Reflections on a New Year

The New Year is just around the corner.  It is a time to reflect on the past, to make resolutions to change the future and to celebrate another year.  At the Friends office, we are doing just that, we are looking at the past year to see what we have accomplished:

• The reintroduction of a monthly Speaker Series which has been sold out each month
• A successful membership campaign where our member’s gave the gift of membership to friends and family
• A fantastic float created and made by volunteers to represent a “Green” Liberty Bell and then a great showing of all the volunteers and people who work in the park at the Independence Day Parade, along with so much more

And yes we are making our resolutions for 2012 because what is New Year’s without a resolution or two?

In 2012, we resolve to:

• Be more visible to our members, to our supporters and to the visitors of the park.  The Friends of Independence is the only way you can support Independence National Historical Park and we want everyone to know that about us
• Increase our programming.  One of the great benefits we can offer as the supporting arm to Independence NHP is great educational programs held in some of the most historic buildings in our country.  Our goal is to increase what we are currently doing and find new ways to bring people back to the park
• Increase our communications.  If we do not communicate all of our great programs and events as well as the news happening in and around the park, then we are not doing the most fundamental task that we were assigned from the beginning of our origins.  Our goal for 2012 is to increase that communications so that our members and supporters are always aware of what is happening at Independence NHP
• Say thank you more often because at the end of the day, everything we do means nothing if we do not take a moment to thank the people who support us and our good works every day.

Thank you for your past support and we hope in the New Year, you will continue to support the Friends of Independence because that is the only way we can support the Best Park in History!, Independence National Historical Park.

Happy New Year to You and Yours!

Happy Holidays

The Friends of Independence

National Historical Park

would like to wish you 

Happy Holidays and

a very Happy New Year

to you and yours!

We are excited for 2012

as it marks 40 years of

supporting the

Best Park in History!

LIVING IN HISTORY

                One day a few months ago, I was walking home from the Ritz movie theatre on Walnut Street.  As I passed the rose garden between 4^th and 5^th Streets, I noticed a barricaded area with a sign in front of it near the entrance to the garden. I walked over to get a better look and saw what the Park Service had apparently determined to be part of a colonial cobblestoned street, which up until now, had been concealed under two feet of dirt.  How incredible, I thought, that we are still discovering these relics of the past right in our midst.  I continued up Walnut to Washington Square.  At the corner of 6^th St., I noticed several people sitting on the benches in back of Independence Hall, reading newspapers, playing with children or walking home with grocery bags.  Of course, there was the usual contingent of tourists milling around the Hall.

                Entering Washington Square, I didn’t notice many tourists but saw that the Square was being used by various people for the same quotidian purposes -- relaxing, reading, dog walking, ball playing.  Like me, some people were cutting through the Square on their way home.  Being a student of Philadelphia history, I knew that I was walking over the final resting place of many victims of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 as well as fallen soldiers from the Revolution.

                My walk ended on the west side of the Square at St. James Street. Other residents of the neighborhood walk home on the same brick sidewalks used by the colonials, past tiny streets and tinier houses dating from the 18^th century.  Of course, the 18^th century structures stand cheek by jowl with modern buildings built in the last several years, as well as buildings dating from significant architectural periods of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, from the early 19^th century PSFS bank building on the west side of the Square to the modern houses on Spruce and Pine, from the artisan cottages sprinkled around Society Hill to the 20^th century Art Deco Ayer Condominium.

                Philadelphians have lived in the shadow of New York City since being eclipsed by it at the start of the industrial revolution.  New York became the boom town, constantly reinventing itself, and in the process wiping away just about every vestige of its architectural history.  While it is true that, to its detriment, Philadelphia’s economic progress diminished considerably in the 19^th century in comparison to New York, the silver lining in that cloud is that Philadelphia didn’t do much redevelopment, retaining the greatest collection of colonial period houses in the United States, as well as dozens of fine examples of period architecture dating from the early 1700’s to the present, all positioned against the backdrop of Independence National Historic Park.  Another felicitous result of Philadelphia’s “stagnation” is that the residential “greene countrie towne” that grew so rapidly in the 18^th Century is still just that – a residential town.  I know of no other large city in America where one can live in an 18^th century setting, amid block after block of 18^th century houses, and still be within the present day business district or a short walk away.

                Unlike other cities, our history is not barricaded behind bollard and chain barriers (Independence Hall’s barriers are part of another story), sanitized and remote.  We live our history in Independence National Historic Park.  We live that history in the houses. We walk it by traversing the same sidewalks that Jefferson and Franklin used, along the same streets that were part of Penn’s original grid.  We get a free architectural history presentation just by walking through the Park.

