8 Historic Sites Closed Due to Budget Crunch

Eight historic sites closed to the public Monday, victims of a federal budget crunch, amid expressions of “disappointment, shock and outrage” from tourists.

The eight sites out of a total of 19 open to the public at Independence National Historical Park will remain locked until Congress decides how much money to allocate to the National Park Service, which operates the landmarks.

While the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the city’s most popular tourist attractions, will remain open, the Second Bank of the United States, which hosted 140,036 visitors last year, was among those shuttered.