Press Release

FACT SHEET
Philly’s Presidential Fast Facts

Presidential Power:

• Although it was Thomas Jefferson’s words on the Declaration of Independence, the script is Timothy Matlack’s, a failed businessman who bet on horses and was an ardent supporter of the colonists’ cause. His excellent penmanship earned him the honor.
• During the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793, George Washington found refuge at the Deshler-Morris House in Germantown, his temporary White House, where he conducted four cabinet meetings as well as the work of the executive branch.
• When John Adams took the oath of office in Congress Hall in 1797, the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another was considered an extraordinary event in a time of royalty and monarchies.
• The train carrying Abraham Lincoln’s body back to his home in Springfield, Illinois stopped in Philadelphia from April 22-25, 1865 for public viewing.
• President William Taft visited Philadelphia on December 30, 1911 for the opening of John Wanamaker’s department store.
• Independence National Historical Park is a popular spot for presidential appearances. With 42 governors in attendance, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech on July 4, 1962; President Gerald R. Ford celebrated the Bicentennial here in 1976; President Bill Clinton was present in 2000 for the groundbreaking of the National Constitution Center (NCC) and in 2004 for his book-signing tour and for the National Youth Service Learning Conference; President George W. Bush visited in 2000 for the Republican National Convention and again in July 2001; and the elder President Bush visited the NCC in 2003 when he received the Eisenhower Fellowship award, in 2006 when he received the Liberty Medal and in 2007 when he presented the Liberty Medal to Bono. But the largest gathering was the 1997 Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future, featuring former presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush and then-President Bill Clinton.
• Almost every president since George Washington has visited Philadelphia either during or after their tenure as president.
• George H.W. Bush serves as chairman of the NCC.

Deshler-Morris House

Photo by R. Kennedy for GPTMC

 

• Nearly complete, the work on Independence Mall represents more than $300 million in renovations, including the construction of the Liberty Bell Center and the Independence Visitor Center.
• Throughout its history, Independence Hall was the site of city, state and federal government; a courthouse; and, during the 19^th century, a dog pound (in the basement).
• “Pensylvania” is spelled wrong on the Liberty Bell. And although it no longer rings, its strike note is E-flat.
• The original inkstand used to sign the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution is on view at the Great Essentials exhibition in the west wing of Independence Hall.
• In 2010, the President’s House Commemorative Site will honor the memory of those who lived in the former executive mansion, including George Washington, John Adams and the enslaved Africans Washington kept there. Now, a site marker and interpretive panels stand at the site on the corner of 6^th and Market Streets.

• At the close of the Constitutional 1787 Convention, 55 delegates staged a banquet at City Tavern honoring George Washington. They consumed 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, seven bowls of spiked punch and 22 bottles of porter, beer and hard cider.
• In 1856, Philadelphia hosted two political conventions. The Republican Party held its first convention here, nominating John Fremont, and the now-defunct American Party nominated Millard Fillmore.
• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Music Fund Hall at 8^th and Locust Streets was the site of the 1856 Republican Convention. More than 600 delegates flocked to the building, which through its history served as a union hall, cigar warehouse and basketball arena.
• George and Martha Washington celebrated their 20^th wedding anniversary at a party at the Powel House.
• The 1948 Republican National Convention, held at the former Philadelphia Convention Hall, was the first political convention to be televised.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit our Photo Gallery.

CONTACT:

Cara Schneider, GPTMC
(215) 599-0789, cara@gptmc.com

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