Declaration House
PA - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1008 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
MUSEUM
VISITOR INFORMATION
TICKET REQUIRED
Building access is limited and may be seasonal or program-based. Admission is free; check Independence National Historical Park for current opening hours and ranger programs.
This house is currently closed to the public; visitors can only view the exterior from the street corner. If it reopens, admission is expected to be free, as at other Independence National Historical Park row houses.
SITE FEATURES
Exhibits & Artifacts
Reconstructed Structures
No public interior-tour busy season while closed. Surrounding Philadelphia travel may be busier in summer, but exterior-site peak months are unconfirmed.
April-May or September-October for an exterior street-corner visit paired with city walks. Declaration House’s interior remains closed; confirm an explicit reopening before planning to enter.
HISTORIC SITES NEARBY
Nearby Historic Sites
miles
Landmark
WHO WAS HERE
3
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Franklin
John Adams
About Declaration House
While Jefferson labored over every word in the Declaration of Independence, his enslaved servant Bob Hemings provided for his needs. The words in the Declaration of Independence – “All men are created equal” – would later serve as a rallying cry for personal freedom in this nation and around the globe.
The original house where Thomas Jefferson lodged while drafting the Declaration of Independence no longer remains. A reconstructed building occupies the site and contains National Park Service exhibition rooms, period-inspired interiors, and displays interpreting Jefferson’s residence and the document’s creation in Philadelphia.
History happened here at Declaration House
Thomas Jefferson resided here with his enslaved servant, Robert Hemings, while drafting the Declaration of Independence. Working in rooms rented from bricklayer Jacob Graff, Jefferson drafted a declaration espousing the political ideas of enlightenment philosophers. In little more than two weeks, Jefferson finished his timeless defense of, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE
PEOPLE WHO DIED HERE
PEOPLE AT REST HERE
EXTERNAL LINKS
National Park Service: https://home.nps.gov/places/000/declaration-house.htm
National Park Service: https://home.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/declarationhouse.htm
Location and preservation note: NPS identifies the site as 700 Market Street at 7th Street, not 1008 Market Street. The original house was demolished in 1883 and reconstructed in 1975; NPS currently lists it as closed.
Accessed 2026-09-30