The Experience
The Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, located just around the corner from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, has been an exciting gateway into Philadelphia History for nearly 70 years. See hundreds of priceless objects on display, include the wampum belt that the Lenni Lenape Indians gave to William Penn in 1682 .
The museums is also home to the world's largest map of Philadelphia, stretching over an entire gallery floor in a permanent exhibition, Experience Philadelphia. In just a few steps, travel from South Philadelphia to Montgomery County and see the ordinary and extraordinary objects and images of city history.
History
A. Atwater Kent, a wealthy inventor who manufactured early radios in Philadelphia, bought the building, the original home of the Franklin Institute, in 1938. He then gave it to the city to establish a museum dedicated to Philadelphia’s cultural and industrial history.
Kent aimed to celebrate the city's past and inspire the future. John Haviland, who was also the architect of Eastern State Penitentiary, designed the 1826 Greek Revival building.