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24/100 Possibilities~ 100 Possibilities Project set
Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1706
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Franklin was a leading author and printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He formed both the first public lending library in America and first fire department in Pennsylvania. He was an early proponent of colonial unity and as a political writer and activist he, more than anyone, invented the idea of an American nation[1] and as a diplomat during the American Revolution, he secured the French alliance that helped to make independence possible.
Franklin is credited as being foundational to the roots of American values and character, a marriage of the practical and democratic Puritan values of thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to authoritarianism both political and religious, with the scientific and tolerant values of the Enlightenment. Franklin became a newspaper editor, printer, and merchant in Philadelphia, becoming very wealthy, writing and publishing Poor Richard's Almanack and the Pennsylvania Gazette. Franklin was interested in science and technology, and gained international renown for his famous experiments. An accomplished diplomat, he was widely admired among the French as American minister to Paris and was a major figure in the development of positive Franco-American relations. Toward the end of his life, he became one of the most prominent abolitionists.
Benjamin Franklin was born on Milk Street, in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a tallow chandler, a maker of candles and soap, whose second wife, Abiah Folger, was Benjamin's mother. Josiah's marriages produced 17 children; Benjamin was the fifteenth child and youngest son. Ben attended Boston Latin School but did not graduate; he continued his education through voracious reading.
At the age of 17, Franklin proposed to 15 year old Deborah Read while a boarder in the Read home. At that time, the mother was wary of allowing her young daughter to wed Franklin. Her own husband having recently died, Mrs. Read declined his offer of marriage to her daughter. Besides, Franklin had a baby boy named William, by a woman whose identity remains unknown. Deborah married a man named John Rodgers. This proved to be a regrettable decision. Rodgers shortly avoided his debts and prosecution by fleeing to Barbados with her dowry, leaving Deborah behind. With Rodgers' fate unknown, and bigamy illegal, Deborah was not free to remarry.
Franklin established a common-law marriage with Deborah Read on September 1, 1730, and besides taking in young William, together they had two children. The first, Francis Folger Franklin, born October 1732, died of smallpox in 1736. Sarah Franklin, nicknamed Sally, was born in 1743.
Like the other advocates of republicanism, Franklin emphasized that the new republic could survive only if the people were virtuous in the sense of attention to civic duty and rejected corruption. All his life he explored the role of civic and personal virtue, as expressed in Poor Richard's aphorisms. Franklin later in life rarely attended Sunday services but commented that "...Sunday being my studying day, I never was without some religious principles. I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the Deity; that He made the world, and governed it by His providence; that the most acceptable service of God was the doing good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished, and virtue rewarded, either here or hereafter." One of Franklin's endearing beliefs was in the respect and tolerance of all religious groups. He consistently attacked religious dogma, arguing that morality depended more on virtue and benevolent actions than on strict obedience to religious orthodoxy: "I think opinions should be judged by their influences and effects; and if a man holds none that tend to make him less virtuous or more vicious, it may be concluded that he holds none that are dangerous, which I hope is the case with me."
www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/
Port Saint-Goustan, Auray, Morbihan, Bretagne
Le Port de Saint-Goustan de nuit. Nous voyons le pont, le quai Benjamin Franklin et la place Saint Sauveur.
The Port of Saint-Goustan by night. We see the bridge, the dock of Benjamin Franklin and the Saint Sauveur place.
Inspirational Quotes , getting things done, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin quotes, Inspirational Quotes, personal development, time management quotes, time management,
Customer Photo of a custom designed medium luggage tag featuring an illustration from Ben Franklin, Join or Die. For more information, visit BookWormLaser.com
Constantino Brumidi
Fresco
c. 1873
Senate wing
U.S. Capitol
This official Architect of the Capitol photograph is being made available for educational, scholarly, news or personal purposes (not advertising or any other commercial use). When any of these images is used the photographic credit line should read “Architect of the Capitol.” These images may not be used in any way that would imply endorsement by the Architect of the Capitol or the United States Congress of a product, service or point of view. For more information visit www.aoc.gov.
The original "JOIN, or DIE" cartoon was created by Benjamin Franklin and first published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. It is often sited as the first America political cartoon.
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Lewis Iselin's replica of Francesco Lazzarini's full length Carrara marble statue of Franklin is ensconced in a niche above the doorway of Library Hall. The sculpture, originally given to the LCP by Senator William Bingham in 1792, depicts a toga-wearing Franklin holding an inverted scepter, indicating the colonies' triumph over British rule.
