A glass-walled building protects this icon of Philadelphia history from the elements. You can peek from outside, or join the line to file past, reading about the 2080lb object's history along the way. The queue starts on the building's north end, where the foundations of George Washington's house are marked.
The gist of the story: the bell was made in 1751, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Pennsylvania's constitution. Mounted in Independence Hall, it tolled on the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. The crack developed in the 19th century, and it was retired in 1846.
