As Secretary of the Continental Congress he with John Hancock were the only signers of the Declaration of Independence.  He continued in that position until 1789.  

First Reading of the Declaration of Independence - 1776 - On July 2nd, the Continental Congress voted to approve Virginia's Resolution that These Colonies are and of right ought to be Free and Independent states. Congress spent the next two days editing the text of the final document which was sent to John Dunlop, a Philadelphia Printer.  200 copies were printed.  26 survive today.  The delegates actually signed it on August 2, 1776 in the Pennsylvania State House, perhaps not quite as dramatically as the story depicted in the Musical 1776. 

Signing of the United States Declaration of Independence - 1776 - The signing of the Declaration of Independence took place on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. The 56 delegates from the 13 colonies, except for New York, which abstained, voted to approve it on July 4, 1776. The Declaration declared that the colonies were now "free and independent States" and no longer a part of the British Empire. The signers’ names are grouped by state, except for John Hancock, as President of the Continental Congress. The final draft was approved on July 4, but it was signed on August 2, according to most historians.

1st subscription library in the US - 1731 - The Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin and the Junto, was America’s first successful subscription library. Created when books were scarce and expensive, it allowed members to pool their resources to build a shared collection for learning and debate. The library later served the Continental Congress and the federal government, and today remains an independent research library, with more than half a million rare books, prints, and manuscripts documenting early American history.

Carpenters' Hall - 1775 - Carpenters’ Hall, completed in 1775, is one of Philadelphia’s most important Revolutionary‑era buildings and the historic meeting place of the First Continental Congress. Designed by architect Robert Smith for the Carpenters’ Company of the City and County of Philadelphia, the oldest surviving craft guild in the United States, the building reflects a refined Georgian style, with balanced proportions and a dignified brick façade that signaled the Company’s prominence in the city’s civic and architectural life.In September 1774, delegates from twelve colonies gathered here to coordinate a unified response to British policies, marking one of the earliest formal steps toward American independence. The Hall later housed Benjamin Franklin’s Library Company, the American Philosophical Society, and various military and financial offices during the Revolutionary period.Today, Carpenters’ Hall stands within Independence National Historical Park as a privately owned but publicly accessible historic site. It preserves both the architectural craftsmanship of the Carpenters’ Company and the political legacy of the Congress that met within its walls, offering a direct link to the debates and alliances that shaped the founding of the United States.

Liberty Bell, Philadelphia - 1752 - The Liberty Bell, originally known as the State House Bell, is an enduring symbol of American independence and freedom. It bears the inscription “Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof.” Today, it is displayed in the Liberty Bell Center across from Independence Hall in Philadelphia.