Table Of Content

So while bodies in Franklin's basement might conjure up ideas that a Founding Father was harboring dark secrets, the truth is less nefarious. While it's likely that Franklin knew about Hewson's school, the Friends of Benjamin Franklin House believe that it's unlikely he participated in the actual dissections. Researchers think that 36 Craven was an irresistible spot for Hewson to establish his own anatomy lab. The tenant was a trusted friend, the landlady was his mother-in-law, and he was flanked by convenient sources for corpses. Bodies could be smuggled from graveyards and delivered to the wharf at one end of the street, or snatched from the gallows at the other end.
Grim Discovery of the Ben Franklin Bodies
In the courtyard outside the museum, visitors can view the iconic “ghost house,” a standing steel structure that traces the outlines of Franklin’s now-vanished house and print shop. By CarParking around Benjamin Franklin House is extremely limited – we urge visitors to use public transport. More information about parking in the area can be found at westminster.gov.uk.
Historic Site
Hewson had logged notes about experiments that match up with this evidence. Franklin spent 16 years living and working at his London home on 36 Craven Street before coming back to America in 1776. Over two hundred years later, as the home was being transformed into a museum, the incredible discovery was made.
Virtual Tour & Virtual Georgian Interior
In 1753 the Royal Society awarded Franklin the Copley Medal, the 18th century equivalent of the Nobel Prize. The British government’s denunciation of Franklin before the Privy Council, in the wake of the Boston Tea Party, reflected a breakdown in Franklin’s relationship with ministers, but it did not end his search for peace. In early 1775, Franklin and William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, finalized their plan for settling the Anglo-colonial dispute.
283-year-old Philadelphia home built by prominent local builder hits market for $795K - Philadelphia Business Journal - The Business Journals
283-year-old Philadelphia home built by prominent local builder hits market for $795K - Philadelphia Business Journal.
Posted: Fri, 02 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The Benjamin Franklin Museum explores the life and legacy of Philadelphia’s most famous citizen. Benjamin Franklin House is a five-storey townhouse with a staircase between each floor. There are handrails on all of the staircases and there is visitor seating in all of the historic rooms.
Our award-winning education days take place every Tuesday in the House’s Student Science Centre. Based on the London life and work of Benjamin Franklin, our engaging activities link to and illuminate the National Curriculum. I'm excited to be involved with Junior Achievement because it provides an opportunity to educate and inspire the next generation of financial and technology leaders. Being able to share my experience and help shape young minds, foster financial literacy, and empower students to make informed career decisions and financial goals is a tremendous opportunity. JA is a great community service medium for experiential learnings for aspiring high school students who are looking at meaningful careers in making an impact on brighter financial outcomes for all. Outside the White House today is Lafayette Park, where a the bronze statue is thought to portray the Marquis de Lafayette petitioning the French national assembly for help for the Americans in the fight for independence.
The basement, which was a windowless room under the garden, contained the remains of 28 human bodies. Analysis of the remains found that they were about 200 years old, which placed them in the home at the same time Franklin resided there. As Mount Vernon is to George Washington and Monticello is to Thomas Jefferson, 36 Craven Street in London is to Benjamin Franklin.
High tech mobile restrooms appear in DC, but could their days be numbered?
This small merchant’s house, near the River Thames and not far from the Houses of Parliament, and where Franklin lived between 1757 and 1775, is the only one of his homes on either side of the Atlantic that still survives. Craven Street was at the very centre of Franklin’s domestic life from the first week he arrived in London in 1757 to the day he left in March 1775. In that time, Franklin spent only a short eighteen months back in Philadelphia. In London, Franklin had an extremely strong platonic relationship with his widowed landlady, Margaret Stevenson, and was like a father to her daughter Polly.
Plan your visit to the Benjamin Franklin Museum and the Franklin Court sites with information on our website. The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks. 36 Craven Street is a Grade I listed building, which retains many of its original features, including the staircase, floorboards, wall panelling, and fireplaces. After the death of the Earl of Craven, his property passed in 1697 to William, 5th Earl of Craven. William Craven the Younger eventually decided that his Strand property was ripe for development, and after raising some capital by mortgaging the ground, he proceeded to pull down the houses in Spur Alley and Brewer’s Lane. It holds England’s highest Grade I heritage listing and retains a majority of original features including the central staircase (which Franklin said he used for regular exercise!), flooring and panelling.

Hewson had been a lecturer at a prominent anatomy school run by William Hunter but left after the men had a falling out. Once he moved in with Franklin, he ran his own anatomy school out of the basement, which accounts for the remains. There is proof of this thanks to liquid mercury found on turtle bones and vermillion coloring connected to dog bones that were found in the basement.
It was with Franklin’s help that Hewson was ultimately elected into the Royal Society — the U.K.’s national science academy. “[Franklin] thought [Hewson] was a polite and promising young man,” Balisciano says. Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.