We can thank New York for allowing us to retain our historical setting by outgrowing us in the 19^th century.  And, we certainly can thank the National Park Service for maintaining our legacy, allowing us to truly “live in history.”

~Antoinette Stone
  Friends member and Board Member

The Edgar Allan Poe House

Not far from the National Park surrounding Independence Hall is another historically certified site, the Edgar Allan Poe house located at 532 North Seventh Street in Philadelphia. Poe lived in this house several years (approximately 1838 to 1844) and almost all scholars concur that these years were among his most productive and some of his very best work was done during that time.

Poe came to Philadelphia because it was then a great literary center and had many publishing houses. During this period, he wrote over 30 short stories, many magazine articles and wonderful poetry. He lived with his wife, his mother-in-law and their cat, Caterina. Poverty and drunkeness followed Poe all of his life and the family was extremely poor. It is unknown how the Poe house, which was rented, was furnished.

The house has now been restored by the National Park Service. There is a really good 8 minute film that visitors can view. The Park Service guides are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. The ranger-guided tour lasts about 35 to 45 minutes; There are all sorts of references in the six room house to Poe's place in literature. One room has very interesting exhibits showing biographical information about Poe and his development and perfection of gothic  detective stories. Make sure to see the wonderful fireplace in the basement of the house which reminds us of Poe's short story, "The Black Cat".

Walking through Poe's house as well as his garden is a very productive way: to learn about Philadelphia and the City's important role in publishing during the 19th Century; to experience first-hand  a typical 19th Century house and garden; and to learn more about one of America's greatest authors.

~Flora L. Becker

  Secretary of the Board

Being Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day where Americans gather with their family and friends to eat turkey, watch football and hopefully give thanks for all that they have in their lives.  On the Eve of this great holiday, I would like to give my own thanks.

I am thankful to the National Park Service.  Every day in rain, sheet, snow and sun, rangers are out in our wilderness parks, history parks and monuments; interpreting, protecting and maintaining these places for the American people.  I am thankful to the Federal Government who in 1872 had the foresight to protect a little place called Yellowstone from being destroyed through development.  Today the National Park Service protects over 450 natural, historical, recreational, and cultural areas throughout the United States, its territories, and island possessions.

I am thankful to the founding members of organizations like the Friends of Independence.  They had the passion, dedication and foresight to understand the importance of preserving and protecting our American Treasures.  I am thankful that they preferred to work on a shoe string budget so that they could pool more of their resources into our great parks and to make them the place to visit.

I am thankful to members, donors and corporate sponsors who agree with us that Independence National Historical Park is worth protecting and maintaining.  I am thankful to the nearly four million visitors who come to our park each year… they remind me why I love working here.

Mainly, I am thankful that I work for the Friends of Independence and that while I will play only a small part in the impressive and extensive history of this park, I will still play a part.  As a born and bred Philadelphian who went on field trips here as a child, nothing makes me prouder than knowing that I am helping to preserve this park for future generations.

So I hope you will join me today and tomorrow and offer thanks to a government department that preserves our heritage, to the rangers who love their job and sharing their knowledge, to the groups like the Friends who tirelessly work to preserve these places and mainly, give thanks to Independence National Historical Park, there is no other place like it and after all, it is the place where America was born.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

~Maiti Gallen

  Program Director

An inside Look from the Top of Independence Hall

To live in the presence of Independence Hall during this historic restoration has been a once in a lifetime experience for me. To see the spectacular changes on a weekly basis as our National Icon is restored to her historic glory is a project the Friends can be proud of.  

A little history…

Two and a half years ago, the Park along with Charlie Tonetti, Chief Historical Architect’s recommendations, came to the Friends with a plan that would enable the park to work on a beloved building while preserving the visitor experience.  Independence Hall had to undergo restoration work which would cover this iconic building in heavy scaffolding for many months.  Almost 4 million visitors come to this park annually and pose for pictures with Independence Hall in the background. Independence National Historical Park wanted the Decorative Scrim so visitors’memories could still be captured with little interference from ongoing construction. This project will be completed in the next couple of months.

Don Kaufman, former Board member and neighbor describes his experience as he viewed the Bell Tower restoration:

This was not just the end of another Friends project; it was the beginning of a transformation, ….. an out of the box experience for me and as well as Board Member Ed D’Alba, I’m sure.  We were invited to participate in a Press Conference held by INHP to present the restoration of the Bell Tower.  The tower hasn't had a major face lift for many years, so we climbed the scaffolding to examine the restoration that had taken place over the past few months.

