Pennsylvania - Landmarks and Points of Interest
- By Smithsonian.com
- Smithsonian.com, November 06, 2007, Subscribe
The vaulted dome on the state capitol in Harrisburg weighs 52 million pounds and was modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Courtesy of Terry Way/Commonwealth Media Services
One of the country’s most treasured symbols, the Liberty Bell predates the United States by two decades: it was cast in 1753 for Pennsylvania’s State House. Because William Penn founded the state on the principles of religious tolerance and citizen government, the bell was engraved with a Bible verse, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." The 2,000-pound bell is famously cracked and has not rung since 1846, but it still draws crowds to Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell Center.
In the forest an hour’s drive south of Pittsburgh, two Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces are open for tours. Kentuck Knob, built for I.N. and Bernardine Hagan in 1956, is made of 800 tons of local sandstone and has a copper roof. The site includes a sculpture meadow, with 35 works, and dazzling river views. But Fallingwater, designed in 1935 for Pittsburgh’s wealthy Kaufmann family, is Wright’s most famous work for a reason: a marvel of engineering, it perches directly above a waterfall, seemingly grown out of its organic environment. The home still contains its original furnishings, down to the Kaufmanns’ books and art.
Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County is the country’s most well-known Amish area, with picturesque farms and villages. The Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum, the People's Place Quilt Museum in Intercourse and other galleries display excellent examples of Amish quilts. Some farms offer tours, and many Amish sell homemade quilts, food and crafts.
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Comments (2)
I wish i could go to the Liberty Bell!!!! :-Q
Posted by on October 1,2009 | 06:02 PM
What about Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812, "Don't Give Up The Ship", "We Have Met The Enemy and They are Ours, . . ." It is said that if it wasn't for this battle, we in northern Pa and Ohio would be part of Canada. Granted it was fought at Put-In-Bay near Sandusky, but Perry built his fleet here and the men who built that fleet suffered through a vicious winter at Misery Bay. James Ziegenhine
Posted by James Ziegenhine on March 11,2008 | 07:43 PM