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This month Satori and I went to Philadelphia for the first time!
With this year marking America’s 250th anniversary, it felt like the perfect time to finally make the trip. Philadelphia has been somewhere Satori has wanted to visit for a long time. Anyone who knows her knows how much she absolutely loves history, but the Revolutionary War and the founding of the country have always been some of her favorite things to learn about.
We spent a good part of the trip wandering around Old City and taking in as much history as we could. We visited the Museum of the American Revolution, which was incredible, and finally got to see the Liberty Bell in person. There is something pretty surreal about standing in the same part of the city where so much of the country’s early history actually happened. You can read about these places and see them in documentaries a hundred times, but actually being there feels completely different.
Of course, being us, it didn’t take very long before the paranormal side of Philadelphia’s history caught our attention too.
One of the city’s longstanding ghost stories actually involves Benjamin Franklin. Franklin spent much of his life in Philadelphia, served in the Continental Congress, and later took part in the Constitutional Convention. He also died at his Philadelphia home in 1790. Over the years, stories have circulated that Franklin’s ghost still wanders Old City, particularly around the historic area near Independence Hall. Some versions of the legend even describe his apparition being seen inside Independence Hall itself.
Whether or not Benjamin Franklin is still keeping an eye on Philadelphia is up for debate, but we love stories like this because they show how closely folklore and history can become intertwined. When a place has witnessed almost 300 years of people, conflict, celebrations, loss, and major moments in history, it isn’t surprising that ghost stories eventually become part of its story too.
For Satori especially, this was one of those trips that had been on the list for a very long time, and getting to experience Philadelphia together during America’s 250th year made it even more special.
And as usual, we somehow managed to turn a history trip into a ghost story.
Until next month,
Cody & Satori