We were thoroughly impressed by the quality of the restoration.    An interesting aspect was our ability to view the restoration for the outside of the tower.   One of Ed's employee's commented that “years from now when his kids visit the Hall, he would be able to say that he was on the outside of the tower on the tippy tippy top.” What a thrill to be part of the Friends and to be able to contribute to the restoration of this historic monument.

~Don Kaufman
   Former Board Member, 2005-2010

A few words from Ed D’Alba current board member…

The ascent of the tower was breathtaking.  The opportunity to stand above the "Hall," and outside the "Tower," all of which have withstood the test of time, debate and challenge from what happened within and beyond its hallowed halls will never be forgotten. 

It took but a few steps along the highest levels of the scaffolding to observe the stately beech trees around Commodore Barry to the south, to see the openness of the multi-storied south face of the Constitution Center to the north, and the contemporary and many other historic properties around and near the mall to the east and west.  Is there any other place on earth that so vividly helps underscores the role, the need, and the importance of friends groups nationwide, and of the Friends of Independence National Historic Park in particular?  Helping to preserve and enhance this National Treasure felt very right that day, and will provide memories for years to come.  In one word - Awesome! 

~Ed D’Alba

  Board Member, 2011 -

As Treasurer and Co-Chair of the Independence Hall Scrim Committee, this is civic project that I and the Friends of Independence will never forget.

~ Karen D. Kaufman
   Treasurer and Board Member

Excitement through Evolution

Yesterday, our Governing Board Members held its bi-monthly meeting to discuss the business of the Friends of Independence and to make decisions that will best lead our organization into the future.  Like many non-profits, our leaders are part of the business community and use their knowledge and skills to help our organization thrive and grow.

For the past few years the Governing Board meetings centered on the financial health of the organization and how we would weather the down-turning economy.  Many of our discussions dealt with future funding and the stability of the Friends.  This is not an uncommon theme for most non-profits, and in comparison, we have weathered better than most.  However, it has become a repetitive, never-ending topic.  There never will be a time when we say that as an organization we have too much, that we do not need more, and that we will not accept funding; because we know that the more funding we have, the more we can do for our park.

Yesterday’s meeting, however, was different.  While we still discussed the financial health of the organization, we also started to discuss the future:  How we wanted to see ourselves, how we wanted others to see us, and what we wanted to do to have our name reach more people.  Looking around the room, I could see my board members becoming animated as they brainstormed the possibilities.  They were so excited for what we were doing that in turn they enlivened me.

As the lone staff member for the Friends of Independence, I am charged with thinking ahead.  It is my responsibility to look for ways to connect with our constituents and to plan events, programs, and opportunities that will make our organization more visible.  Usually by the time I present an idea to the Governing Board, I am past my excited stage; I am in the business portion of the planning.  I am working out the logistics to make sure that we not only can produce the program but that it will meet tangible goals.

I walked into that meeting yesterday with my facts and figures, and I walked out feeling very excited for the future possibilities because my board members were enthusiastic and energized.  It is an incredible feeling to have a clear idea of where you are headed and to have the support of the Board.  Next year marks the 40^th anniversary of the Friends of Independence.  While that is an amazing accomplishment, we know we cannot live on our past glories.

We are changing.  We are growing.  We are evolving as we should.  We know our future has unlimited potential.  And we hope that you share our vision.  We invite you to continue the journey with us as we explore and reshape the Future of the Friends of Independence.

Stay tuned for some incredible programming…

~Maiti Gallen

  Program Director

It’s Almost Here!!!!

The trees are still green and leafy, the flowers still bloom, but there is a bite in the air these days. A chilly breeze as you walk through Independence National Historical Park foretells of autumn days to come – fall days when the park is covered in leaves, our wildlife (the gray squirrel) is foraging for winter and you can hear the wind rustling through the grass.

Autumn is my favorite time of the year here at the park. The whole park comes alive with the bright reds, golds and oranges of the season. Instead of sunbathers worshiping the light of summer, we have parents and children holding hands as they scoot through the fallen leaves. People walk closer together to warm themselves against the chill in the air instead of finding solitary relief in the cool shade. I find the whole park feels warmer during these transitional days and the smell of hot cider with mulling spices wafting through the air will always make me want to stop in at City Tavern for a quick sip or two.

This is the time of the year when the park belongs to the locals. The summer tourists are gone, the ones who come here to celebrate our independence, who stand with us in spirit to fight for freedom and who happily take pictures of their experience at a national historical park. Even as the late summer tourists slowly disappear from our sidewalks, park neighbors emerge from their homes to reclaim the park as their own. Soon the benches will be filled with workers from the neighboring buildings trying to soak up the last rays of sun before winter’s gray clouds are upon us.

