1719

Christ Church Burial Ground is most famous as the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin, a man who captured the spirit of his age and of the city. Franklin's genius touched nearly every aspect of Philadelphia's life and produced many achievements. Franklin had an international reputation as a scientist because of his pioneering study of electricity.

He used his fame abroad and his diplomatic skills to negotiate the Alliance with France in 1778 and the Peace with Britain in 1783, achievements as important to the cause of American independence as any battle.

Christ Church Burial Ground contains the graves of some of America's greatest patriots, including five signers of the Declaration of Independence: Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791), Dr. Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), George Ross (1730-1779) and Joseph Hewes (1730-1779). The burial ground has been in use continuously since 1719, when the Vestry of Christ Church purchased this site because there was no room in the churchyard for interments and the land near the church was too marshy.

Other notables interred in Christ Church Burial Ground: Commodore William Bainbridge (1774-1833), the hero of the War of 1812; Thomas Willing (1731-1821), president of the First Bank of the United States; John Dunlap (d. 1812), printer of the first broadside of the Declaration of Independence; Captain William Budden (d. 1766), who brought the Liberty Bell and Christ Church bells to America; Philip Syng (1703-1789), silversmith who fashioned the inkstand used by the signers of the Declaration of Independence; and Michael Hillegas (1729-1804), the first Treasurer of the United States.

Marker is at the intersection of Arch Street and 5th Street on Arch Street.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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