A ‘Join or Die’ sculpture on Independence Mall is slithering its way into completion

In a historic addition, Independence Mall will soon be home to a sculpture derived from an iconic political cartoon.

A 46-foot-long sculpture of Benjamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” snake is set to be unveiled this fall on the Liberty Bell Center block of the Independence Mall, near the corner of Fifth and Chestnut Streets. The sculpture will feature eight pieces that represent segments of the snake’s body. These will be carved out of granite, each marked with the initials of the respective colony it’s meant to represent.

The political cartoon created by Franklin in 1754 was first published in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. Each piece of the snake is meant to represent one of the 13 original colonies, with the cartoon calling for unity among them, particularly during the French and Indian War.

The Independence Mall sculpture will be installed on the ground, allowing visitors to interact directly with the sculpture.

“I thought it was a great idea to have that on the mall because it’s considered the first political cartoon in the country before we were a country in 1754,” said John Collins, the artist behind the sculpture. “I thought interpreting that into a large sculptural work that still has a playful element to it, that the mall is really lacking in, would be a great addition.”

Collins, who was an architect for 15 years after graduating from Penn State, had first heard of the project in the 2000s while working at landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN. Founder Laurie Olin had proposed the snake sculpture to be included in an interpretive art program for Independence Mall in 2007, but that part never came to fruition.

“During the pandemic I sent an email to Laurie asking if we could try to resuscitate the snake project and he responded within a couple hours,” said Collins, who left OLIN in 2009. “He said if I put together a proposal with a team and some costs and graphics, we could then shop it around to private donors and try to raise money for it and treat it essentially as a gift to the Park Service.”

This “gift” has come to a total of approximately $3.9 million, with funds raised by Independence Historical Trust, the park’s nonprofit fundraising organization.

The sculpture was originally one of several other improvements to the park proposed in 2025 to be completed before this year’s Semiquincentennial. In July of 2025, the Inquirer reported that the project was short the $1.6 million needed to complete the project by this summer.

Severe budget cuts to the National Park Service and other federal funding gaps forced the trust to turn to public fundraising for their improvement efforts. They were able to secure funding for this project from the state, the city, private foundations, legacy groups, and individual philanthropists.

Despite the delay, Jonathan Burton, the trust’s director of development, maintains that the fundraising was “intentionally phased.”

“Early commitments allowed the project to advance through design and engineering while additional support was secured for fabrication,” he said. “We are now working on installation fundraising.”

The installation of the sculpture still requires an additional $600,000. The trust has set up a public donation page for fundraising.

“The sculpture will create a new civic destination in the heart of Historic Philadelphia, inviting residents and visitors alike to engage with one of America’s most enduring symbols,” said Burton. “It will strengthen Philadelphia’s reputation as a city where history is not simply preserved but experienced, inspiring new conversations about the values that continue to shape our nation.”

No official unveiling date for the sculpture has been announced.