Author Archive

Mark Dixon

Mark E. Dixon is a former newspaper reporter, trade magazine editor and public relations professional. A freelance writer since 2000, he writes Main Line Today magazine’s monthly Retrospect column, which focuses on the history of the western suburbs. His interest in the grave of Benjamin Franklin stems from a decade-ago visit to the site with a daughter, when he observed that a viewing window for 18th century graveyard, created in an era in which cemeteries were not thought beautiful, just looked odd.

How Franklin’s Grave Became A Monument And Philadelphians Were Persuaded To Like It

How Franklin’s Grave Became A Monument And Philadelphians Were Persuaded To Like It

April 19, 2017  |  History

Nearly 70 years after Benjamin Franklin’s death, public outcry demanding honor for the Founding Father transformed a battered, overgrown gravesite into a popular tourist destination. But the real story isn't at all what we've been told. Join Mark Dixon as he uncovers truth and public deception behind the hole in the wall at Benjamin Franklin's grave > more