This is the time of the year when I feel most at home at my national park. So even though it is still in the high 70’s here in Philadelphia and the humidity levels have not dropped, I will wear a scarf and coat in happy anticipation of the chillier weather. I will also kick the leaves scattered on the ground and dream of days when I can secretly jump into the massive piles of leaves when our maintenance workers are not looking. I do all of this because I know, when there is a bite in the air, my favorite season at Independence National Historical Park is just around the corner.

~Maiti Gallen
  Program Director

Edgar Allan Poe ~ The Master of the Macabre

Fans of literature, mystery and the macabre are drawn to the Philadelphia house of Edgar Allan Poe.  Managed by the National Park Service, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site celebrates Poe’s amazing literary accomplishments.  Edgar Allan Poe thrived and achieved his greatest sustained success while living in Philadelphia: here Poe invented the detective story, served as America’s premier though sometimes brutal literary critic, edited the country’s most successful magazine, and wrote enduring, haunting and disturbing stories and poems.

Personal Communication in the Age of Technology

For several weeks at the Friends office, we have been experiencing issues with some of the computers. Nothing that was a state of emergency, but just the little things that can be frustrating and annoying in this age of technology.  For example, when our modem died we had to wait a few days for the replacement to arrive.  Well, we had more than enough work to keep us busy, so that getting through a day or two without a modem seemed do-able, until we realized that half of our work dealt with researching, registering and reviewing multiple groups, people and places on the internet. 

The modem arrived, we were back online, but then our computers didn’t like the new modem and refused to network with each other.  Again, we thought, not a big deal; we will get it fixed eventually.  That was until three of us were trying to work on different aspects of the same project and we were all trying to use the same computer at the same time.  Needless to say, we made sure the network was fixed immediately.  Most recently, our computers just started freezing up on us… well, there is no cure for this.  The computers are old.  So we whisper terms of endearment to them, pet them occasionally, and once in a while offer up a thanks to the powers that be.

In coping with all of the trials of the office computers, I had a constant worry about how I would be able to do my job if the computers went down.  How would I share information with the volunteers who work in the office if we cannot network?  How would I print and mail over 500 invitations for the Annual Meeting if I didn’t have a computer to help me?  Trust me, the daunting task of hand writing 500 addresses crossed my mind but was quickly dismissed. 

Through my worries and contingency plans, one thought kept coming to my mind… “How did the first members do it all without technology?”  It seemed they were constantly planning, setting up or breaking down an event every month; giving Behind the Scenes Tours to members, or sending volunteers to organizations to present slide shows of the park.  How did they do this without technology, and why were they successful?

They were successful because they believed in the cause.  They didn’t need computers, they were happier to pick up the phone and make the personal plea.  Networking was done at events with members and potential supporters.  Volunteers came in to learn and then go forth as ambassadors for the Friends; and, yes, there was someone who hand calligraphied hundreds upon thousands of invitations for all the events.   The original Friends didn’t have technology and even if they had it, I do not think they would have used it.  They understood the power of personal communication.

After weeks of computer issues, I am beginning to believe in this personal communication.  I have found myself more willing to make the call than send an email, spend time on the other side of the desk with the volunteers going through the different projects rather than putting it on the shared drive, and even writing a personal note or two to people.

I still appreciate technology, even if I have to call my computer “you sweet, old dear,” when I want it to work, and I am grateful for the advantages it gives small non-profits like the Friends of Independence. But there are lessons to be learned from the past.  Nothing can replace the personal connection we share here at the Friends and it is important to foster that relationship.  So while I am sitting here, typing out an article for the Friends blog that will be posted on the internet, I am hoping that those who read this will respond with a phone call rather than a comment - because in this age of high-speed communication, once in a while it is nice to hear a human voice.  (215-861-4971)

~ Maiti Gallen

   Program Director

One of my favorite pictures.  I admire this Friends Member in more ways than I can say

WHY I VOLUNTEER

The T-shirts…   It’s fun…   Because I can…   Because we should... 

We should support good things.  And Friends of Independence National Historic Park is a good thing.  I have been a volunteer with the Friends (regularly for three years, occasionally for several years before that) and have enjoyed playing a part in many Friends’ events – setting up lectures, greeting visitors at the July 3 concerts, planting flowers,fetching, carrying, counting money, etc.  But the one that I am most proud of is helping collect the funds to wrap Independence Hall in its Decorative Scrim.

