Peek back in the corner between the Hall of Presidents theater and Columbia Harbour House, and you will come across this unusual plaque depicting four interlocking hands.
This is the mark of the Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin and a group of prominent citizens established The Contributionship. Franklin had helped to found Philadelphia's first fire brigade, the Union Fire Company. The Hand-in-Hand emblem originally appeared on homes insured by the Contributionship, identifying them for protection in the event of a fire.
The Philadelphia Contributionship remains in business today. Learn more about their history and the Fire Mark at www.contributionship.com.
Shawn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! I have seen (and photographed) that plaque so many times. I have never seen a reference to it before!
I always wondered what that was.
ReplyDelete