Travel Trip Presidential Philadelphia
Christ Church in Philadelphia hopes to raise $10,000 in order to repair damage to Benjamin Franklin's gravestone that was caused, in part, by visitors who toss pennies on the marble ledger tablet. Here, visitors look at the grave in a July 2016 file photo. (Photo by Beth J. Harpaz | AP)
PHILADELPHIA -- The tradition of flinging pennies on Benjamin Franklin's gravestone has left a Philadelphia church looking for donors to throw more than a few cents their way to repair damage caused by the coin-tossing ritual.
The surface of the marble ledger tablet marking the Founding Father's grave has been pitted by the thousands of pennies lobbed at it by visitors every year, according to a nonprofit group charged with the preservation of the historic Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground. The grave has now, "after centuries of weather exposure," developed a significant crack, the group said.
The Christ Church Preservation Trust hopes to raise $10,000 to fix the damage. The group launched a GoFundMe campaign earlier this month and had raised more than $2,000 as of Tuesday morning.
Visitors have been able to see Franklin's grave from Arch Street since 1858, when the church opened the burial ground's brick wall, and every year "hundreds of thousands of visitors toss pennies at the grave for good luck" as a nod to Franklin's adage, "a penny saved in a penny earned," according to the Christ Church Preservation Trust.
The group has secured grants to help with the preservation of the gravestone but said it needs $10,000 by the end of the year in order to finish the project by the anniversary of Franklin's death in April 2017.
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.
Erin O'Neill may be reached at eoneill@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LedgerErin. Find NJ.com on Facebook.