Independence Seaport Museum, Maritime museum at Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, United States
The Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia displays maritime objects, historical vessels, and exhibits about the city's connection to the Delaware River and naval history. The site also features a preserved warship that visitors can tour.
The museum was founded in 1961 as the Philadelphia Maritime Museum and relocated to Penn's Landing in 1995, where it expanded significantly. The move reflected the city's effort to preserve its waterfront heritage.
The exhibitions explore how the Delaware River shaped the experiences of African Americans, from enslavement through freedom and the civil rights era. This history remains woven into the fabric of Philadelphia's waterfront today.
The museum sits right on the water at Penn's Landing and is easily walkable from downtown. Touring the ship is part of the visit and requires comfortable shoes for navigating the deck.
The museum preserves the USS Olympia, the oldest steel warship still afloat, which carried the American Unknown Soldier from World War I in 1921. This vessel remains one of the few surviving artifacts from that era.
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