Independence Historical Trust

The Independence Historical Trust  really, really needs our support. Even $1 will help.

The centerpiece of Independence Park is Independence Hall, one of only 11 World Heritage sites in America.  Independence Park is the most historic square mile in America, and should be our shining jewel of modern constitutional democracy.  It's not funded that way. (Read the details here .)

Chipping paint.  Unvacuumed floors. No videos, no audio translation in other languages. (People from all over the world come to the Hall.)

Greatness walked here. American ideals were formed here. Now this incredible park needs our help.

The Independence Park site is technically owned by the City of Philadelphia, but funded by Congress through the National Park Service, and hasn't had a funding increase in a decade. They get enough for staffing and utilities -- but not enough for deferred maintenance and upkeep.

These sites should be something we're all proud of. Instead, they're shabby and neglected. Many of them aren't even open to the public.

Because these are federal facilities, there are all kinds of limitations on how they're allowed to raise money, and we just can't wait for the politics to sort themselves out.

The Park badly needs the help of every patriotic American. Give $5, $10, whatever you can give. Let's show America that we care about the ideals, however imperfect, however unfulfilled, that were first formed here.

This historic place belongs to us all.

Independence Park, the cradle of modern democracy, should be a welcoming place for visitors. Funds raised will go toward Independence Hall (as well as other Independence National Historical Park projects) to help restore the pride of the most historic square mile in the nation.

Funds raised through GoFundMe go directly to the Independence Historical Trust and are tax-deductible.

More information about Independence Historical Trust: "We are the non-profit that supports Independence National Historical Park, home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. This is the most historic square mile  in our country and every day, we support the birthplace of our country."

The historic Pennsylvania Coat of Arms needs your help! 

This painting is one of the few surviving original artifacts in Independence Hall and now it is in trouble.  Help us restore this piece of 18th century Pennsylvania and national history back to its historic appearance.
 

In 1776, after the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to the public for the first time, a crowd ran into Independence Hall and tore down King George, III’s coat of arms and burned it.  This painting was created in 1785 to hang in that space and it represents a new way of thinking for the citizens of Philadelphia… that Pennsylvania was no longer a colony but a part of the new United States of America.  It has witnessed so much history; from George Washington’s presidency to the potential tear down of Independence Hall in the early 1800’s, to the creation of the national park here in Philadelphia in the 1950’s.
 

The Pennsylvania Coat of Arms Painting and Frame is typically exhibited in Independence Hall’s first floor courtroom.  It is usually seen by millions of visitors every year and is used to discuss the founding of our country by National Park Rangers.  However, over the years, the painting has become so dark and dull that it is almost impossible for the visitors to see it's composition. The painting is now in storage until it can be restored. A photograph hangs in its place.  We want to bring the Pennsylvania Coat of Arms painting back to its original prominence in Independence Hall... with your help.

Please contribute to the restoration of this artifact.  This artifact is a piece of Pennsylvania history as well as part of our national story and it would be a shame to ignore its important role in the story of Independence Hall.


This artifact has been added to the Friends of Independence National Historical Park’s Adopt-an-Artifact program and everyone who contributes to the program becomes an adoptive parent.  No contribution is too small if we can restore and re-hang the Pennsylvania Coat of Arms.
 

For more information on the Adopt-an-Artifact program and this artifact in particular, please visit the FriendsofIndependence.org