Signs of Neglect
Signers Walk in Philly is missing 13 names … and some portraits have been defaced — literally!
Signers Walk on the 600 block of Philadelphia’s Chestnut Street is in sad shape. It’s a dismal way to mark the names of courageous Americans who put their lives on the line when they signed the Declaration of Independence. Photo by Jim Murphy, author of Real Philly History, Real Fast.
It took a fellow Philadelphia tour guide’s comments to make me realize how poorly we sometimes treat our history and heroes
Charlie Krueger, a tour guide, VIP (Volunteer-In-Parks) at Independence National Historical Park and expert on just about every historic sign in downtown Philadelphia, first told me about the horrible conditions at the Signers Walk in late July 2024.
What is Signers Walk? It’s a block-long walkway of bronze plaques designed to honor 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence – on the south side of Chestnut Street from 6th to 7th Street. Most of the block includes a large Wawa store and the Center City District Office. They’re in the Public Ledger Building, built by architect Horace Trumbauer in 1927.
I didn’t notice the plaques
Even though I wrote a column in January 2011 for the Society Hill Reporter about “Liberty 360,” an exhibit in the old PECO theatre, I never noticed the plaques that were installed in 1976 for the Bicentennial. Nor do they jump out even today when I go into that Wawa store, reportedly the company’s largest, at 11,500 square feet.
“These plaques commemorate the 56 members of the Continental Congress who risked their lives, reputations and fortunes by signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and 1777.” This one looks good. Many are missing … and many are defaced.
They’ve seen better days
Overall, the bronze plaques, made and donated to the city by the Franklin Mint, are in woeful condition. Ben Franklin has no face. Neither does John Hancock, the man with the oversize signature on the Declaration. Some 13 of the plaques are missing completely. And one is half-under a trash can.
An Inquirer story about the Signers Walk on July 3, 2021, says, “These days, the bronze plaques embedded in a sidewalk outside a Wawa, have become orphans, trodden upon daily and, literally, defaced.” Powerful copy. And quite true.
Nothing’s changed
It’s too bad. Although an updated version of the story says “the owners of the Public Ledger Building have assumed responsibility for maintaining the plaques, according to the Center City District,” more than three years later there seems to be no improvement.
How the plaques got here
About one square foot in size, the bronze plaques originally included a photo of the signer and a replica of the signature that appeared on the Declaration. They were dedicated on May 10, 1975, says the Inquirer, on the 200th anniversary of the convening of the Continental Congress.
At that time, the plaques were placed inside the Judge Lewis Quadrangle pavilions. In 1999, when Congress authorized building what is now the Independence Visitor Center, those pavilions came down. The plaques were then installed on Chestnut Street, near “Lights of Liberty,” a popular sound and light show. Historic Philadelphia, Inc. then took over that building and installed “Lights of Liberty 360,” which I reviewed in 2011.
Their lives were on the line
I love to tell my tours that the people who signed the Declaration of Independence put ther lives and livelihoods on the line. We were going up against the most powerful navy and army in the world … when we had almost no army, no bullets and almost no chance of winnng.
It’s shameful that these plaques are so beat-up. But I don’t see anything changing.
I doubt anyone is going to restore these pieces, because they’re so vulnerable to theft and vandalism.
Rather than let them just deteriorate in plain sight, I’d prefer to see the remaining plaques picked up and placed in a museum or church that will value and protect them.
This is a good lesson for the city, too: It shouldn’t agree to put important and valuable items in an unprotected place … unless there is a written plan to preserve them. This should never happen again.
Ben Franklin has looked better.
John Hancock, noted for his big signature on the Declaration, doesn’t look too good either
Interesting Oddities
The Public Ledger newspaper, which had several different locations in Philadelphia, was a trend-setter. It was the first penny newspaper in Philadelphia, says Wikipedia. Plus, it reportedly was the first newspaper in the U.S. to make use of a pony express delivery service.
In 1846, the Public Ledger, then at Third and Chestnut Streets, was the first newspaper printed on the new rotary printing press. The National Inventors Hall of Fame says this new press, invented by Richard Hoe, could print 8,000 newspapers per hour. It replaced the flatbed press and was known as the “lightning press.”
My friend Charlie Krueger also told me something else I never knew. One of the rarest signatures in the world belongs to Button Gwinnett. A signer of the Declaration of Independence from Georgia (I could not find his plaque on Chestnut Street), he was a hothead killed in a pistol duel in 1777. Only 10 of his signatures are in private hands and one sold in 2010 for $722,500. His signature’s value is up there with Julius Caesar and William Shakespeare. Sometimes it’s better to die young … at least for your heirs … not for you.
Some Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ledger_(Philadelphia)
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=227601
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=227600
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/uncategorized/history-buff-public-ledger-building/
https://www.theconstitutional.com/blog/2018/08/08/signers-walk-founding-fathers-walk-fame