The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-10-25
CONGRESS HALL IS
REDEDICATED WITH
MUCH CEREMONY
President Wilson, and Many
Statesmen Take Part in I'M
posing Exercises.

Philadelphia, Oct. rs - Congress
Hall in Independence Square, the
building where Congress met from
1880 to 1900, was rededicated to-day
after having undergone restorat1ons to
almost it's original appearance. The
President of the United States, the
Vfca-Presfde1at, the Chief Justice and
Associate Justices of the Supreme
Court of the United States; members
of the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives; ambassadors from foreign
lands; governors of the original thir-
teen states. and leading citizens or
Pennsylvania and Philadelphia part1c-
ipated in the ceremonies
Philadelphia, as it has on many oc-
casions when patriotic ceremonies
were were held at the historic square,
practically took a holiday The spec
tacuIar feature of the celebration was
4 big parade in which was represented
the two arms of the national military
service, the Pennsylvania narlonal
guard and patriotic societies whose
members are descendants of those VINO
beIned either on the field of battle or
in legislative halls to found the Amer
lean government.
The exercises included an address by
President Wilson and the orator or the
day was Champ Clark, speaker OF the
National House Of Representatives.
early afternoon and was officially wei
coined by g. large reception commit
tee COMPOSED of some OF the 1ead1nS
men of the city. With the President
came Vice President Marshall, Speak
er Clark, Chief Justice White and
several associate Justices, senators
from the thirteen original states, and
members of the House of Repr esenta-
tives equal TO the number of mem
bers sitting in congress in the latter
part of 1879 and the beginning OF
/ 1900. Ambassadors and ministers OF
European and South American coun-
tries who had accepted invitations
were in the washington party, as were
the chapiatns of the Senate and House.
Luncheon was served at the Belle
vue-Stratford Hotel at which were
present the President and Vice Pres1-
dent, all the other invited guests from
Washington. the governors of mum
Der Of states, and the several commit
tees having charge of the ceremonies
After the luncheon came the parade
with President Wilson near the head
OF the line. In the procession were
all the sailors and marines stationed
at the Philadelphia Navy Yard; four
companies of coast artillery from Fort
due Pont and Fort Mott on the Della
ware River provisional brigade of
the Pennsylvania National Guard, the
Philadelphia cavalry commands at
fached to the state militia and the pa
friotfc societies. The parade wound
its way through the business section
of the city to Independence Square,
whence President Wilson was escorted
to Congress Hall. He was attended
by the First Troop, Philadelphia City
Cavalry, which has escorted every
President who has visited Philadelphia
J since the time of George Washin gton.
As the president approached the
historic hall a chorus of one hundred
Q
/ ecutive with a patriotic song. Brass
/ bands blared forth stirring music ana
the great crowd OF people massed N
( and about the Square cheered.
The old building is small, having a
/ width of fifty feet and a depth of
about seventy-f1ve feet. For this rea-
/ son only $50 persons could be crowd
/ ed on the first floor where the lower
House of Congress met The senate
held its sessions on the second floor.
During the exercises to-day President
I Wilson sat in the chair, occupied by
the Continental Congress at the sign
ing of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence- 1t was the first time the chair
had been used since President Grant
requested the privilege of sitting in it
The Invocation was delivered by
Rev. Henry N. Couden, DID,, the
chaplain of the House of Represents
tives at Washington. This was fol-
lowed by the singing of 'sE1aiI Column
.bia-s'
Frank Miles DAY, of Philadelphia
read a brief statement concerning the
restoration of the building. Mr.. Day
was chairman of the committee of sar-
chitects having charge of the work
Then followed, the delivery of the
building to the city by the presiden!
of the Philadelphia chapter of Ithe
American Institute of Architects, John
Hal Rankin. and its acceptance by
the city.
The Grafton by Speaker Chang
Clark and the address of President
Wilson. who stood on the rostturn OF
the House where Washington deIiv-
cred his farewell address, followed.
The exerciseF were closed with the
singing OF another patriotic song and
the pronounce ne-rt of1the benedictior
by the chaplain or the United States
Senate, the Rev Forrest j. PrettyT1aan
AS the ceremonies came to an end
q salute of twenty-ope guns was fired
by the warships in the Delaware Riv-
er.
Congress Hall is a two-story, shin.
gle-roofed building. It stands on the
southeast corner of Sixth and Chest
nut streets, or in other words, in ths
northwest corner of independence
Square To the east of it is indie.
pendence Hall.
The building was constructed fol
o0Wu<g purposes. Two different fund.
were raised to cover the expense. IL
colonial days It was the custern for the
mayor Of Philadelphia when going GU
of Office to give a banquet. Instead
of doing this one of the mayors con
tributed the cost of the feast, Isl
pounds, to the building fund for tn,
new county hall. The other none,
used in its construction came froIJ
the sale of; an old Jail and workhouse
Gangs of convicts known then al
wheeIbarrowmen' began it's con
struction In 1887 and it was complet
ed in 1888.
On March 4. 1888, the Assembly O.
R wwY III MA