Let Freedom Ring!

PHILADELPHIA

We arrived late in the evening at the KOA near West Chester, Pa. about 40 miles from Philadelphia. We were tired and when we heard of a guided tour of Philadelphia the next day (no driving for us), we signed up. At 8:00 we joined six other RVers and our tour guide, Tom. He is a high school history teacher and was quite informative. So off we headed for the Philadelphia experience. Normally, we "do our own thing" but the idea of not driving, parking and finding our way around Philadelphia was appealing. When we all introduced ourselves,we discovered, to our great surprise, a couple from Idaho. It is unusual to find other Idahoans in these faraway places, even if they are from the panhandle!

Tom took us to the Information Center on Constitution Mall, where he picked up our tour tickets. Our first stop was the fresh, modern structure that now houses the Liberty Bell. There was a great deal of information, in video and print and posters, about the history of the Bell,

and then, at the very end of the long building, the Liberty Bell! Several of the displays highlighted the significance of the bell for various groups, at various times in our nation's history.

All that notwithstanding, you just want to ring that bell!

On to Constitution Hall, through security check gates, to meet up with our Hall tour guide. Very well informed and engaging, he walked us through a reproduction of the famous painting of the thirty-two delegates from the twelve colonies (Rhode Island refused to send delegates until there was a Bill of Rights!) -- Washington presiding at the big desk, Jefferson with his red hair, old Ben Franklin, whose age and ill health required that he had to be carried in a sedan chair. It was all quite impressive, and we had the personal experience of standing where some of our greatest leaders have stood, touched the same hand rails, walked the same floors. Their struggle for the best, highest goals -- some attained and some, repeal of slavery, not -- was inspiring in a time when we have been taught to distrust government -- and even to have plenty of contemporary cases of personal corruption to add fuel to that fire.

Finally, we visited the Ben Franklin home area and museum. The original home is not there anymore, but the foundations have been excavated and large, open I-beams have been constructed, with windows showing the foundations of the home.

A quick lunch -- gobble, gobble -- and Tom picked us up and drove us to, yep! the home of Betsy Ross! And the stories about her life, the flag making, and the high regard in which Washington and others held her. Tom then took us to Elfreth's Alley, a six-foot wide alley "lined with a number of quaint modest houses from the early 1700's." Now gentrified, Tom helped us look past that to the actual living conditions here, from the disposal of chamber pots and garbage directly in the alley, to the amount of smoke from the endless fires needed for cooking and heat. The amount of ash alone staggers the mind! And, of yes, the reason the man walks on the street side and the woman on the inside nearest the dwellings (and away from the street) is protect her from the projectiles. Maybe that's another reason to have your parasol at hand!

We ended the day at Valley Forge, the site of Washington's winter encampment during the winter of 1777-1778. We have all heard of the horrendous conditions, the hardships, near starvation, and disease. It was Tom's opinion that this is mostly myth, proven by archaeological digs that unearthed bones of cattle, chicken, pigs and a very small amount of wild game. He asserted that the number of soldiers who died here was only about one hundred; all the sick and dying cases were shipped out to outlying field hospitals, where many did indeed die. The stone house, where Washington planned for the next battle, was open and furnished as it might have been during Washington's time.We were instructed to hold the stair railings as we went upstairs, knowing that George Washington had had his hands there also. We were surprised to hear that Martha came along, leaving Mt. Vernon in order to be with George for that long cold winter. What a woman! It is, otherwise, a beautiful park, full of joggers, hikers, bikers, and equestrians. History, otherwise, keeps its air of ambiguity. More of George Washington to come....