Library Hall, at 105 South 5th Street, was originally built for the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) in 1789 by William Thornton. Founded as a subscription library supported by shareholders in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin and the Junto, his “society of mutual improvement,” the Library Company was America's first successful lending library and oldest cultural institution.
After the Library Company outgrew the space, it was torn down to to make room for the Drexel Building and the Library Company moved to 1314 Locust Street, where still stands. When plans for the redevelopment of the Independence Square historic area were drafted in the 1940s, the Drexel Building was razed the American Philosophical Society planned to erect a new Library Hall to house their collection, which had previously been stored in Philosophical Hall and later the Drexel Building. Dedicated in November 1959, Library Hall reproduced the famous Georgian façade of the Library Company's Hall.
Today, the rebuilt Hall houses the APS Collection, including the original journals of the Lewis and Clark expedition, a copy of the Declaration of Independence in Jefferson's own handwriting, a first edition of Sir Isaac Newton's Principia, and a first edition of Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species.
The American Philosophical Society (APS) was founded in 1743 by Franklin, as an offshot of the Junto. Early members included George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, David Rittenhouse, Benjamin Rush, James Madison, Michael Hillegas, and John Marshall. By 1746 the American Philosophical Society had lapsed into inactivity. In 1767, however, the Society was revived and united with the American Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge on January 2, 1769, adopting the name "American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge" and electing Benjamin Franklin as the first president of the group.
Independence National Historical Park preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution. Administered by the National Park Service, the 45-acre park was authorized in 1948, and established on July 4, 1956.
Independence National Park Historic District National Register #66000675 (1966)
Utah County's Freedom Festival lit up the skies again this year with a fantastic firework show from BYU's Lavell Edwards Stadium. We had a great time heading out as a family and watching the celebration which commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. John Adams first forecasted that this important milestone in our history would happen on July 2. Here's what he wrote to his wife, Abigail (from wikipedia):
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."
How wonderful!
EXIF:
Exposure Program: Manual
Exposure: 6 seconds
Aperture: f/18
Focal Length: 105mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Large and on black (or press 'L')
"Life Cycle" an art show by art pranksters. The focus of the show is the life cycle of a person in contemporary America. 'Life Cycle' opens at the Opera Gallery in New York City on October 21 and runs through November 11.
*Side Note: "Since 2003, China has been devaluing its currency in order to gain a competitive advantage over other countries in exports. What China does is purchase billions of US dollars at a time using its currency, the RMB, thereby flooding the market with RMB. This makes the RMB cheaper, and the US dollar more expensive in international currency markets. This provides and advantage for China because with a cheaper currency, purchasing Chinese goods is cheaper (first one must exchange then purchase the goods, so if the exchange rate is highly favorable, the overall cost plummets). This has made Chinese exports soar over the past years and indirectly hurt the exports of other countries. China is running a huge trade surplus while other countries (Greece especially) are running into huge budget troubles as a result of mounting trade deficits and financial difficulties. Essentially, China is slowing the world’s economic recovery with its currency devaluation policy, which some experts estimate at 40%.
Possible responses to the problem are limited, and it seems as though no country is especially keen on pressuring China, the United States included. If the US imposed a tariff on Chinese goods of 25% or so, Chinese imports would take a massive hit, and China would receive the message the currency devaluation will not be tolerated. If countries around the world adopt a similar policy against China, China may call it quits and bring its currency back up to its actual worth. Part of the reason this is not happening is because countries fear the backlash in Chinese relations because they feel as though China, sitting on huge dollar assets, has the leverage. Yet this is truly no leverage over the US. China can attempt a threat of dumping dollar assets, yet realistically it would just hurt China. China’s currency would be brought back to realistic levels while the US’s would drop, thereby reversing the export effect previously mentioned. Short term interest rates in the US would not suffer because the Fed is regulating them, and the rise in exports could eke the recovery the US is looking for before the true weakness of its currency catches up with it. In China’s current policy decisions, it has everything to lose and nothing to gain by changing. Other countries need only pressure China sufficiently."
--Article from Economics Mag, 2010
4 more: www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://dwes11.files.wordpres...
