|
 New Hall New Hall Chestnut between 3rd and 4th Sts. Adjacent to Carpenters' Hall, New Hall was the original "Pentagon." It housed the first Secretary of War, Henry Knox (one of only four cabinet secretaries at the time). He had little to do because America had no standing army (under 100 men) and approximately 840 men working in "Indian Affairs" in the American frontier. New Hall was the site of the founding of the U.S. Navy in the spring of 1798. John Adams felt that the United States should not depend on the British Navy to protect American vessels from French privateers. Later that year, on July 11, 1798, the U.S. Marine Corps was founded at New Hall, making it the home of U.S. national defense.  Clickable map |
Interested in using a picture? A site description? Click here!
Contact ushistory.org
Copyright ©1999-2013 by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1942.
Publishing electronically as ushistory.org. On the Internet since July 4, 1995.
