Press Release

WALKING IN FRANKLIN'S FOOTSTEPS
Tour Created For Franklin's 300th Birthday Features Modern And Historic Sites In Old City

Independence Hall

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

PHILADELPHIA, September 29, 2005 - Benjamin Franklin may have left big shoes to fill, but walking in his footsteps is easy in Philadelphia, thanks to a new self-guided tour developed for the founding father's 300th birthday in 2006. The one-hour walking tour, available online at www.gophila.com/ben, takes visitors to city landmarks that were significant in Franklin's time as well as to innovative new attractions that bring to life the forward thinker's insights.

LOCATION: Old City, Society Hill

TRANSPORTATION: Feet

TIME: Walking the tour route will take approximately one hour but can take longer if you actually visit each site.

SUMMARY: A one-hour walking tour of key Benjamin Franklin-related sites in Philadelphia's Historic District

HIGHLIGHTS: National Constitution Center, Christ Church Burial Ground, Franklin Court, Second Bank of the United States and Independence Hall

FEES: All attractions are free unless otherwise noted.

ITINERARY:

Begin at the Independence Visitor Center, where the film Independence traces Ben Franklin's role in the nation's earliest days. While you're there, gather brochures about Philadelphia's many other attractions, and pick up your free, timed tickets for Independence Hall.

When you leave the Independence Visitor Center, make a right onto 6th Street and head to the Federal Reserve Bank, located on 6th Street between Market and Arch Streets:

• Federal Reserve Bank - During his career as a printer, Franklin printed currency for several colonies, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The interactive Money in Motion exhibit explains everything you ever wanted to know about money-except how to make more of it. You can even "Match Wits with Ben" in a hands-on, question-and-answer game. 100 N. 6th Street, (866) 574-3727, www.phil.frb.org/money_in_motion

After you've toured Money in Motion, make your way to the National Constitution Center, which is directly across Arch Street between 5th and 6th Streets.

• National Constitution Center- Franklin not only helped lead the colonies to independence, he helped shape the Constitution. Inside, interactive exhibits reveal what those "four little pages" really mean. Of course, you can also see Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World, a traveling exhibition making its world debut in Philadelphia from December 15, 2005, through April 30, 2006. Admission fee. 525 Arch Street,
  (215) 409-6600, www.constitutioncenter.org

Directly across from the National Constitution Center (also on the west side of 5th Street) is the:

• Free Quaker Meeting House - Franklin was not a Quaker, but he believed everyone should have the right to worship as he or she pleased. So, he put his money where his mouth was and contributed to many houses of worship. The Free Quaker Meeting House is one of many religious organizations that benefited from Franklin's support. Arch Street between 5th& 6th Streets

Across from the Free Quaker Meeting House is:

• Christ Church Burial Ground- Although "a penny saved is a penny earned," it is a long-standing tradition to toss a penny on Ben Franklin's grave for good luck. A new 20-minute guided tour, Franklin's Fabulous Friends, Family and Foes, will run from October 2005 through December 2006. Admission fee. 5th & Arch Streets,
  (215) 922-1695, ext. 30, www.oldchristchurch.org

When you leave the Burial Ground, make a right and continue east on Arch Street to 3rd Street, where you'll make a left for a sweet treat at:

• Petit 4 Pastry Studios - As Minister to France, Franklin spent many years in Paris, where he developed a taste for petit fours and other sweets. Satisfy your sweet tooth and grab some coffee at this little cafe, awarded a "Best of Philly" nod by Philadelphia Magazine. 160 N. 3rd Street, (215) 627-8440

Exit the shop, turn right and walk to the corner of 3rd and Race Streets. At Race Street, turn right and proceed to 2nd Street. Turn right on 2nd Street, and stop at the:

• Fireman's Hall Museum- Add founder of the first fire department to the list of Franklin's accomplishments. The Fireman's Hall Museum is located on the site of Engine Company Number Eight, a descendent of the Union Fire Company, which Franklin established in 1736. Check out the 10 antique fire trucks, including the early hand- and horse-drawn models. Donation suggested. 147 N. 2nd Street, (215) 923-1438, www.mfrconsultants.com/pfd/museum.shtml

