Philadelphia is one of the few large cities in the United States to have an old and well-preserved city centre. Philadephia is an important city for American history: it was in fact to be the first capital city of the colonial states after their rebellion against the British government as well as being the birthplace of several famous men like Franklin, Jefferson and Washington. In any case, "old", in the United States means that the historic buildings mostly date from the 18th century at the earliest.
The Philadelphian community has always taken great care of its historic and artistic patrimony and today it is still possible to walk along some of its streets which look just the same as they did in the time of Benjamin Franklin. Its historic mile, lined with the most important buildings in the city, is world famous. Apart from describing the historic mile, the web site also introduces the story of Betsy Ross and the Valley Forge.
According to history - which slips back into legend here - Betsy Ross was the young girl who sewed the first flag with stars and stripes for General Washington.
Valley Forge is a sacred place in the history of the United States: this is where the American rebels hid in 1777 after the beginning of their campaign against the English government and where, after extreme suffering, they managed to transform themselves into a disciplined and efficient army.