Independence National Historical Park

Independence National Historical Park, national historical park established in 1956, originally authorized in 1948. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the park preserves more than 20 sites associated with the early history of the United States and Philadelphia’s role as the U.S. capital between 1790 and 1800. Sites include Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were drafted (and which was designated a World Heritage Site in 1979); Congress Hall, where the U.S. Congress met between 1790 and 1800; Old City Hall, where the first U.S. Supreme Court met; Liberty Bell Pavilion, which houses the Liberty Bell that hung atop Independence Hall; the First and Second Banks of the United States; and Carpenters’ Hall, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. Historic structures associated with the country’s founders include Franklin Court, the home of American statesman Benjamin Franklin; Christ Church, where Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah, are buried; the Deshler-Morris House, where U.S. president George Washington lived in 1793 and 1794; and the Todd House, where Dolley Payne Madison lived before she was married in 1794 to Virginia congressman and future U.S. president James Madison (1808-1817). Administered by the National Park Service. Area, 18 hectares (45 acres).