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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The President's House

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Address:
Market St., Philadelphia, PA
Directions:
South side of Market St. just east of N. 6th St. and just north of the Liberty Bell.
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The President's House.

The President's House

In the early years of the United States, Presidents lived in The President's House, a three-story brick home. In 2010 this skeletal tribute was opened on the site of the original foundation.

Roadsideamerica.com Report... [07/08/2014]

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Slaves' names.

The President's House

This exhibit is one of the few places that attempts to address the hypocrisy of the Founding Fathers' quest for freedom and equality, even as many of them turned a blind eye to slavery. The monument is an open air museum that shows you the old foundation of the first executive mansion where both George Washington and John Adams lived during their terms as president.

It also has a series of stories, pictures, and videos screens paralleling the lives of the slaves that lived and worked there with their master. For instance, while Pennsylvania law dictated that slaves living there for 6 months were automatically freed (and Washington himself actually denounced the idea of slavery), I was surprised to learn that our first president purposely rotated his slaves in and out of Virginia, thereby avoiding the law.

The names of some of these slaves are on the walls here, as well as footprints symbolizing the escape of Oney Judge, Martha's personal maid. There's also a beautiful boxed in piece with the names of all the countries slaves were kidnapped from, plus inspiring quotes from African American leaders and other countries. There's a lot to look at and not nearly enough to cover it all, but it certainly helps you keep Independence Park in perspective!

[Daina B., 09/20/2017]

Original foundation.

The President's House

You can see some of the original base of the floor structure.

[Shannon Hiser, 11/29/2016]
Roadside Presidents
Roadside Presidents App for iPhone. Find this attraction and more: museums, birthplaces, graves of the Chief Execs, first ladies, pets, assassins and wannabes. Prez bios and oddball trivia. Available on the App Store.

Nearby Offbeat Places

Abe Lincoln Stood HereAbe Lincoln Stood Here, Philadelphia, PA - < 1 mi.
JFK Stood HereJFK Stood Here, Philadelphia, PA - < 1 mi.
The Toynbee TilesThe Toynbee Tiles, Philadelphia, PA - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Edgar Allan Poe House - Hideous Heart, Philadelphia, PA - < 1 mi.

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