This portrait statue of Benjamin Franklin, sculpted by Jacques Jouvenal, was originally located at 10th Street and Pennsylvania across the street from the Washington Post building. A gift of Stilson Hutches, founder of the Washington Post, it was originally dedicated on Franklin's birthday, January 17, 1889 by Franklin's granddaughter, Mrs. H. W. Emory. It was relocated to its present site in front of the Old Post Office Pavilion in 1982, as part of the Pennsylvania Development Corporation design plan. The 8-foot carrara marble statue was designed by Ernst Plassman, and the 5.5-foot Quincy granite base was designed by J.F. Manning.
The Old Post Office Pavilion, also known as Old Post Office and Clock Tower, located at the intersection of 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, was constructed between 1892 and 1899 to house both the U.S. Post Office and D.C. Post Office. Willoughby J. Edbrooke's design, with its rustication, strong semi-circular arches, and squat clustered columns united by a foliate Sullivanesque capital-frieze, make it the last major example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the District of Columbia. When completed in 1899, it was the city's largest office building and its first to incorporate a steel frame. The 315-foot-high clocktower it the third tallest structure in Washington D.C. Today it has been rehabilitated today into office and retail space shared by the federal government and private businesses. The expansive interior atrium is now home to shops, federal offices, entertainment space, and a food court.
Old Post Office and Clock Tower National Register #73002105 (1973)
This photograph of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway was taken from the Rocky steps in Philadelphia. This photograph is also available as a fine art photograph, poster or set of note cards.
It is also one of the views you will be able to photograph during a photography class pf Philadelphia and walking tour of the Philadelphia Art museum and its surroundings.
27 September 2013. Framed poster inside the door of a men's toilet in Haringey Civic Centre.
Among the six motivational slogans on this poster, the 'Headline' is a quotation from Benjamin Franklin. It comes from his annual best-selling Poor Richard's Almanack published from 1732 to 1758. This quotation is from 1737.
I enjoy some of Ben Franklin's aphorisms. His description "Blame-all and Praise-all are two blockheads". (Almanack 1734) applies to much of what passes for political discussion.
Another Ben Franklin quotation deserves printing, framing and hanging in Haringey's toilets. It perfectly sums up my view of Haringey's Dear Leader, Cllr Claire Kober and should be illustrated with her photo.
"Being ignorant is not so much a Shame
as being unwilling to learn".
So what sort of Council Leader should we have instead? Here's Benjamin's Franklin's advice. (Please overlook the
casual sexism of the 18th Century.)
"Who is wise? He that learns from every One."
A short verse from the 1737 Almanack could easily apply to uprooted families in Haringey today.
"I never saw an oft-transplanted tree,
nor yet an oft-removed family,
that throve so well as those that settled be."
The remaining text in the poster wasn't written by Ben Franklin. Its encouragement to individuals to "make a difference" ignores the reality that most organisational failings are due to lack of teamwork, of resources, and - crucially - poorly working systems. Efforts by individuals can lessen but not solve these problems. It appears to me that each of these failings applies to what passes for "Leadership" in many organisations.
_________________________________
§ If there must be framed slogans on toilet doors, why not some high culture from William Shakespeare? There are many hundreds of suitable uplifting quotations on which to sit and ponder.
"Your means are very slender, and your waste is great."
—- Henry IV part 2
"O illiterate loiterer!"
—- The Two Gentlemen of Verona
"One that converses more with the buttock of the
night than with the forehead of the morning"
—- Coriolanus
"How have you come so early by this lethargy"
—- Twelfth Night
"He was a man of an unbounded stomach ...."
—- Henry VIII
§ Aerial view of Haringey Civic Centre.
The plaque above reads "This is one of some 230 markers erected on the Boston Post Road in 1763. Their locations were fixed by Benjamin Franklin the Deputy Postmaster General who for that purpose drove a chaise with a distance recorder over the route. Restored to this its original position June 1st, 1927, by the village of Rye. Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set." (Proverbs XXII Verse 28.)" But is it the original or a replacement? It is made of fragile sandstone and similar stones in the Westchester area have been dated to the early 1800s which raises questions about the claims made on the plaque. There is also a school of thought based on Franklin's own letters and whereabouts that says he may not have supervised placement of any of the stones.
Whatever their actual date, they are still likely to be at least over 200 years old and are valuable historical resources illustrating our American heritage. Want to find other markers on the Boston Post Road? Go to the Historical Marker database at www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=34587
The Boston Post Road was originally an Indian trail called the Pequot Path; it is the oldest road in America (1672) and was called the King's Highway or King's Road in 1683. It was the first post road for sending mail by horse or coach.
