Word: franklin
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Right across the street from Independence Hall in the Old City is the American Philosophical Society amphilsoc.org) founded by Franklin in 1743. (At the time, natural--as opposed to moral--philosophy referred to science.) On view now is an exhibit about the founding fathers of American natural history, from Jefferson to Audubon...
Accessible from Market and Chestnut streets is Franklin Court, site of Franklin's home. Completed in 1766, the house was an object of great pride for Franklin, particularly the third-floor music room. Franklin chose this site for its strategic and symbolic value; determined to honor his leather-apron roots, he built the courtyard on a spot that lay squarely between posh and working-class neighborhoods. After he died, Franklin's grandchildren razed the place, thinking the property was worth more than the home. In 1976 architect Robert Venturi's ghost structure--a beam outline (to scale) of the home...
...operating post office and the Franklin Court Printing Office are situated next to the Market Street entrance to Franklin Court. The post office is the only one in the U.S. that does not fly a flag, because when Franklin was appointed the first American Postmaster General, in 1775, the nation had not yet come into being...
Head down Market Street toward the Delaware River, and tucked back on Third and Church streets is Christ Church, which Franklin attended. Parishioners bought their pews in those days, and Franklin chose Pew 70, a little more than halfway back from the altar. Not wanting to purchase a showy front-row seat, he maintained he could hear fine from his pew. Plus, having a pew in the middle meant he could arrive late and leave early, and his dozing was less visible...
...will hit Elfreth's Alley, believed to be the oldest residential street in the U.S. You may notice tiny mirrors jutting from the top floors. Called busy-body mirrors, these contraptions, which enable people to see who is coming down the street, were brought back from Holland by Franklin. Also look out for black iron plaques that depict four fists locked in the fire fighter's carry. These plaques indicated that a house was insured against fire, insurance being one of Franklin's imports from London...