HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA

[Music] [Music] hello folks this is a story of great events that fire through every 460 in the heavens the July independent a and they bring a warm proud feeling to our hearts a feeling of Thanksgiving that we are America today I'm eating from Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence was pretty bell rang out the glad news we're the first United States flood Philadelphia where American liberty and freedom were brought and getting ahead of my story how about taking a little trip with me down the broad Benjamin Franklin Parkway to all Philadelphia hidden away beneath the towering skyline of recent years let's go back to the Philadelphia of William Penn Robert Morris Benjamin Franklin the Continental Congress of the days before and after the American Revolution many other things we read about in our history book the first thing we see is the statue of William Penn atop City Hall tower looking over the millions of acres granted him by the crown and named Pennsylvania lands which through wise and honest dealings with the Indian actually became Penn's was and laid the foundation for the greatest industrial state in the Union and here near 6th and Chester descendants Hall the greatest national shrine of our country I always look at the on suppose we let our imaginations carry us back to those days more than entry and a half ago when such men as Benjamin Ferguson John Hancock Robert Morris John Adams and many other famous Patriots of the times met to sign the Declaration of Independence to proclaim our nation of free country there they are those wise brave and determined from the thirteen original American colonies who thought so little of the facts but to place their signature to such a declaration made them marked men subject to execution is caught by the Redcoats men who thought so much of the principles set down in this historic Duff to pay and read again discussed and debated before signing for the particular colony they represented Thomas Jefferson priori advocate of freedoms cause wrote the Declaration of Independence at seventh and Market Street two blocks away from Independence Square John Hancock first signer inscribed his name with a great flourish and letter so large he said the king will be able to read that even without his spectacles Benjamin Franklin after signing said to John Hancock we must indeed hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately the Liberty Bell most beloved of all national emblems next to the flag rang out the news of Independence July 4th 1776 now hanging in the foyer of indepen all it is visited by millions who stand and look in reverence a great crack which occurred during the tolling of the bell in honor of Supreme Court Chief Justice Marshall at the time of his death stands as a venerable service stripe in an ageless and everlasting symbol of American independence in June of the next year after the signing of the Declaration the Congress of the United States assembled an Independence Hall and adopted the resolution which established the Stars and Stripes tradition likes to say that General Washington came to Betsy Ross house at number 239 artistry and arranged with her the design of the first American play with its alternate thirteen red and white stripes and its 13 stars in a circle on a blue field the stripes standing for the original 13 colonies and the stars denoting the states now have grown to 48 in all yes gallant ladies played a very important part in the early history of our country as they have ever since for instance believe it or not Philadelphia and modern Betsy Ross still make Old Glory for the United States Army at the Philadelphia quartermaster step all 13 operations are now necessary in the manufacture of the once handmade Stars and Stripes 100 stripes are cut in a single operation as are the blue fields for the Stars the stars themselves are stamped out with a steel cutting die and are stitched on a special electric machine so fast your eyes can hardly by the haste well now it takes a lot of plagues to fly over the land of the free in the home of the brave today with a hundred and thirty five million Americans but getting back to old Philadelphia religion played a big part in our early history for in those days coming to Pennsylvania meant to escape from religious persecution in Europe where the state dictated the Church of the people it meant worshipping as you wish in a new free Commonwealth the oldest church building in Philadelphia is old Suites where we see this annual pageant being re-enacted this church built in 1700s was erected on the site of a previous blockhouse Church and marks continuous service since Trinity Sunday 1677 Christ Church built in 1727 is distinguished both as the original Protestant Episcopal Church in America and as first president George Washington's Church during his stay with his family in Philadelphia when it was our nation's capital many times during the trying years of a new republic Washington could have been seen entering his pew and praying for guidance to steer the ship date on a true and wise course just as he prayed in the snows of Valley Forge when he and his men met the darkest days of their campaign Gethsemane of the Continental Army for strong and courageous Souls almost gave up the fight under the terrific punishment of starvation privation cold and despair Valley Forge were only the indomitable spirit of General Washington and use of Benjamin Franklin success in securing