Welcome back to National Parks and other public lands with T! 
The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial is in the rotunda of The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The focus of the memorial is a 20 foot marble statue of the city’s most famous citizen. The rotunda and memorial opened in 1938 and was designated a National Memorial as part of Independence National Historical Park in 1972.
Admission to the memorial is free and includes a short multi-media presentation on the life of Benjamin Franklin. Step beyond the doors of the rotunda into one of the country’s oldest Science Institutes, founded in 1824.
Location: 222 N 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Designation: National Memorial
Date established/designated: October 25, 1972
Date of my visit: August 8, 2017
I just hope the rioters don’t destroy this site.
Franklin did own slaves early on, but had an eye opening experience at a school for black children and became a devoted abolitionist. He petitioned Congress to end slavery, but the motion was blocked by the southern states. Hopefully history will look kindly on his self-redemption.
Sadly, the rioters do not see it this way.
Fortunately, the majority of the demonstrators are peaceful protesters, not rioters or vandals. I think Ben will be fine.
We hope.
Being older than dirt, we remember seeing a great “new” invention touted in the Franklin Institute — the push button phone. They had a huge rotary phone next to a huge push button phone and two kids could race each other to dial a phone number. I hope the place is still as much fun for kids all these decades later.
I remember crawling through the chambers of the giant heart as a child. Decades later, I brought my daughter to the institute and she too played on the same exhibit. It seemed so much smaller to me then, but she enjoyed it as much as I had in my childhood.
This looks like a great place to visit! I hope I can get to Philadelphia some time to see it. Thank you.
Philadelphia is rich with historic sites to visit. Hope you get there someday.
I’ve been to Philadelphia a few times but never to the Benjamin Franklin National Historic Site. They’ve usually been short trips often mixed with business.
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