Eastern National Announces the Opening of its Newest Educational Museum Store at the New Benjamin Franklin Museum

Fort Washington, PA, August 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Eastern National is proud to announce the opening of a new educational museum store at the newly renovated Benjamin Franklin Museum, located at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The store will sell a wide variety of Franklin related commemorative items which incorporate Franklin famous quotes, apparel, period reproduction pieces such as hand blown glass from Jamestown Virginia, and books. Proceeds from the sales of items sold in the store will fund vital educational and interpretive programs at Independence National Historical Park.

The Benjamin Franklin Museum has undergone a $21 million renovation over the last two years, which was funded by local, state and non-profit entities, including the state of Pennsylvania, the city of Philadelphia, the Pew Charitable Trusts, Lenfest Foundation, William Penn Foundation and the Knight Foundation. The museum has not been revamped since the bicentennial in 1976. Interactive, animated displays complement the museum’s artifact collection, and provide an inside look at the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin.

“Our new store at the Franklin Museum is an extension of the museum itself,” said Kevin Kissling, Chief Operating Officer of Eastern National. “It allows visitors to learn more about one of the most prolific figures in American history, and affords an opportunity for visitors to bring a piece of Ben Franklin home with them through the purchase of quality educational products.”

Eastern National has partnered with Independence National Historical Park since 1951, when it opened its first sales outlet in the park in the West Wing of Independence Hall. Since then, Eastern National has funded countless educational and interpretive programs, and helped to purchase important artifacts for the park, such as a desk that was owned by Benjamin Franklin in 1965.

The Benjamin Franklin Museum and its new Eastern National Museum Store will open on Saturday, August 24, 2013. For more information about the new Benjamin Franklin Museum, contact the National Park Service at (215) 965-2305. For more information about Eastern National, visit www.eParks.com or call (877) NAT-PARK.

Eastern National is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) cooperating association, whose mission is to promote the public’s understanding and appreciation of America’s national parks and other public trusts. Operating educational and interpretive bookstores in over 150 national parks in the eastern part of the United States, Eastern National donates its profits from these operations to aid the interpretive, scientific, and historical mission of the National Park Service and other public trust partners. Since Eastern National’s founding in 1947, it has donated over $105 million to the National Park Service. Visit www.EasternNational.org for more information on Eastern National’s products and services.