Congress Hall - Where the Capital Did Its Work

A stop on Philadelphia Independence Walk, a free self-guided tour.

This smaller brick building at the corner of 6th and Chestnut was built as the county courthouse, but from 1790 to 1800 it housed the United States Congress while Philadelphia was the capital.

The House of Representatives met on the first floor and the Senate met upstairs, which is one reason people still call the Senate the upper house.

A lot of firsts happened here. The Bill of Rights was ratified while Congress met in this building in 1791. George Washington took the oath for his second term in the Senate chamber in 1793. In 1797 John Adams was sworn in as president downstairs, and Washington simply stepped aside, showing the world that power could pass peacefully from one leader to the next.

Congress also passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 here, making it easier to capture people who escaped slavery. Take a look at the plain brick and imagine Washington walking in.

Getting here: Walk west along Chestnut Street to the corner of 6th Street; Congress Hall is the building just next to Independence Hall.

Did you know?: The government moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800, ending Philadelphia's decade as the capital.

Photo op: From the corner of 6th and Chestnut, shoot diagonally to fit Congress Hall and the Independence Hall tower together.

More on Wikipedia: Congress Hall · United States Bill of Rights · John Adams · Fugitive Slave Act of 1793

Congress Hall - Where the Capital Did Its Work

Stops on this tour