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Attraction

Mize Benjamin Franklin ak Franklin Court: Sekrè Kay Fantom nan

Dedicated to the life and legacy of America’s favorite Renaissance man ...

Franklin Court Foto pa Visit Philadelphia

Don’t worry: It’s not haunted.

Built for the city’s Bicentennial celebration, the Benjamin Franklin Museum epi Franklin Court explore the life and legacy of Philadelphia’s most famous citizen.  

Yon pati nan Pak Istorik Nasyonal Endepandans, the ticketed museum invites visitors to explore a variety of interactive exhibitions, personal artifacts, computer animations and hands-on displays, examining Franklin’s life both as a private citizen and a statesman.

Outside the museum, visitors can see the vestige of the home where Franklin once lived and visit the Franklin Court Printing Office to watch park rangers demonstrate how printing presses once operated to spread news via pamphlets and newspapers.

Read on for a guide to these hidden-in-plain-sight attractions.

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317 Chestnut Street
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What can I expect to see at Franklin Court?

Benjamin Franklin Museum

For years, many visitors were unaware of the underground museum beneath their feet, but a $23 million redesign in 2013 created a small entry building that now guides visitors from the courtyard into the modern museum. 

The museum is divided into five individual rooms, each reflecting different aspects of Franklin’s personality and character traits, as he was known to be strategic, rebellious, dutiful, motivated and curious. 

La Benjamin Franklin Museum also showcases how Franklin embodied the spirit of the 18th century and how many of his ideas still resonate today. Visitors can watch informative videos, interact with touch-screen exhibits and see historic artifacts in each room.

Pro tip: Visitors can keep an eye out for small squirrel figures hidden throughout the space, a nod to Franklin’s love of keeping them as pet “skuggs,” as they were called back then.

An exhibit inside the Benjamin Franklin Museum highlighting Franklin's strategic thinking with interactive displays, historical artifacts and interpretive panels. An exhibit inside the Benjamin Franklin Museum highlighting Franklin's strategic thinking with interactive displays, historical artifacts and interpretive panels.

  — Photo courtesy National Park Service

Franklin Court

In the courtyard outside the museum, visitors can view the iconic “ghost house,” a standing steel structure that traces the outlines of Franklin’s now-vanished house and print shop.

Visitors can also peer down below the ghost house and see the foundation of Franklin’s home still in the ground.

Franklin Court courtyard featuring the white steel "ghost structure" outlining Benjamin Franklin's former home, with brick walkways and modern office buildings in the background. Franklin Court courtyard featuring the white steel "ghost structure" outlining Benjamin Franklin's former home, with brick walkways and modern office buildings in the background.

  — Foto pa Visit Philadelphia

Franklin Court Printing Office

Located in Franklin Court, visitors to the Printing Office can watch park rangers use a replica 18th-century printing press to demonstrate how colonial printers would set type and then crank the arm of a press to set words to paper. 

The Printing Office also has exhibits showcasing historic presses, a typesetting area, a bindery and more. Park rangers are also available to chat and answer questions. 

Reproduction 18th-century wooden printing presses are displayed inside the Franklin Court Printing Office. Reproduction 18th-century wooden printing presses are displayed inside the Franklin Court Printing Office.

  — Photo courtesy National Park Service

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Patwone

What’s the history behind this attraction?

Franklin lived in his house until he died there in 1790, and the structure was demolished 22 years later. Congress established Pak Istorik Nasyonal Endepandans in 1948, giving the park service oversight of the land Franklin once called home. 

The reimagined Franklin Court and Benjamin Franklin Museum opened to the public during the country’s Bicentennial and underwent a modern overhaul in 2013. 

But visitors to Philadelphia are sure to notice Franklin’s name and lasting legacy in all corners of the city. 

A historic brick building with white shutters and a cobblestone courtyard sits against a blue sky and a leafy green tree. A historic brick building with white shutters and a cobblestone courtyard sits against a blue sky and a leafy green tree.

  — Foto pa Visit Philadelphia

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Patwone

What else do I need to know?

Check the official webpage ahead of your visit to find the Benjamin Franklin Museum’s current hours of operation. Visitors must purchase tickets to the museum at the door on the day of the visit. Note: No federal recreational passes are accepted for entry.

No tickets are required to visit the open-air Franklin Court. Check the official webpage for current hours. 

The Franklin Court Printing Office regularly offers printing demonstrations when open. For hours, check the official page. No tickets are required, and access comes on a first-come, first-served basis. 

For more on the Benjamin Franklin Museum and Franklin Court, visit the official website by clicking the button below.

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