Liberty Bell, Philadelphia

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When William Penn created Pennsylvania's government he allowed citizens to take part in making laws and gave them the right to choose the religion they wanted. The colonists were proud of the freedom that Penn gave them. In 1751, the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a new bell for the State House. He asked that a Bible verse to be placed on the bell - "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10). As the official bell of the Pennsylvania State House (today called Independence Hall) it rang many times for public announcements, but we remember times like July 8, 1776 when it rang to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The Liberty Bell is perhaps one of the most prominent symbols associated with the American Revolution and the American Revolutionary War. It is one of the most familiar symbols of independence, abolition of slavery, nationhood and freedom within the United States, and has been described as an international icon of liberty. Its most famous ringing, though apocryphal, occurred on July 8, 1776, to summon citizens of Philadelphia for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. Previously, it had been rung to announce the opening of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and after the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775.

open: 9am-5pm Tue-Sun; closed Mon

Here it is, the world famous Liberty Bell. What most everyone who comes to Philadelphia wants to see.

Thing is, it hasn't always been called the Liberty Bell. Its original name was the State House Bell, ordered for the Pennsylvania State House in 1751. It was first called the Liberty Bell in the 1830's, by a group trying to outlaw slavery. Obviously, the name stuck.

By the way, the famous crack didn't appear until the 1846. There's so much more to learn about the Liberty Bell. The best place to do so is in person. Admission to see the Bell is free, but you will have to go through a security check. My advice: go early and avoid the long lines.

The Liberty Bell--symbol of America's freedom--resides at The Liberty Bell Center! You'll find video presentations and exhibits on the origin of the famous bell in a dozen languages here.

Here are some bell facts I obtained from the government website:

A bell for the Pennsylvania State House was cast in London, England, however, it cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753, using metal from the English bell. Their names appear on the front of the bell. The bell was repaired in 1846 and rang for a George Washington birthday celebration, but the bell cracked again and has not been rung since. No one knows why the bell cracked either time.

The bell weighs about 2000 pounds. It is made of 70% copper, 25% tin and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. It hangs from what is believed to be its original yoke, made from American elm, also known as slippery elm.

DID YOU KNOW...

**William Penn created Pennsylvania's government and allowed citizens to help make laws and gave them the privilege of choosing their religion. In 1751 the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a new bell for the state House and asked that a Bible verse be inscribed:

'PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF" (LEVITICUS 25:10).

The bell rang many times when public announcements were made, but in 1776 it rang for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.

The Liberty Bell Center is open 9 am-5 pm daily.

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Inscription "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. x. By order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania for the State House in Philada."

Almost every American child knows or thinks they know that the Liberty Bell cracked when it was rung to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

But.. The Liberty Bell was NOT rung in 1776 to commemorate the Declaration of Independence and its nickname was coined in 1839 referring to the abolition of slavery.

Facts: A bell for the Pennsylvania State House (which is now called Independence Hall) was cast in London, England and it cracked. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753, using metal from the English bell. (Their names appear on the front of the bell, along with the city and the date.) It hangs from what is believed to be its original yoke which is made of elm wood. By 1846 a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell. The bell was repaired in 1846 and rang for a George Washington birthday celebration, but the bell cracked again and has not been rung since. No one knows why the bell cracked either time.

In 1970, Procrastinators' Club of America demanded a refund for the Liberty Bell from England's White Chapel Foundry because it had proved to be faulty. White Chapel's response? They graciously offered a full refund - provided that the item could be returned in its original packaging.

Daily 9am-5pm with extended hours July and August.

You can see a video presentation and exhibits about the Liberty Bell and the new Independence Visitor's Center which is part of the Independence National Historical Park. The Liberty Bell is now displayed in a "magnificant glass chamber with Independence Hall in the background." You have to have a ticket to visit it and you should allow 45 minutes to get through security. A far cry from when my children and I visited in 1969 and I could take their picture standing next to it in Independence Hall.

It was amazing seeing the Liberty Bell. It is housed in a building across from Independence Hall. You have to go through tight security check and metal detectors to get in there. Once inside the Liberty Bell building, there is alot of historical information and artifacts pertaining to the bell and making ouf the bell.

This building is also free and they ask for donation as you leave.
You can actually get very close to the bell itself but there is a guard nearby to make sure you don't touch it.

A bell for the Pennsylvania State House was cast in London, England, however, it cracked soon after it arrived in Philadelphia. Local craftsmen John Pass and John Stow cast a new bell in 1753, using metal from the English bell. Their names appear on the front of the bell, along with the city and the date.
By 1846 a thin crack began to affect the sound of the bell. The bell was repaired in 1846 and rang for a George Washington birthday celebration, but the bell cracked again and has not been rung since. No one knows why the bell cracked either time.

The bell weighs about 2000 pounds. It is made of 70% copper, 25% tin, and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold, and silver. It hangs from what is believed to be its original yoke, made from American elm, also known as slippery elm.

*Liberty Bell Center
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

On November 1, 1751, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a Bell to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges with the quotation "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," from Leviticus 25:10

The bell arrived in Philadelphia on September 1, 1752, but was not hung until March 10, 1753, on which day a crack appeared. Two attempts were made to melt and recast with the last one working on June 11, 1753

Tradition holds, it tolled for the First Continental Congress in 1774, the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775 and its most resonant tolling was on July 8, 1776, when it summoned the citizenry for the reading of the Declaration of Independence produced by the Second Continental Congress.

There is widespread disagreement about when the first crack appeared on the Bell. However, it is agreed that the final expansion of the crack which rendered the Bell unringable was on Washington's Birthday in 1846.

The Bell achieved an iconic status when abolitionists adopted the Bell as a symbol for the movement. It was first used in this association as a frontispiece to an 1837 edition of Liberty, published by the New York Anti-Slavery Society. . William Lloyd Garrison's anti-slavery publication The Liberator reprinted a Boston abolitionist pamphlet containing a poem about the Bell, entitled, The Liberty Bell, which represents the first documented use of the name, "Liberty Bell."

In 1847, George Lippard wrote a fictional story for The Saturday Currier which told of an elderly bellman waiting in the State House steeple for the word that Congress had declared Independence. Suddenly the bellman's grandson, who was eavesdropping on the doors of Congress, yelled to him, "Ring, Grandfather! Ring!". This story so captured the imagination of people throughout the land that

The bell was constructed to adorn the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall), and its most famous action was for the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776. It also served as a cause for abolitionists during our bloody history to eradicate slavery as it was known then.

The inscription on the bell comes from the Bible.

"Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10)

The bell was having a more protected and elegant home being built around it still at the beginning of this year. I have not been to it recently because of the construction, and it is a big tourist draw. My advice is to try and visit at off hours when the wait won't be that long.