Editing Independence Hall (section)

==Preparation for construction==
[[File:Independence Hall Detail 1752.jpg|thumb|''Map of Philadelphia and Parts Adjacent'', a 1752 illustration of Pennsylvania State House and its original bell tower, whose clock was not yet added]]
In spring 1729, proposals were submitted to build a state house in [[Philadelphia]], then the nation's colonial capital. Approximately 2,000 [[British pound|pounds sterling]] was committed to the project, and a committee including [[Thomas Lawrence (mayor)|Thomas Lawrence]], [[John Kearsley Mitchell|John Kearsley]], and [[Andrew Hamilton (lawyer)|Andrew Hamilton]] was charged with selecting a site for the building's construction, acquiring plans for it, and contracting a company for its construction. Hamilton and his future son-in-law [[William Allen (loyalist)|William Allen]], who was later chief justice of the [[Province of Pennsylvania]], were named trustees and were authorized to purchase land for the proposed state house. By October 1730, they purchased lots on [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut Street]] for the building.<ref>{{cite journal |last = Browning |first = Charles H. |year = 1916 |title = The State House Yard, and Who Owned It First after William Penn |journal = The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography |volume = 40 |issue = 1 |pages = 87–89 }}</ref>  The site was originally a slightly sloping, vegetation covered site at the outskirts of the city which used to be a camp for American Indians. The State House was more suburban than urban.

By 1732, Hamilton acquired the deed for Lot no. 2 from surveyor David Powell, who was paid for his work on the lot. But tensions began arising among committee members. Kearsley and Hamilton disagreed on a number of issues concerning the state house. Kearsley, who designed [[Christ Church, Philadelphia|Christ Church]] and [[St. Peter's Episcopal Church (Philadelphia)|St. Peter's Church]] in Philadelphia, had plans for the design, but so did Hamilton. The two men also disagreed on where in Philadelphia the building should be located; Kearsley sought to have it constructed on High Street, which is present-day [[Market Street (Philadelphia)|Market Street]], and Hamilton favored Chestnut Street. Lawrence said nothing on the matter of its location.<ref>{{harvp|Browning|1916|p=89|ps=.}}</ref>

The disagreements escalated to the point where arbitration was needed. On August 8, 1733, Hamilton brought the matter before the [[Province of Pennsylvania|Provincial Assembly]], where he explained that Kearsley did not approve of his plans for the state house's location and architecture and argued that the assembly did not agreed to these decisions either. Three days later, Hamilton appeared before the assembly, where he showed his plans for the state house, which accepted them. On August 14, the assembly sided with Hamilton, granting him full authority over the project, and the current site on the south side of Chestnut Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets, its current location,  the site where it would be constructed. Ground was broken for construction soon after.<ref>{{cite journal |last = Riley |first = Edward M. |title = The Independence Hall Group |journal = Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |year = 1953 |volume = 43 |issue = 1 |pages = 7–42 [11] |publisher = American Philosophical Society |doi = 10.2307/1005661 |jstor = 1005661 }}</ref>  A foundation of rubble stone and lime mortar was done into the sandy clay soil. Then the interior frame and roof trusses were constructed with wooden girders and beams. They used reinforced joints and iron plates and pins. The outer shell was built from a hard-burned brick of 22 to 23 inches thickness