Housed in a glass-fronted pavilion on Independence Mall, the Liberty Bell was crafted in London's Whitechapel Foundry in 1751, but developed a crack soon after its arrival in Philadelphia and had to be recast by local metalsmiths John Pass and John Stowe. Beginning in 1753, the 2,000-pound bell hung in the State House belfry for almost 100 years. Today it is a national symbol of freedom.