Bordering on bizarre and maybe even a bit macabre, Cave of Kelpius is a small but one of a kind attraction in Fairmount Park. This man-made cave belongs to the 17th century, when a group of monks formed a cult, predicting the end of the world. They hid here waiting for the end of times, and this history gives the place tremendous importance.
In June of 1776, Thomas Jefferson was part of a Virginia delegation that planned to ask the Second Continental Congress to sever its ties from Great Britain. Jefferson decided to rent a room in the three-story, Georgian home of well-known bricklayer Jacob Graff, where he drafted The Declaration of Independence in three weeks. Unfortunately the original Graff House structure was torn down in 1883. It was recreated by the National Park Service in 1975. The only authentic item known to have survived is a key to a desk in the bedroom.
Closed now
This 1976 Claes Oldenburg sculpture carries the same bit of quirk found in many of his other works about the city. If you take a stroll through Philadelphia, you'll find it is not that odd to find a 20-foot tall, red clothespin in the middle of high activity areas. The Clothespin also provided the background for a scene with Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Ankroyd in the film "Trading Places." There are other Claes Oldenburg sculptures around town, including the giant broken button on the Penn campus at 36th and Locust Walk.
At the Edgar Allan Pоe National Historic Site in Philadelphia, PA, USA, see where the "Master of the Macabre" penned his American masterpieces. During the six years (1838-1844) that he lived in Philadelphia, Poe wrote and published some of his most groundbreaking tales including: "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "The Tell-Tale Heart." The three-building site creates a sense of literary curiosity. What type of surroundings could have inspired a man to put to paper his morose visions of death and betrayal? Admission is free to the public. It is difficult to imagine a place as historic as this in such an unassuming location. This place is for all Poe-lovers as well as it is for those who love old architecture and history. You can get into the eerie basement.
