Birthplace of the Bill of Rights Was Just Demolished by a Developer

When the US Constitution was being developed in the years following the Revolutionary War, there were plenty of voices in American politics who were absolutely opposed to the document, for fear that it would give the government too much power. These men would become known as the Anti-Federalists, and they were largely responsible for forging the greatest check on the Federal Government’s power, the Bill of Rights.

Sadly, the birthplace of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution was almost completely destroyed recently. The James Bell Tavern, which was the site of an early Anti-Federalist meeting in 1788, was partially demolished this month by a developer. The property was previously run by an auto shop and owned by the Triple Crown Corporation, who received a permit to destroy the building by the Silver Spring Township in Pennsylvania. For reasons that haven’t been determined, the township failed to list the property as a historical landmark.

The demolition was put on hold after an anonymous source alerted the township’s Conservation and Preservation Committee to the building’s historical status. Unfortunately, about a third of the structure had already been destroyed by that point.

As unfortunate as this may be, the current state of the building is rather fitting considering the current state of our nation. Just as the James Bell Tavern is standing on its last leg, so too is our Bill of Rights, which the US Government violates on a regular basis. Perhaps the building should be left in this sorry state, to remind us all of how far our nation has fallen.