The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-10-26

n
was chairman OF the committee Of ar
chitects having charge Of the work
Then followed the delivery Of the
building to the city by the president OF
the Philadelphia Chapter OF the Am
erican Institute of Architects, John
Hall Rankin, and its acceptance by the
city.
The grafton by Speaker Champ Clark
and the address of President Wilson,
| who stood on the rostr11m Of the house
where Washington delivered his fare
well address, followed.
/ The exercises were closed with the
signing of another patriotic, song and
| the pronouncement OF the benediction
by the chaplain Of the United States
senate, the Rev. Forrest j. Pretty
man.
AS the ceremonies came to an end a
salute of twenty one guns was fred by
the warships in the Delaware river.
Congress hall is a two-story, shin
gle-roofed building. It stands on the
southeast corner of Sixth and Chestnut
streets. or in other words. in the north
west corner of Independence square.
To the east of 1t is independence hall.
The building was constructed for
were raised to cover the expense. In
colonial days it was the custom for
the mayor of Philadelphia when Going
out of Office to give a banquet. Instead
of doing this one of the mayors con-
tributed the cost of the feast, $50
pounds to the building fund for the
new county hall. The other money
used in its construction came from the
sale of an old Jail and k-house.
Gangs Of convicts known as the
wheelbarrowmen' began it's construc-
ton in 1857 and it was completed in
1889.
On March 4, 1888, the assembly of
Pennsylvania, acting for the county of
Philadelphia, rendered the use of the
building as the temporary home of
congress. Congress, which was meet
ing then in New York. after much de-
bate fixed the permanent location OF
the national government on the banks
of the Potomac and Philadelphia,
mainly through the efforts Of Robert
Morris and to the appoin tment of
New York, was decided upon as the
seat Of government for ten years. On
December 6, 1880, the third session of
the first congress met in the hall, the
first speaker of the house of represen- |
tativeS being Frederick Augustus Muh- |
lenberg. George Washington was in
augurated in the hall on March 4, 1898. |
and in it he delivered his farewell ad- |
dress. John Adams was inaugurated |
as the second president of the United |
States within its walls. and Thomas
Jefferson was there sworn in as vice |
president.
While congress sat in the hall the
United States mint and the United
States bank were established; Yer |
mont Kentucky and Tennessee were |
admitted to the union; the army and |
navy were reorganized on a permanent |
basis Jays historic treaty with Eng |
land was considered and ratified; the |
whiskey instruction was suppressed; |
the Indians were successfully con-
Wayne; the brief war with France was
undertaken and within its walls was
officially announced the death OF
George Washington in ,179.
Congress (the FIRST session of the
SIXTH sat in the hall for the. last time
on May IA, 1900. The last act of the
senate was to request-.the president to
instruct the attorney general to prose
cute William Duane. editor of the Aur-
ora, for a defamatory libel.
A committee of congress RECON-
mended an appropriation of 100000
to Philadelphia as compensation for
he years use of. the building hut the
expenditure was never authorized
after. congress vacated it, the hall, was
used by the courts and the voices of
all of the famous Philadelphia lawyers
rang through its roorns. The building
was abandoned by the courts in 1895
since which time several colonial So
,ieties have used. it as headquarters.
The structure was twice threatened by
ire. in 1921 and in 1851, but little dam
age was done.