Philadelphia Freedom!

This song by Elton John is what we listened to all the way to Philadelphia (thanks to the wonderful singing voice of my pal Mandi Jackson)! This weekend we decided to go see the Philadelphia mint (1 of 4 in the U.S).  Because we are so smart, we found out the hard way that the mint would not be operating on a weekend; so there wasn't much to see. We still had fun going and found out some really interesting facts about money and the mint.

-The Philadelphia Mint was the first mint in the U.S established in 1792
-The $5 bill has the shortest lifespan of paper currencies, lasting about 16 months. The $100 bill has the longest lifespan at 73 months.
-It costs 1.6 cents to produce a 1-cent coin.

Benjamin Franklin's grave!

There were a lot of really OLD cemetery's around the historic area of Philadelphia. Most of the head stones had no markings because they were so old.

Morgan, Mandi, and Rory right behind Independence Hall where the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were read aloud for the first time to the public.

The Liberty Bell

The room where the signing of the Constitution took place; the head chair at the very front is the only piece of furniture that was actually in the room in 1776. George Washington sat there during the discussions!

Morgan showing some American spirit!

And of course we had a Philly Cheese steak which was absolutely fabulous! If you are ever in Philly go to Jim's to get a one! Best place in town.