Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA

This is where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. The lowest chamber of the original wooden steeple was the first home of the Liberty Bell. When that steeple was removed in the 1780s the bell was lowered into the highest chamber of the brick tower, where it remained until the 1850s.

Their web site is here and their wikipedia page is here.

View Larger Map

Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, PA

The Liberty Bell was initially placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence Hall) in 1752. Bells were rung to mark the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776, and while there is no contemporary account of the Liberty Bell ringing, most historians believe it was one of the bells rung. It acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the early 19th century - a widespread story claims it cracked while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835.

When I visited Philadelphia in the 1980s the Liberty Bell was in an open plaza. Now it is housed in Liberty Bell Center and you can actually get much closer to it now.

Their web site is here and their wikipedia page is here.

View Larger Map