Pennsylvania
Seven historic landmarks in Pennsylvania, across five eras of American history. Start with Independence Hall, Gettysburg Battlefield and Liberty Bell.
- Landmarks
- 7
- Eras
- 5
- World Heritage
- 1
Pictured Independence Hall
Mys 721tx · CC BY-SA · via Wikimedia Commons
Landmarks in Pennsylvania
- Colonial America
Independence Hall
Philadelphia, PA
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is where the United States was founded.
Civil WarGettysburg Battlefield
Gettysburg, PA
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought July 1–3, 1863, was the largest and bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.
Revolutionary WarLiberty Bell
Philadelphia, PA
The Liberty Bell is one of the most enduring symbols of American independence and freedom.
The 20th CenturyFallingwater
Mill Run, PA
Fallingwater is Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece and perhaps the most famous house in American architecture.
Revolutionary WarValley Forge
King of Prussia, PA
No shots were fired in anger at Valley Forge, yet it may be the most important place in the story of the Continental Army.
The 19th CenturyEastern State Penitentiary
Philadelphia, PA
Eastern State Penitentiary was built on a radical idea: that solitude and reflection, not punishment and crowding, would reform criminals.
Colonial AmericaFort Necessity
Farmington, PA
A hastily built log fort where a 22-year-old George Washington suffered the only surrender of his military career, in a skirmish that touched off the French and Indian War and, with it, the global Seven Years' War.
Historical Essays
Civil WarFrom Sumter to Appomattox: The Civil War in Five Places
Four years of war, from the first shots in Charleston Harbor to a surrender in a Virginia parlor and a gunshot in a Washington theater — told through five landmarks you can still visit.
Old USA Editors · 2 min read · September 28, 2026
- Revolutionary War
Washington's War in Four Places: Ticonderoga to Yorktown
Cannon dragged through a New England winter, a desperate January counterstroke, a starving encampment and a surrender on the York River — the Revolution's turning points, and where to stand on them.
Old USA Editors · 2 min read · September 28, 2026