Independence Hall - Philadelphia, PA
Posted by: 
DougK
N 39° 56.923 W 075° 09.002
18S E 487183 N 4422075
Independence Hall was originally built as the Pennsylvania Capitol in 1732. The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were drafted and signed here.
Waymark Code: WMBVCM
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 06/22/2011
Views: 20
This stamp picturing Independence Hall was part of the Liberty Series of 1954-1960 featuring Presidents, Patriots and Shrines.
From the U.S. Stamp Gallery website:
Independence Hall got its name because it was the site where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Before that it had been known as the State House, and before that Province-hall of Pennsylvania. Built of brick between 1730-1748, it received a wooden tower and steeple between 1750-1753. The building's original wings and arcades were removed between 1813-1815 and replaced with office wings. They were demolished between 1896-1898. Additional restorations took place during the 1920's, 1950's, and 1960's. The latter were under the direction of the National Park Service.
From the National Postal Museum website:
The Post Office Department announced that the eighteenth and final stamp of the Liberty Series would be issued on July 4, 1956, in conjunction with the 180th national observance of Independence Day. Although planned as the final stamp in the Liberty Series, eight more issues were eventually added.
The10-cent Independence Hall issue of the Liberty Series was issued at a special ceremony at Independence Square in Philadelphia. The view features the building as seen from Independence Square. It was designed by Charles R. Chickering, who prepared an original drawing. The engravers were Charles L. Brooks and George L. Huber of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Originally built as the Pennsylvania Capitol, Independence Hall dates to 1732, when construction began. Construction stretched over twenty years, and the Capitol was completed in 1753. The Second Continental Congress met in the building from 1775 through 1783, representatives from the thirteen colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence there on July 4, 1776, and the drafting and signing of the United States Constitution occurred there in 1787. In 1861 President Abraham Lincoln, upon visiting Independence Hall, declared “I am filled with deep emotion at finding myself standing in this place, where were collected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the devotion to principle, from which sprang the institutions under which we live.”