doctor would have to tie off each vein/artery
- "Biting the bullet" is dumb. Doctors wouldn't have patients bite on bullets during amputations because if they screamed the bullet would fall down their throat and choke them. Instead, they'd put leather in their mouths so they could bite down in pain and not break their teeth
- There was just a 30% chance of surviving an amputation
The building below is where George Washington stayed during Valley Forge.
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