Week in Review 11/14 – 12/4 Part II

Continuing on with our PA trip…                Part I can be found here.  Hope you enjoy.

Valley Forge was our first stop.   Valley Forge is where Washington stayed for the winter of 1777-1778.  The American army was in bad shape with many having no shoes and very little food.  Washington wrote of the Army saying that if things did no change they must, “Starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can.”  For the lack of nourishment and proper clothing and because of the crowded and damp conditions, disease swept through the troops with 2,000 men dying that winter.

Valley Forge was so named because there was a forge there at Valley creek.  Washington and other officers stayed at this house during that winter.

The furnishings are not original.

The kitchen…

Reconstructed cabins believed to be true representations of what the men built that winter. Within 6 weeks and 3 days, approximately 12,000 men were under cover.

It was here at Valley Forge that Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (a Prussian) arrived and made the Army into a trained group of men.  This man sounds fascinating and I would really like to learn more about him.  He spoke very little English and men would work late into the night translating his French into English so that his drills could be carried out.

Here at Valley Forge the French aligned themselves with the American army.

Near the Valley Forge Park there is the Washington Memorial Chapel owned by the Episcopalians.  This church was built as a memorial to George Washington and to honor the patriots who fought and sacrificed so much.  I believe it was built in 1903.

Carvings of the sons of liberty are all throughout.

Notice the detailed wood carving.  (Sorry about the picture quality.)

Here’s my little son of Liberty posing as General George Washinton who was a little over 6′ tall, by the way.

That night we considered eating at Geno’s, one of the most famous places in Philly to get cheese steaks.  It was built in 1966 and is situated directly across from Pat’s King of Steaks which is the original one in Philly.  These two are the most popular places to get a cheese steak.  It was cold out and there is only street side dining which plenty were doing but we opted instead for Italian – Pietro’s Pizzawhich was more than pizza and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

The next morning it was on to Philadelphia…

We toured the US Mint where the amount of pennies they make there each day could stretch from Philly to New Jersey and back.  The Federal Reserve building is also nearby and is open for tours but we didn’t have time to go there.  Maybe next time…

Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The actual chair George Washington sat in.  The chair with the rising sun which is a very interesting story itself.  I recommend you look it up or ask your kids to find out its significance.  A good homeschool assignment! 🙂

Ahhh… the famous Liberty Bell.  The bell that weighed 2,080 pounds and threatened to topple the bell tower in which it sat.  The bell that would call the assembly to meet – Benjamin Franklin being one of them.  The bell arrived from London but cracked the first time it was sounded.  In 1893, when the bell was on tour and passing through Indianapolis, former President Benjamin Harrison said,  “This old bell was made in England, but it had to be re-cast in America before it was attuned to proclaim the right of self-government and the equal rights of men.”  

The bell was recast in 1753 by two local founders, John Pass and John Stow.  When the bell was sounded to all who had gathered the sound was so awful that Pass & Stow took the bell away and recast it a second time.  This time everyone was happy with the sound but in the 1800’s it cracked a second time.

Notice the inscription at the top of the bell Lev XXV vs. X. 

Leviticus 25:10  Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

Wonderful truths and a Godly heritage that I’m so proud of.  Oh how appalled and disappointed our forefathers would be to see how far we’ve drifted from the foundational truths our country was based upon.

Betsy Ross’s house…

the grave of Benjamin Franklin.

And that ends our mini-tour of Philadelphia.  I would love to go back sometime.  There is the first post office ran by Benjamin Franklin, the Federal Reserve, Christ Church where the founding fathers attended, the…. and the …..  Many more things to see…