A visit to Philadelphia has been on my bucket list for many years. As a history buff, I’d always wanted to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and even more so after the film National Treasure came out in 2004.
Parts of the film took place outside Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, although the scenes with Nic Cage and Co. running all through it and over the roof were filmed at a replica of the building at Knotts Berry Farm, an amusement park in California.
I’d previously visited filming locales in other states, such as Knotts Berry Farm; the National Archives and the Lincoln Monument in Washington, DC; the Old North Church in Boston; and Trinity Church in New York City.
Here are some cool places from the film I got to see on a recent trip to Philadelphia:
Independence Hall:
This building was completed in 1753 when Philadelphia was the capital of the British Colony of Pennsylvania. It was constructed to hold the Pennsylvania Assembly, the Governor’s Office, and the Supreme Court of the Colony of Pennsylvania. It also had space for events, making it one of the largest in the nation, according to DiscoverWalks.com. Philly served as the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800.
The Declaration of Independence was approved – but not signed – by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It was read aloud to citizens outside Independence Hall.
On August 2, 1776, the Declaration was signed in this building. A chair used by George Washington is on display inside.
The building was also the site of the Constitutional Convention in 1787 when the nation’s Constitution was debated and adopted in the same room where the Declaration was signed.
In addition, Abraham Lincoln’s body was displayed here following his assassination, according to Dickinson College. On its way from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, for burial, Lincoln’s body arrived in Philadelphia Saturday, April 22, 1865, and was visited by more than 85,000 people.
The interior and exterior of Independence Hall feature prominently in National Treasure, although interior and rooftop shots were filmed at a replica in Knotts Berry Farm Amusement Park in California.
Tickets are free (but required) and can be reserved online through the National Park Service.
Liberty Bell:
The Liberty Bell once hung inside Independence Hall but now has its own museum across Independence Square, just a short walk from its original location.
Fun facts: The Liberty Bell weighs 2,080 pounds and is about 3 feet high.
After it cracked, the Liberty Bell was displayed on the ground floor of the Independence Hall from the 1850s until 1976. The Liberty Bell Center was built for America’s Bicentennial. The bell is shown in National Treasure when the bad guys misread a clue.
Admission is free but expect long lines to get a photo in front of the iconic bell.
Reading Terminal Market:
This indoor food court was as loud, colorful and hot as you might expect of such places in August. The only disappointment was that we hoped for more shops but it contained mostly eateries. Plus, it was jam-packed and you had to practically tackle someone’s grandma to get a seat. We didn’t. We just thought about it.
Several locals advised us we could pronounce it either Redding or Reeding but I decided it must be named for the same folks as the town of Reading, Pennsylvania, so I am pronouncing it Redding.
The market was featured in a scene in which Abigail (Diane Kruger) and Riley (Justin Bartha) run from the bad guys.
Expect a crowd and difficulty finding a seat. And grandmas. Lots of grandmas.
Pine Street Presbyterian Church & Cemetery:
As I was leaving for Philadelphia, my uncle informed me that some of my ancestors (Hogans) were members of Pine Street Presbyterian Church, which was built in 1768 and is still in use by the Presbyterians today. As coincidence would have it, the church and cemetery were on a tour we took of the city on Friday evening.
While we were standing outside the cemetery gate in the fading light, I suddenly thought it seemed familiar. I asked the tour guide if this was the cemetery where Nic Cage had run from gun-toting bad guys (they do that a lot in the film). It was! I wanted to tour the cemetery in the daytime, but we just didn’t have enough time this trip.
Burials began in the graveyard in 1764.
Open to the public during the day. No admission charged; donations accepted.
Franklin Institute:
This building named for Ben Franklin was featured in National Treasure as the place where the Silence Dogood Letters were allegedly displayed. We didn’t get a photo of it. We did pass it in our wanderings but it is now a science museum with an IMAX theatre and we did not have time to tour it.
Other posts from this trip:
KellyKazek.com 