Was Benjamin Franklin rolling over in his grave over the last US Presidential election when Donald John Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States.?
Franklin died in April of 1790, and as requested in his will, a simple marble ledger tablet was placed over his final resting place in the corner of Philadelphia's Christ Church Burial Ground.
Today, after centuries of weather exposure, a significant crack threatens the integrity of this grave marker. The Christ Church Preservation Trust --a nonprofit with a mission to preserve historic Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground--needs to repair the crack and restore other areas of deterioration, including the tablet’s marble face.
In 1858, the Trust opened the Burial Ground's brick wall so that the public could see Franklin's grave from Arch Street. Each year, in honor of Franklin's adage "a penny saved is a penny earned," hundreds of thousands of visitors toss pennies at the grave for good luck. This practice has unfortunately pitted the marble surface.
We have secured foundation grants to help finance this preservation project, but we need an additional $10,000 by December 31 in order to have Franklin's grave preserved by the anniversary of his death in April 2017. Please contribute to the conservation of a national shrine!
Benjamin Franklin needs our help!
His gravestone is deteriorating.
Franklin died in April of 1790, and as requested in his will, a simple marble ledger tablet was placed over his final resting place in the corner of Philadelphia's Christ Church Burial Ground.
Today, after centuries of weather exposure, a significant crack threatens the integrity of this grave marker. The Christ Church Preservation Trust --a nonprofit with a mission to preserve historic Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground--needs to repair the crack and restore other areas of deterioration, including the tablet’s marble face.
In 1858, the Trust opened the Burial Ground's brick wall so that the public could see Franklin's grave from Arch Street. Each year, in honor of Franklin's adage "a penny saved is a penny earned," hundreds of thousands of visitors toss pennies at the grave for good luck. This practice has unfortunately pitted the marble surface.
We have secured foundation grants to help finance this preservation project, but we need an additional $10,000 by December 31 in order to have Franklin's grave preserved by the anniversary of his death in April 2017. Please contribute to the conservation of a national shrine!
Update 1
Posted by Christ Church Tourism
8 days ago
Tossing a penny for good luck on Ben Franklin's grave is a beloved Philadelphia tradition, but did you know that it is actually causing damage to the gravestone? Part of the goal of our GoFundMe campaign is to reverse the damage the pennies have caused and protect Franklin's grave in the future! Please considering donating to Ben and please share our campaign using #savebenfranklin
Posted by Christ Church Tourism
8 days ago
Tossing a penny for good luck on Ben Franklin's grave is a beloved Philadelphia tradition, but did you know that it is actually causing damage to the gravestone? Part of the goal of our GoFundMe campaign is to reverse the damage the pennies have caused and protect Franklin's grave in the future! Please considering donating to Ben and please share our campaign using #savebenfranklin
Update 2
Posted by Christ Church Tourism
Posted by Christ Church Tourism
4 days ago
Please remember Ben in this week of election coverage! He needs your support!
Update 3
We are so thankful for everyone's generosity so far in our campaign! For anyone local, we will be live on Fox29 News tomorrow morning at 9:15 AM! #SaveBenFranklin
Hello everyone! Some of you have already done this, but we encourage you to type a little note to Ben Franklin along with your donation to him. It can be anything from a little thank you note to what you most admire about him. What do YOU love most about Ben Franklin?
Thank you Philadelphia & Friends of Ben. Please keep giving! We at Christ Church Preservation Trust do not get any government support to keep Ben Franklin's marker accessible to the public.
The Christ Church Burial Ground is a living reminder on America’s most historic mile of the heroes who built and protected the nation. Benjamin Franklin's grave is a visible testimony to them all.
Additional funds raised will go DIRECTLY into a restricted fund that will exclusively support any preservation issues at his gravesite.
The Christ Church Burial Ground is a living reminder on America’s most historic mile of the heroes who built and protected the nation. Benjamin Franklin's grave is a visible testimony to them all.
Additional funds raised will go DIRECTLY into a restricted fund that will exclusively support any preservation issues at his gravesite.