an alliance with France encouraged men to carry on in spite of impossible conditions today over the rolling hills then commanded by redoubts mounting primitive Canada down snowy Paris been plucked with the red of bear and bleeding feet across valleys were tents and log cabins housed Patriots - determined to die today over this hallowed ground the dogwood bloom dogwood that seems to grow everywhere in this beautiful National Memorial Park just outside Philadelphia dogwood whose turtle pink and white seems to commemorate the Patriots blood spilled on driven snow dogwood that is a natural living monument to those who fought and died that a new nation might be born he walked into Philadelphia at sixteen with two loaves of bread and little help from the clothes he wore and he lived to become known as a philosopher diplomat Finan seer inventor scientist and businessman one of the great men of his time that was Benjamin Franklin in ten years Franklin was the best and biggest printer in America for using textbooks religious books and the famous for Richard almanacs taught at the same time he was doing all the government printing for Pennsylvania and adjacent colonies Billy found time with all of this to edit the magazine that later became The Saturday Evening Post this the printing press of Franklin's time preserved in the Institute that bears his name on the Parkway in old Philadelphia but Franklin's personal talents did not be confined to printing in 20 years he became Philadelphia's most prominent citizens he became clerk of the colonial assembly organizer of the first fire brigade founder of the Philadelphia Academy Pennsylvania's first College the colony's first postmaster and its most potent politician behind the scene he formed the American Philosophical Society invented a stove that gave twice as much heat for a quarter of the fuel and originated bifocal spectacles with all of this Franklin's greatest service to his country was as a diplomat when the newborn nation needed the recognition and help of foreign powers to Franklin Pell the task of wheedling vast sums of money from the Treasury of France without credit or security this Franklin accomplished even when Washington was defeated on Long Island and when the British took Philadelphia Franklin still could get fresh loans for this reason it is often said that in some respects greater than the services of General Washington was Franklin's contribution to the victory of the American Revolution yes the history of old Philadelphia is a history of great men and women many self built monuments remain a testimony to their greatness Girard college for instance example of the philanthropy and humanity one of the richest men of his times Steven Gerrard this College in doubt for the education of poor orphan boys have turned out many meetings citizens of our nation the main building has been called the most perfect Greek temple in existence today William Penn's house the first brick house erected in Philadelphia built in 1682 regarded as the first State House of the province and was used as the proprietary governor's residence it remains as a national monument to a great and wise man another famous landmark in Fairmount Park is the House of William Rittenhouse first paper maker in America it stands on the spot where his first mill was a record in 1690 this house David Rittenhouse was born later to be known as the first practical scientist in America a man of great mathematical genius and an astronomer of such ability that he gave the world the first approximately accurate measurements of the stars and planets also in Fairmont Park largest city own Park in the world stands a remembrance of an infamous traitor to the young nation general Benedict Arnold he did Mount Pleasant mention which Arnold bought as a wedding gift for his young bride Peggy Shippen Arnold had lived there but a short time when his treason was discovered and the property confiscated the mansion later passed into the hands of general Jonathan Williams who became the first superintendent of West Point Academy here is a site that a fellow of any age can appreciate who has ever reached up his nickel for a delicious ice cream cone at the corner store where it was from here that those happy jingling coins first came the Philadelphia Mint established by act of Congress sixteen years after the birth of our nation this was the first United States Mint and is now the largest in the world its output includes not only United States coinage but that of many other nations as well now doesn't speaking of nickels and ice cream phones just seem to lead our thoughts Mizzou and here we are at the oldest city zoo in America for almost every bird beast and reptile from the bar corners of the world can be found I hadn't seen such a Bridget Lee plume macaw since my last trip to the South American jungles and old Jimmy the hippo with his two-ton appetite just makes me realize I haven't eaten since breakfast yes from the smallest to the largest they are all here not to forget the most mischievous of all animals old mister monkeyshines himself [Music] well now help yourself to a nice cool drink my my you do have the kind of lips just made for that drinking problem don't you what this friars ice cream dick sees the poor boy you fellas know what's good get that last drop and while we leave Kip Ian Percy the famous trained chimpanzees to reminisce over their tastes tempting treat there is another famous first in Philadelphia that I know will be interesting to you [Music]