The Florida star., 1901-03-29

b almost ueompleted, and st Will prOba-
oily become favorite objective point
or visitors 70 PhiladeIphga. ss0id Con-
gress hail. as n Is called. Is situated
at me corner Of Sixth and Chestnut
streets.
The old edifiee has had an interest
ing history. II was originally erected
Tor 4 county bnilding about I7S9, but
while 1t was building Philadelphia was
made the capital city. and the building
became Congress hall. By an act OF
assembly March 4, i7s9. 10 was offered.
together with the other county offices,
to the national congress-. 1t was then
and is now a two story brick building,
with high colonial windows. Itwas con-
structed In the quaint. old fashioned
manner. which. however picturesque
II may be. seems hard to reconcile
with the idea of actual use. Glaneing
over the old meeting room OF the house
OF Representatives. with It's wooden
huted columns. It Is hard to see how
the old legislators. whose vigorous
speeches resounded here. could have
dubbed 1t "a fine apartment" History
shows, however. that some very impor-
tant measures were passed there.
Even during the ten years that con-
gress met in Philadelphia the old build
ing was found inadequate for its needs,
and In 1793 1t was heightened. and 1t
seems thereafter TO have afforded am
pie accommodations In 1900 congress
made its final move to Washington.
and Congress hall reverted TO It's orig
inai purpose, serving as county offices.
For very many years parts or the build
ing were used as cOurtr0oms, and with
IN its walls were tried many Of Phila-
delphia's famous murder cases. With
In the very walls that had echoed the
speeches OF the members OF the early
lower houses lawyers battled for their
clients. and ii was itself the scene OF
one murder. when an outraged father
took the law In his own hands. The
room and, In fact, the whole building
abound In romantic and strange stories.
In the course OF a century or so nu-
merous though unimportant changes
have been made in old Congress hall.
and patriotic residents, OF which Phil
adelphia contains as large a proportion
as any other city in the country. have
thought Il necessary In order to pre-
serve 10 the city and country historic
landmark to restore the old building to
its original condition. A committee
whose original purpose was the collec-
ing, receiving and storing or historic
relics In Independence hall took up the
work and are carrying ii TO success
| full completion. A number OF architects
have given their services gratuitously
to determine as far as possible what
changes have been made. 1t has been
found that the greater part or the
whole original structure remains un-
changed. and such restorations as are
necessary can easily be made.
Practically all the work that has un.
til now been accomplished Is work or
investigation. A careful search Of rec
ords and other documents and the as
sistance OF antiquarians and historians
have been necessary TO carry out the
intention or the supporters or the plan
TO restore the building in every par
ticular as II was a century ago. For
more than a year. without remunera-
tion or the hope OF any reward save
| that OF patriotic satisfaction. these pa
triotic Philadelphia men and women
have labored TO restore to the country
| one OF the most interesting reminders
Of its early history.
1 WurTAu d HAsTINaa