Benjamin Franklin Museum Opens to Honor Founding Father in Philadelphia

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Date: August 8, 2013
Contact: Jane Cowley, 215-597-0060
Contact: Cara Schneider, 215-599-0789

What:Preview of Independence National Historical Park's new Benjamin Franklin Museum, which opens to the public on Saturday, August 24, 2013 for Museum Preview Days. The new museum in Franklin Court—a site where Franklin actually lived—is a re-imagining of the Underground Museum, opened in 1976 as part of the Bicentennial celebration.

The only museum dedicated to the life, times and legacy of Benjamin Franklin, the revitalized site will feature personal artifacts, computer animations and interactive displays exploring Franklin's life as a private citizen and statesman. The museum rehabilitation is made possible by a partnership between the National Park Service and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Lenfest Foundation, William Penn Foundation, Knight Foundation and the City of Philadelphia have provided additional funding, and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is providing marketing support for the opening.

Children of press are invited to attend the briefing.

Who:Cynthia MacLeod, superintendent, INHP
Meryl Levitz, president & CEO, GPTMC
Michael Dahl, senior vice president, The Philadelphia Program, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Page Talbott, Ph.D., principal, Remer & Talbott, and exhibition curator
Cindy O'Donnell, educator, School District of Philadelphia and INHP, along with school children eager to test out the museum's interactive displays
Benjamin Franklin, honoree

When:Tuesday, August 20, 2013
10:30 a.m. Exhibition opens for press11:00 a.m. Program begins
11:30 a.m.Exhibition open as long as necessary; design team on-hand for interviews
12:00 noonBoxed lunches available

Where:Benjamin Franklin Museum, Independence National Historical Park
Franklin Court, 314-16 Market Street

RSVP:To Cara Schneider, cara@gptmc.com.

Franklin Facts:

·The museum is organized around five Franklin traits—curious, dutiful, ambitious, strategic and motivated to improve.

·Ben Franklin is known for his wise and witty aphorisms, such as "Well done is better than well said," "Men and melons are hard to know" and "If you wou'd not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing."

·Franklin was a consummate inventor, with creations ranging from swim fins to bifocals to the lightning rod. He never patented any of his inventions.

www.nps.gov/inde

A unit of the National Park Service, Independence NHP was created by an Act of Congress on June 28, 1948.A visit to Independence National Historical Park should start at the Independence Visitor Center, located at 6th and Market Streets.Here, visitors can pick up a park brochure, park map, and the free, timed tickets required for Independence Hall.For more information visit the park's website, https://www.nps.gov/inde or follow us at twitter.com/independencenhp.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.

For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit visitphilly.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.

Note to Editors: For high-resolution photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of visitphilly.com/pressroom.



Last updated: February 26, 2015

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