In 1800 the Westchester Turnpike Company was incorporated and reconstructed the road and replaced some of the original markers. The road was widened to over 80 feet for the herds of sheep and cattle that were raised in New York and Connecticut and were driven by foot to market in New York City.
Peter Augustus Jay to his father, John Jay, in a letter dated August 21, 1800 remarked at that time:
"...While I was at Rye, I accompanied a Committee of the Turnpike Corporation while they laid out the road from Mamaroneck to Byram. The Road past uncle's farm will not be altered except that a small angle opposite the old stone house will be cut off."
Today all that remains of the original Jay estate is the 23 acre Jay Property bounded in front by the length of this stone wall on Boston Post Road from the entrance at 210 all the way to Barlow Lane. It is a NY State and Westchester County Park, open to the public for historical and educational programs.
tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1844&Resourc...
[O]ne of America's intrinsic sacred sites --'specially special,' if you like -- because a great family's great house and its great and sweeping surrounding landscape have, almost miraculously, both survived intact and are now a permanent part of the America the next centuries of Americans will build." Tony Hiss, Author, Experience of Place.
__________
Update!!!
__________
Conservation of Rye's Mile Marker 24 has begun!
Get day to day updates on our Facebook page!
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.683777425035667.1073741...
We are excited to be working with Amanda Trienens, founder of Cultural Heritage Conservation. She has helped protect and preserve many other early American monuments including the Alexander Hamilton Monument and the Montgomery Monument both located in downtown Manhattan at Trinity Church. Other projects include the Bethesda Terrace, in Central Park; Donald Judd's Untitled Sculpture at The Glass House in New Canaan, CT; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; United States Supreme Court, Washington, DC, TWA Terminal, New York, United Nations, New York. The projects she has worked on have been recognized with awards in excellence from both the Preservation League of New York State and the NY Landmarks Conservancy.
It is also a pleasure to be working with Matthew C. Reiley of Excelsior Art Services. He is also Associate Director of Conservation for the Central Park Conservancy. Matthew is responsible for the care of Central Park’s built environment, which includes a collection of 50+ bronze and stone monuments, historic architecture, fountains, mosaics and other features. Reiley is an Adjunct Faculty Member of the the Graduate School of Architecture Planning Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University and a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).
Stay tuned for more updates! Read more about all the Boston Post Road (BPR) markers on our Facebook page!
Jay Heritage Center
210 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 698-9275
Email: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com
Follow and like us on:
Twitter @jayheritage
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A National Historic Landmark since 1993
Member of the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County since 2004
Member of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area since 2009
On NY State's Path Through History (2013)
Founding Father
Wikipedia: Benjamin Frankin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
Benjamin Franklin was the first United States Postmaster General. Franklin is credited with publishing the first political cartoon titled Join, or Die.
The source image for this caricature is a portrait of Benjamin Franklin published by the Detroit Publishing Co. and available at the Library of Congress.
Erected in 1856, this 8-foot tall bronze likeness of Benjamin Franklin by Richard S. Greenough is boston's first public portrait statue. Located in front of Boston's Old City Hall, an ornate 1862 French Second Empire style structure (appropriately so since Franklin was this country's first ambassador to France), and in front of City Carpet, a hopscotch-like mosaic that marks the original site of Boston Latin School, which Franklin attended before dropping out.
Boston's Old City Hall, home to the city council from 1865 to 1969, was built in the French Second Empire style by Gridley James Fox Bryant and Arthur Gilman from 1862 to 1865 at 45 School Street, along the Freedom Trail. The Boston Public Latin School, marked by the City Carpet mural, operated on the site from 1704 to 1748, and on the same street until 1844. In 1810 the Suffolk County Court House was erected on this site, and converted to Boston's second city hall in 1841. Thirty-eight Boston mayors, including John F. Fitzgerald, Maurice J. Tobin, and James Michael Curley, served their terms of office on School Street at this site over a period of 128 years. With the 1969 move to the current Boston City Hall, Old City Hall was converted to serve other functions–an early and successful example of adaptive reuse. It now houses a number of businesses, organizations, and a Ruth's Chris Steak House, though its most famous tenant, the upscale French restaurant Maison Robert, closed in 2004.
