The tradition of throwing pennies onto Ben Franklin’s burial site at Christ Church has backfired, and now it’s in grave jeopardy.
Kidding aside, Franklin’s marble headstone has been severely cracked, and it’s going to need a lot more than pennies for repairs. Christ Church Preservation Trust has to raise an additional $10,000 by December 31, 2016 to fix the damage in time for the anniversary of Franklin’s death in April 2017.
The non-profit has launched an online fundraising campaign in efforts to save and repair it, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. They have some grants in the works already, but still need the $10K to move forward.
For years, thousands of visitors have been encouraged to throw the coins onto Franklin’s grave as an ode to his phrase, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” The GoFundMe campaign organizers write, “This practice has unfortunately pitted the marble surface.”
At the time this article was published, $2,303 had been raised for the GoFundMe Campaign.
- Save Ben Franklin [GoFundMe]
- Fundraising campaign launched to save Ben Franklin’s headstone [Inquirer]
- 14 historic cemeteries in Philadelphia [Curbed Philly]