As a Freemason, I viewed this movie with skepticism and delight. Skepticism because the treasure and the Masonic references are mostly a crock and delight because the treasure and Masonic references are just so cool. In 2004, interest in Freemasonry had peaked thanks in park to some Fictional books which hit the best sellers list.
This movie cashed in on this interest and even enhanced and furthered it. Benjamin Franklin Gates, played by Nicholas Cage, descends from a family of treasure-seekers who've all hunted for the same thing: a war chest hidden by the American founding fathers. It is said that the treasure was hidden by 18th century Masons. This movie tries to link the freemasons, the Knights Templar and the founding of the USA through the use of various symbols and other fictional vehicles.
In this particular scene, the gunman, using a silencer, pounds several slugs at Cage and winds up destroying some headstones. Those headstones were added to the cemetery (of course) and small charges detonated gave the appearance of slugs passing through them. All very cool. For my money, this is one of the greatest adventure movies ever released, and all without computer enhanced special effects.
About the Church
Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is an important early-American cemetery. It is the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife, Deborah. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are also buried here.
37. Christ Church (open 9-5 daily), 2nd St. N. of Market St., completed in 1754, is a fine Georgian Colonial structure of red brick, with balustrades and urns on its roof. John Penn, grandson of William Penn, is buried near the steps of the pulpit. In the front façade is a large Palladian window, over which is a medallion of George II. George and Martha Washington, Robert Morris, Benjamin Franklin, Betsy Ross, and others had pews, all of which remain. The Washington Pew is number 58; the Franklin pew, 70. The church burial ground at 5th and Arch Streets contains the grave of Benjamin Franklin (1796-90), whose funeral was attended by 20,000 persons." --- Pennsylvania: A Guide to the Keystone State, 1940; page 276
There always seems to be plenty of visitors roaming the grounds of the cemetery each weekend, particularly, the Ben Franklin grave. There is a tremendous amount of Colonial history buried here.
Visiting Hours:
Monday-Saturday - 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sunday - 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM
The posted coordinates are for the gated entrance where you will have to pay two dollars for admission.
The cemetery belongs to Christ Church, the Anglican church founded in 1695 and place of worship for many of the famous Revolutionary War participants, including George Washington. The burial ground is located at 5th and Arch Streets, across from the Visitors Center and National Constitution Center. The Burial Ground was started in 1719, and it is still an active graveyard. 100,000 tourists visit each year, many leaving pennies on Franklin's grave.