Collecting Independence
A look at the creation of the National Museum through the manuscript collections at Independence National Historical Park
Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827) by Charles Wilson Peale, self portrait, c.1795 (1795) by PEALE, CHARLES WILLSONIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
A Museum is Born
The idea of having a museum in the Pennsylvania State House was the brainchild of Charles Willson Peale. In 1802, he opened a museum in the Long Gallery featuring portraits, animals, minerals, fossils, and a towering mastodon skeleton. The museum relocated in 1827.
Detail, Interior of Independence Hall (1856) by Max RosenthalIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
A Public Shrine
By the 1850s, the Assembly Room in Independence Hall had become publicly recognized as the birthplace of Independence. The Mayor of Philadelphia opened it to the public on February 22, 1855. From that day on, many relics and curios were accepted by the City for display.
Printed Materials-Centennial CommemorationIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
America's Centennial
When planning efforts to celebrate America's Centennial in 1876 began, so too did a movement to restore Independence Hall and solidify its place as a national shrine. A bill obligating the city to restore the building in time for the Centennial was passed on April 20, 1872.
Postcards Stereoviews (Independence Hall)Independence National Historical Park, National Park Service
Committee on the Restoration of Independence Hall
On May 3, 1872, the Mayor of Philadelphia appointed a committee dedicated to preserving and restoring the historic State House to its Revolution-era form. The Committee, whose members included the Mayor and Presidents of City Council, was led by Frank M. Etting.
Meeting invitations were sent to Committee on the Restoration of Independence Hall members. Findings, methods, and restoration recommendations were recorded annually in a report by Chairman Etting, submitted to the Mayor of Philadelphia. In their first report, the Committee invited nine women to join the committee with the approval of the Mayor.
CorrespondenceIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
The Board of Lady Managers
The Board of Lady Managers was officially created as a subcommittee of the Committee on the Restoration of Independence Hall in 1874. Their role was to collect relics, portraits, and objects to furnish the National Museum.
Stationery-National MuseumIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
Mary Brown Chew, secretary of the Board of Lady Managers, recorded meeting minutes, drafted correspondence, and kept records of museum relics and artifacts, both collected by the City in the 1850s and the Board of Lady Managers in the 1870s.
Pamphlets-Monument of Memorials (Joseph Leeds)Independence National Historical Park, National Park Service
In 1854, the City of Philadelphia purchased over 100 oil portraits of Colonial, Revolutionary, and early Republic persons by Charles Willson Peale. Following the acquisition, the Assembly Room was refurnished and these paintings hung on the walls.
Etting's copy of the 1872 portrait catalog is marked with portraits owned by the City of Philadelphia. Many of these portraits are now part of the museum collection at Independence National Historical Park and hang in the Second Bank of the United States.
A Call for Relics
By 1875, efforts to restore Independence Hall were nearly complete and the Board of Lady Managers set out to supplement the City Collection with relics/artifacts. Owners of revolutionary relics and portraits were invited to speak with the Board or Corresponding Secretaries.
CorrespondenceIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
To appeal to donors, "the museum has been made as far as possible fireproof and all relics either gifts or deposits, are placed in glass cases under look and keep in the care of the Depositary and the Chairman of the Committee on the Restoration of Independence Hall."
National Museum ReceiptsIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
Receipts for relics were recorded and provided to donors, a predecessor to modern accessioning practices.
Each donated relic/portrait was also recorded in a journal, including materials previously purchased by the City of Philadelphia. The portrait of Thomas Paine by Bass Otis (number 16) is now part of the museum collection at Independence National Historical Park and is on display in the Second Bank of the United States.
Formal catalogs of furniture and portraits were printed and sold to museum guests. The 1878 catalog lists portraits, including Benjamin Rush (35; left) and George Read (39; right).
Printed Materials-Board of ManagersIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
The Board of Lady Managers submitted their own annual report. The upcoming 1876 Centennial Exhibition provided an additional opportunity to collect materials for the National Museum.
Printed Materials-Centennial CommemorationIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
Collected relics, furnishings, and portraits were displayed in Independence Hall in the 1870s. Some objects in the Assembly Room (left) and Court Room (right) can still be seen in the Hall today.
The Assembly Room remained a museum, but continued to change throughout the first half of the 20th century before efforts to permanently preserve Independence Hall for its role in American history.
Collecting and additional restoration efforts continued through the early 20th century. Congress named Independence Hall a National Historic Site in 1943 and authorized Independence National Historical Park in 1948 (Public Law 795).
Reproduction Syng Inkstand in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall by NPSIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
In 1951 the Federal Government assumed administrative control, including the care and maintenance of museum collections. The materials displayed in the National Museum influenced the modern museum collections at INHP.
CorrespondenceIndependence National Historical Park, National Park Service
These manuscript materials were donated to Independence National Historical Park in 1961.
The Mary Johnson Brown Chew Papers (INDE 4569) were donated to Independence National Historical Park in 1961 by her son, Benjamin Chew. These papers detail the administration and collection of artifacts and relics for the National Museum. The materials displayed in the National Museum, recorded by Chew, are the oldest part of INHP's museum collections. Correspondence, lists of articles received, inventory notes, receipts, and catalogs from the National Museum, Committee on the Restoration of Independence Hall, and the Board of Lady Managers were digitized in April 2026.
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