American Philosophical Society
Philadelphia PA
2003

Philosophical Hall is a historic building at 104 S. 5th Street in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Located near Independence Hall, the building has, for over 200 years, been the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society.

https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/attractions/american-philosophical-society-museum/

Snuggled behind the east wing of Independence Hall is the American Philosophical Society Museum, a brick building erected in the late 1780s.

The building served as our nation’s first museum, national library and academy of science.

Today, the museum holds rotating exhibitions that highlight the intersections of science, history and art.

Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Lewis and Clark journals are among the important documents, scientific specimens, patent models, portraits, maps, rare books and manuscripts that can be found within its remarkable collection.

The museum is open from April to December.

Benjamin Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society in 1743 to promote “useful knowledge” and encourage philosophical discourse.

For more than 270 years, the Society has gathered and preserved a rich collection that traces American history and science from the Founding Fathers to the digital age.