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American Philosophical Society Museum
Snuggled behind the east wing of Independence Hall is the American Philosophical Society Museum, a brick building erected in the late 1780s.
The building served as our nation’s first museum, national library and academy of science.
Today, the museum holds rotating exhibitions that highlight the intersections of science, history and art.
Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Lewis and Clark journals are among the important documents, scientific specimens, patent models, portraits, maps, rare books and manuscripts that can be found within its remarkable collection.
The museum is open from April to December.
Benjamin Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society in 1743 to promote “useful knowledge” and encourage philosophical discourse.
For more than 270 years, the Society has gathered and preserved a rich collection that traces American history and science from the Founding Fathers to the digital age.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.