Ben Franklin Gravestone
A crack has developed in Benjamin Franklin's a gravestone at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. The church launched an online fundraising campaign to fix the damage, hoping to raise $10,000. New Jersey rocked Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea, put up half that amount. (Photo by Matt Rourke | AP)
PHILADELPHIA -- The effort to save Benjamin Franklin's damaged gravestone received a hefty boost from a New Jersey rocker.
A group that works to preserve the historic Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground launched an online fundraising effort earlier this month, hoping to raise $10,000 to fix the marble ledger tablet marking the Founding Father's grave. Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea, donated half that amount to help push the group's GoFundMe drive over its goal on Tuesday.
The group had raised nearly $11,900 from 190 people as of Wednesday afternoon.
Franklin's gravestone has been pitted by the thousands of pennies that visitors toss at the grave every year for good luck and, "after centuries of weather exposure," the stone developed a significant crack.
The Christ Church Preservation Trust said it needed $76,000 in total to fix the damage to Franklin's grave, most of which it raised through grants. Any additional money the group raises through the GoFundMe campaign will be put into a fund that will be exclusively used for any preservation issues at Franklin's gravesite.
Franklin, who died in 1790, is buried in a family plot in the corner of the cemetery alongside his wife, Deborah, and their two children Francis and Sarah. A brick wall surrounding the burial ground was replaced with a fence near Franklin's grave in 1858, allowing visitors to see the gravestone from Arch Street.
In addition to Franklin, four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried at the site: Joseph Hewes, Francis Hopkinson, George Ross, and Dr. Benjamin Rush.
Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.