Free previewStop 3 of Philadelphia Walking Tour: Independence Hall to Elfreth's Alley
The Soldier Nobody Can Name
You're standing in Washington Square, six and a half acres of lawn and trees in Center City. Find the bronze statue of George Washington and the long stone wall behind him. That's the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier. And the ground around you is the reason it's here.
When William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme, laid out Philadelphia's grid in 1682, he set aside five open squares. This one was called Southeast Square. Two creeks cut it into triangles, they joined to make a fishing pond, and the neighbors grazed their cows here.
By the early 1700s it was also a burial ground. The northwestern portion was the potter's field, for the poor and for strangers. The southeastern section was for Catholics.
Then the Revolution filled it.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 3 of Philadelphia Walking Tour: Independence Hall to Elfreth's Alley (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