Exit Fireman's Hall and make a left. Continue past Elfreth's Alley, the nation's oldest continuously inhabited street, to 2nd and American Streets, where you'll see:

• Christ Church - Franklin and his family were members of Christ Church. Before entering, take note of the steeple, which was the tallest structure in North America for
  75 years. The repair of the steeple was financed through a lottery organized by Ben.
  20 N. American Street, (215) 922-1695, www.oldchristchurch.org

When you leave Christ Church, make a right onto 2nd Street. Cross Market Street and make another right to get to:

• Franklin Court- If anything can capture the highlights of Franklin's career, it is the Franklin Court complex. Have your postcards hand-stamped at the B. Free Franklin Post Office, and then head upstairs to the U.S. Postal Service Museum, which explains Franklin's role as the nation's first Postmaster General. Next door at the Print Shop, Franklin's career as a printer is demonstrated using 18th-century printing techniques and machinery. As you walk through the archway leading to the Ghost Structure, designed by architect Robert Venturi to commemorate the place where Franklin's home stood, you'll be following in Franklin's daily footsteps. An underground museum displays many of his inventions, family portraits and highlights of his career as an international diplomat, writer, philosopher and founding father. 318 Market Street, (215) 965-2305

Leave Franklin Court via the Chestnut Street exit. Head west (right) on Chestnut to 4th Street. Cross 4th Street and enter the:

• Second Bank of the United States- Among the 185 portraits of the founding fathers are a painting and bust of Franklin. Recently restored, the Bank's exhibits focus on 18th-century stars of business, arts, agriculture, science and culture. 420 Chestnut Street,
  (215) 965-2305, www.nps.gov/inde

When you exit the Bank, make a right onto Chestnut Street. Head to 5th Street, where you'll see the:

• American Philosophical Society - Always a brainiac, Franklin created the American Philosophical Society (APS) to encourage the great minds of his time to explore and share useful knowledge. Founded in 1743 as America's first learned society, APS continues to play an important role in American cultural and intellectual life. The Museum of the American Philosophical Society features changing exhibits from its vast and diverse collections. 104 S. 5th Street, (215) 440-3400, www.amphilsoc.org

Return to the corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets for your final stop at:

• Independence Hall- Of all Franklin's accomplishments, his most important contributions took place here at Independence Hall, where he played a role in declaring the nation's independence and, more than a decade later in his final years, helped frame the Constitution. During the Constitutional Convention debates, Franklin frequently wondered whether the sun carved into the chair used by George Washington (still on display today) symbolized the rising or the setting of the new nation. When the Constitution was finalized, he decided it was a rising sun, symbolic of a united America. Chestnut Street between 5th & 6th Streets, (215) 965- 2305, www.nps.gov/inde

After Your Tour...

Traveling through centuries can be exhausting. When you've completed your walking tour, enjoy a hearty meal or a refreshing beverage at City Tavern, a reconstruction of the 18th-century tavern, where Franklin and other founding fathers dined, debated and discussed the hot topics of the day. 138 S. 2nd Street, (215) 413-1443, www.citytavern.com

Ben Franklin 300 Philadelphia is a year-long celebration of Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, coordinated and marketed by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, the National Constitution Center and CBS 3. Festivities will run from fall 2005 through 2006 and will focus on the world premiere of the international traveling exhibition, Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World at the National Constitution Center. The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary, a non-profit organization, is supported by a lead grant of $4 million from The Pew Charitable Trusts and established to reaffirm Franklin's enduring legacy in his 300th birthday year. The Tercentenary was founded in 2000 by the American Philosophical Society, The Franklin Institute, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the University of Pennsylvania. For more information about the exhibition, related programs and traveling to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com/ben.

CONTACT:

Cara Schneider, GPTMC
(215) 599-0789, cara@gptmc.com

Cheri LaSpada, Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
(215) 790-7825, cheri@alta247.com