National Historic Register #70000687
The new 100 dollar bill has recently come out. If you have not seen one yet you will probably be shocked by how "fake" it seems. The paper itself has a different feel to it. The new bill has a bunch of built in anti-counterfeiting measures such as the blue ribbon down the center, a watermark (on the right) and a couple of holograms. The former 100 dollar note was the most counterfeited bill in the world. North Koreans had mastered faking the bills. Those counterfeits are known as "supermotes" and are extremely tough to detect.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the leading figures in the American struggle for independence, came to Preston to visit grandson. He lived upstairs here.
The original "JOIN, or DIE" cartoon was created by Benjamin Franklin and first published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. It is often sited as the first America political cartoon.
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After all the work that went into saving Benjamin, and just when he seemed to be well...he went into Chronic Renal failure.
he was put to sleep last sunday, hardest thing i've ever done. still am not at peace with it.
unexpected & tragic.
broke my heart.
he was the best pet i've ever had, and so very young.
I found this graffiti poster on a big electrical switch box by a railroad crossing in my town. It's obviously former President Benjamin Franklin (as seen on the one hundred dollar bill) sporting a gangster Compton hat (like Easy-E used to wear) and some shades. Feel free to grab this photo for your own purposes, but please give proper attribution to "PT Money: Personal Finance" linking to ptmoney.com.
Philadelphia. Although the largest and oldest city of Pennsylvania, it is not the capital- that is Harrisburg (pop. 500,000.) which became the capital in 1812. Philly, as it is known, has 1.5 million people but the metropolitan area has 5.5 million. The city is the fifth largest in the USA. Nearly half of the 1.5m inner city population are African Americans. The city straddles the Delaware River (named after the local Indian tribe) and the Schuylkill River. It started out as part of William Penn’s Commonwealth (i.e. Pennsylvania is not a state, like Massachusetts) but prior to this Dutch (hence Schuylkill) and Swedish traders had settlements here. The Quaker Penn founded his Commonwealth in 1682 to provide religious toleration for all, including Catholic Calverts, Dutch Mennonites (now called Amish) and many German settlers. The city grew as a trading centre and by the time of the troubles that led to the War of Independence in the 1770s it was the largest city of the colonies with around 30,000 inhabitants. (At that time Boston had around 18,000 inhabitants, and New York, 22,000 residents) Because of its geographic location mid way between Massachusetts and the Carolinas it became the focal point for the War against England. The first and second Continental Congresses to discuss grievances against the English were held in Liberty Hall in Philadelphia, and Philadelphia became the national capital in 1790 until that was moved to Washington DC in 1799. It was the leading financial, trading and cultural centre of 18th century America.
Benjamin Franklin was a leading citizen of Philly. He became a Founding Father, and was a noted scientist (electricity), inventor (the lightening arrestor) and philosopher. He edited the local newspaper that helped to incite fury against the British. During the War of Independence he was the Ambassador to France securing financial and other assistance for the rebelling colonies. In his day he was esteemed second to Washington in the New Nation. He was the first US Post Master and is depicted on the $100 note.
During the War of Independence the British twice attacked Philadelphia. The Continental Congress which was meeting there fled to Baltimore and General George Washington defeated the English at the battles of Trenton and Princeton. The British attacked again in 1777 and then the Continental Congress fled to Lancaster; Washington was beaten at the Battle of Brandywine (near Wilmington) and the citizens of Philadelphia fled. The French helped the Americans drive the English out 10 months later! Some of the old cobblestone streets that would have witnessed this drama still exist in Philadelphia. The Historic City area was declared a National Monument in 1972.
Independence Hall. The ‘Founding Fathers’ were wealthy businessmen and politicians from all the colonies. It was an unheard of thing and revolutionary for the colonies to come together to discuss any issue. However, these business men and politicians were furious about the Boston Tea Party (the tax on tea) and other trading issues. Their first meeting, named ‘First Continental Congress’ was in 1774 and they agreed upon a set of resolves and petitioned George III, expressing loyalty but wanting their grievances remedied. Those present included Washington, John Dickinson (we visit his plantation later), Ben Franklin, Sam Adams, etc. At the Second Continental Congress in 1775 they established a Continental Army, and after a yearlong deliberation, agreed upon and signed the Declaration of Independence. The declaration was primarily written by Thomas Jefferson. It was signed in Philadelphia on 4th July 1776. The Founding Fathers met here again in 1787 to draft the formal Constitution which was later ratified by the colonies. After independence the meeting was known as the Confederation Congress. After the peace treaty with England in 1783 it became known as the Articles of Confederation. Almost all meetings were held in Philadelphia. Once the failures of the style of weak national government known as the Articles of Confederation were realised the politicians met again to formulate a Constitution with much stronger national powers. The first Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in 1787. The Constitution was primarily written by James Madison (a later President from 1809-17.) It took several years before the required 9 colonies of the original 13 had ratified it. The United States with a Congress came into operation in 1789. Washington was the first President. The old Pennsylvania colonial Assembly Hall which became the Continental Congress is now known as Liberty Hall. It is a great example of American Georgia style architecture.
