The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-10-25

singing of another patriotic sons 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
% salute of t%wcnty-one guns was fired
by the %warshins in the Delaware
river.
Congress Hall is a two story, shin
gle-roofed building. 1t stands on the
southeast corner of Sixth and Chest
nut streets, or in other words, in the
northwest corner Of Independence
Square. To the east of it is Indc-
pendence Hall.
The building was constructed for
county purposes. Two different funds
were raised to the expense. In
colonial days it was the custom for
the mayor of Philadelphia when go
Instead Of doing this one OF the may
ors contributed 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 work.
house. Gangs of convicts known then
as "wheelbarrown1en" began it's con-
struction in 1887 and it was complet-
cd in 1852.
On March 4. 1889. the assembly Of
PENNSYLVANIA. acting for the county
the building as the temporary home
Of congress. Congress, which was
meeting then in New York. after
much debute fixed the permanent To-
cation of the national government on
the banks Of the Potomac, and Phil
adelphis, mainly through the efforts
of Robert Morris and to the disap-
pointment of New York. was decided
upon as the scat of government for
ten. years. On December 6. 1890. the
third session OF the First congress met
in the hall. the first, speaker Of the
house of representatives being Fred
erick Augustus Muhlenherg. George
Washington was inauEurated in the
hall on March T., 1913. and in it he de-
livered his farewell address. John
Adams was inaugurated as the sec
ond president Of the United States
within it's walls mi Thomas Jeffer-
son was there sworn in as vice prcsi-
dent. ,
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 r~eorganized on a perma-
nent basis: Jays historic treaty with
England was considered and ratified:
the whiskey insurrection was sup
pressed: the wars with the Indians
were successfully conducted by Har-
mar. st. Clair and Wayne: the brief
war with France a undertaken.
and within it's walls vas officially an
noupced the death of George Wash
ington in 1899.
Congress tthe 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 pres
ident to instruct the attorney general
to prosecute William Duane. editor of
the Aurora. for a defamatory libel.
4 committee of congress recon-
mended an appropriation of 100000
to Philadelphia. as compensation for
the ten years use of the building, but
the expenditure was never authorized.
After congress vacated It. the hall
was used by the courts and the voices
of all the famous Philadelphia law
Sers ranE through its rooms. The
building was abandoned by the courts
in 1895 since which time several COL
onial societies have used it as head
quarters. The structure was twice
threatened by fire. in 1921 and i'm
1851, but little damage was done.