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Declaration House Review

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Declaration House

Address: 7th and Market Sts., Historic Area, Philadelphia, PA | Map It
Phone: 215/965-2305
www.nps.gov/inde/declaration-house.html

Category: Museums/Galleries
Location: Historic District

Write a review | Avg. member rating: 1.6/5

Fodor's Review:

In a second-floor room that he had rented from bricklayer Jacob Graff, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) drafted the Declaration of Independence in June 1776. The home was reconstructed for the Bicentennial celebration; the bedroom and parlor in which Jefferson lived that summer were re-created with period furnishings. The first floor has a Jefferson exhibition and a seven-minute film, The Extraordinary Creation. The display on the Declaration of Independence shows some of the changes Jefferson made while writing it. You can see Jefferson's original version—which would have abolished slavery had the passage not been stricken by the committee that included Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

Cost: Free
Open: Hrs vary

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Member Reviews and Ratings

Reviewed by bachslunch from US on 10/19/08
Of the historic houses in this area, this is probably the least interesting and has the most inconvenient hours. If it's open when you come by, it's worth peeking in, but it can be just as easily missed. It's more "modernized" on the inside (except for the recreated T. Jefferson quarters) than the others.