Betsy Ross House. This is the most visited building in Philadelphia and it claims to be the home for Betsy Ross who is claimed to have sewn the first American flag- the stars and stripes. The Georgian style house was built around 1740 and Betsy Ross and her husband lived there during the War of Independence era. She is credited with presenting the flag to Washington but there is no evidence for this. She was a Quaker and she and her first husband established an upholstery business. During the War she sewed blankets and made tents for the Continental Army. A grandson of Betsy Ross promoted the idea that she designed the flag in 1876 for the centenary of the Declaration of Independence. She was one of several flag makers in Philadelphia. The Flag Act was passed by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia in 1876. No designer is given credit for the flag. But Betsy Ross is still held up as a model for young American girls.
Valley Forge and the War of Independence and Red Coats.
Valley Forge, just minutes away from the largest shopping centre in the US- the King of Prussia Centre, was not a battlefield of the War of Independence but the place where General George Washington established a camp for the soldiers of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-78. Washington and his troops had finished a nearby battle against the British and needed a secure place to camp for the winter, and they chose a spot 25 miles from Philadelphia. The valley was easily defended and 1,000 log huts were built. A total of 12,000 poorly clothed, equipped and fed troops stayed here for six months. But food was often short and consisted of not much more than a flour and water loaf -what we would call damper. Most of the horses starved to death. Dampness and diseases like dysentery and typhoid killed 2,500 troops. Uniforms began to fall apart with use and there was nothing with which to replace them despite the snow and rain. But Washington persisted and Baron Von Steuben arrived from Prussia (hence the name ‘King of Prussia Shopping Mall’) to drill and train the remaining troops. The French government paid Von Steuben’s fare to Valley Forge to train the American troops. He wrote the Revolutionary war Drill Manual, used by US troops until the War of 1812. Camp followers helped nurse the sick and dying and gradually morale was lifted as the summer weather approached. Washington and Von Steuben marched towards New York City in June 1778 to fight the advancing British. This time their troops were trained and in good spirits and by then they had an alliance with the French. Washington and Von Steuben had transformed a group of raggedy farmers into a disciplined fighting army ready for a five year war against the supposedly superior British Red Coats.
Valley Forge National Historical Park covers 3,500 acres of encampment sites, reconstructed dwellings, fortifications and a chapel. The key attraction is the charming restored two storey house used by Washington as his headquarters during the nearly 7 months that the camp at Valley Forge operated. The Welcome Centre includes a museum with artefacts from the camp and various displays. There is a chapel and a National Memorial Arch in the park. The words of General Washington express some of the sentiments many American people have for this site.
The Bond, located in front of the Masonic Temple at 1 Broad Street, was sculpted by James West and gifted by Shekinah Fernwood Lodge, No. 246 on June 3, 2017. Brother George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, first President of the United States, and member of Alexandria Lodge (Fairfax County, Virginia), shows his Masonic Apron to Brother Benjamin Franklin, diplomat who negotiated French involvement in our independence, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and Master of the Loge Les Neue Souers, in Paris. It was a gift from Brother General Lafayette, member of the Loge Contrat Social of Paris, who represented the French government and their commitment to American independence. The apron is on display in The Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania.
"Either write something worth reading
Or do something worth writing."
- Benjamin Franklin
on Highway 11, ten miles south of Kailua-Kona, and well worth the drive.
I found this to be a very interesting new book store, it reminds me of a smaller version of my "home book store" - Third Place Books . My only regret is not spending enough time here.
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CMA CGM largest container ship to enter the Bay Area. / San Francisco / Oakland Port/ approaches the Golden Gate. .
Bain News Service,, publisher.
Bartlett's "Franklin"
[between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920]
1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller.