When I first saw, from Market Street, the scrim in place, I was thrilled because instead of seeing scaffolding, poles, wires and planking -  it looked like Independence Hall.

I walk by the Hall at least twice a week and many, many times have been requested by park visitors to “take the family vacation picture”.   And not once has anyone whined about Independence Hall being under construction - mostly they are just happy to be here and pleased to have their picture taken in front of the place the United States was started.  And that’s because of the scrim.

See… I said it was a good thing.

~ Tag Brewer
   Volunteer, Member and Supporter

Back to School at Independence National Historical Park

As a new school year kicks off we are starting to receive reservation for the Independence Park Institute education programs…….but perhaps I should start by letting you know that the Independence Park Institute is the park’s education branch.  We provide hands-on programs for students of all ages.  We offer programs on a range of topics including, the Liberty Bell, the Underground Railroad, and 18^th century life.  My two favorites, however, are our Archeology and Franklin programs.

In our one hour “Benjamin Franklin” program students learn about a few of Franklin’s achievements.  They get a chance to set their name in type, to learn the craft of a printer.  They try solving a Magic Square, a math puzzle that Franklin enjoyed.  They experiment with electricity and optics, to learn about the scientific side of Dr. Franklin.  The students explore Franklin’s desk to discover ways he improved life for his fellow citizens.  The students also enjoy playing a glass armonica to learn about Franklin’s musical talents. 

Another of my favorites is “Archeology: History Found in Pieces” In this program the students take on the role of an archeologist learning about James Oronoko Dexter through the few traces this man left behind. The students start with archival records that mention Mr. Dexter, though only a few records could be found.  The students next analyze replicas of the archeological artifacts dug up in Mr. Dexter’s backyard which was located underneath what is now the National Constitution Center bus parking lot.  In studying these items the students have to make educated guesses to fill in more of Dexter’s life.  While learning about this interesting man, the students begin to learn the excitement and challenges of archeology.  

We also provide professional development workshops, to better prepare teachers to use the park’s many resources. The next workshop is scheduled for this October to discuss the 2012 transit of Venus.  The June 3, 1769 transit of Venus helped establish the reputation of American colonials as effective scientists.  The wooden platform built behind Independence Hall to observe this transit was used again on July 8, 1776 to announce the Declaration of Independence.  Transits of Venus are rare (there have been 4 since 1761) so this is an opportunity for teachers to use the upcoming astronomical event to teach their students its historic significance and how to safely observe the transit.

The entire park is a great place to learn, but the Independence Park Institute makes that learning fun with hands-on, active programs for students and teachers.  Well, it’s time for me to get back to making reservations…….

~Jeffrey Collins

Education Program Manager

Independence National Historical Park
If you are interested in any of the programs mentioned above, feel free to contact Jeffrey Collins at
(215) 597-2760 or email inde_education@nps.gov

Why It Matters

Every time I walk through Independence National Historical Park, I think about how beautiful it has become over the years. The efforts of individuals, organizations such as the Friends of Independence and local, State and Federal agencies have contributed so much to create a dazzling showcase for our collective history.

This park however, is much more than trees, flowers and buildings. Take time to walk slowly through the crowds. You’ll see and hear the world in microcosm. People from around the world converge on Philadelphia, drawn to the idea of America and curious to see how we became who we are.

In an age where American prestige often takes a beating on the world stage, why do these citizens of the world still come to see where our great experiment in liberty first began? It’s because America is the world in microcosm; a swirling of cultures, ideas and languages that is often messy, argumentative and contradictory. Visitors to the Park come away with a better understanding of how our Founders struggled to create a nation where the individual is a critical part of the whole and where living as members of a free society carries with it great responsibility. To quote from the movie, The American President, “America is advanced citizenship; you’ve got to want it”.

So we plant trees, fix buildings and sweep the pavements of the Park to preserve the history that was made here. Because we do want it and you can show you want it too, by supporting the Friends of Independence.

~ Louisa Hanshew
   Governing Board Member

View from the Back Office, Part 2: Saying Good Bye

Summer is quickly slipping away as I sit at my desk and watch the people walk by the Merchant Exchange Building. The young, the old, locals, and tourists all mosey past my window as they head towards City Tavern or The First Bank of the United States or other destinations here at the park.

People from all over the world take a stroll past my window; some stop to look at the beautiful façade of the Merchant Exchange Building and take a picture or two,  some peer into the shaded window trying to glimpse the interior, but are thwarted in their efforts by the screen shades. They are not missing much, just the National Parks Service’s administrative offices, which are not as exciting as they may sound.