Notes:
Title from data provided by the Bain News Service on the negative.
Forms part of: George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress).
Format: Glass negatives.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. For more information, see George Grantham Bain Collection - Rights and Restrictions Information www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/274_bain.html
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Part Of: Bain News Service photograph collection (DLC) 2005682517
General information about the George Grantham Bain Collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.ggbain
Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ggbain.32061
Call Number: LC-B2- 5413-11
The original "JOIN, or DIE" cartoon was created by Benjamin Franklin and first published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. It is often sited as the first America political cartoon.
Wood Burned
I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it.
- Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (17 Jan 1706-1790)
To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly - Benjamin Franklin
© Fakrul Jamil 2010 - All Rights Reserved
The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial was designed by James Earle Fraser from 1906 to 1911 and dedicated in Memorial Hall, a rotunda in the Franklin Institute, in 1938. The 20-foot statue of Ben Franklin weighs 30 tons and is seated on a 92-ton pedestal of white Seravezza marble. Memorial Hall, designed by John T. Windrim after the Roman Pantheon, is 82-feet in length, width and height, with a 1600-ton domed ceiling and marble walls, ceilings and columns.
The Franklin Institute Science Museum opened on January 1, 1934 in the expansive neoclassical building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway designed by John T. Windrem. Owing to the effects of the the Great Depression, only two the wings envisioned by Windrem, surrounding the Benjamin Franklin Memorial, were built. Today the Institute offers 12 permanent hands-on exhibits and hosts renowned traveling exhibits in its more than 400,000 square feet of exhibit space, two auditoriums, and the Tuttleman IMAX Theater.
The new 100 dollar bill has recently come out. If you have not seen one yet you will probably be shocked by how "fake" it seems. The paper itself has a different feel to it. The new bill has a bunch of built in anti-counterfeiting measures such as the blue ribbon down the center, a watermark (on the right) and a couple of holograms. The former 100 dollar note was the most counterfeited bill in the world. North Koreans had mastered faking the bills. Those counterfeits are known as "supermotes" and are extremely tough to detect.
Meet GregRobin Smith.
I met him at Gasworks park, where he was gathering for a picnic with some fellow members of Seattle Steamrats, a Northwest Steampunk Community. G.Robin Smith is also knows for playing the role of Benjamin Franklin. He was quite the character, and I couldn't help but make him my first Stranger for this project. I took several portraits of him and I will post them separately.
Seattle Steamrats
A Northwest Steampunk Community
For more information on this project check out www.100Strangers.com and the Flickr Pool www.flickr.com/groups/100strangers/pool/
Here in December of 1775, Julien Achard de Bonvouloir, Emissary of the Government of His Majesty, Louis XVI of France, met with Benjamin Franklin and the Secret Commitee of Correspondence of the Continental Congress, including John Jay and Francis Daymon, thus inaugurating the move towards a French Alliance. This tablet was dedicated on September 3, 1983 on the occassion of the bicentennial of the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
Carpenters' Hall, at 320 Chestnut Street, was designed by architect Robert Smith and built by the Carpenters' Company between 1770-1773. The Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia, founded in 1724, is the oldest extant trade guild in the United States. The four-story Georgian-style brick building, set back from the street, was first used as a meeting site by the guild on January 21, 1771. Outside of the 2-year British occupation of Philadelphia, they have held their meetings in the hall ever since.
The First Continental Congress of the United Colonies of North America met here from September 5 to October 26, 1774, since the Pennsylvania State House was being used by the Provincial Assembly of Pennsylvania. It was here that Congress resolved to ban further imports of slaves and to discontinue the slave trade within the colonies. During the Revolutionary War, the hall served as a hospital for both British and American troops.
Over the years, Carpenters' Hall was occupied by the Library Company of Philadelphia, American Philosophical Society, Bank of North America, First Bank of the United States, Bank of Pennsylvania, Second Bank of the United States, and Franlin Institute. It during the Bank of Pennsylvania's residency that, on September 2, 1798, America's first bank robbery took place. Carpenters' Company member, Isaac Davis, with the help of porter Thomas Cunningham, robbed $162,821.61 from the Bank in the midst of the yellow fever epidemic.
Independence National Historical Park preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution. Administered by the National Park Service, the 45-acre park was authorized in 1948, and established on July 4, 1956.
National Register #70000552 (1970)
Independence National Park Historic District National Register #66000675 (1966)