This week in Philly history: The city hosted its first public tree lighting on Christmas Eve 1913

The belfry bellowed from inside the steeple of Independence Hall at the stroke of 6 p.m.

Lucretia Blankenburg, wife of Mayor Rudolph Blankenburg, pressed the ceremonial button to light the 63-foot spruce, illuminating Philadelphia’s first municipal Christmas tree on Dec. 24, 1913. The tree, wrapped in 4,200 twinkling red, white, and blue lights and topped with a Bethlehem star, galvanized the 20,000 people packed into Independence Square on a cloudy and cold Christmas Eve.

“When the tree was illuminated, there was a wave of cheering, which swept around the square, and on the departure of the officials, the people surged around the tree,” an Inquirer reporter wrote.

And appropriately, Philadelphia’s first Christmas tree honored the nation’s history.

The tree was set in Independence Square Park, on a spot between Independence Hall, in which every window featured a lit candle, and the statue of Commodore John Barry.

And the star tree-topper was made up of 56 tiny stars, in honor of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

But in keeping with most of Philadelphia’s history, technically, New York was first.

The year before, on Dec. 21, 1912, the glory-hogging city to the north erected the country’s first community Christmas tree in Madison Square Garden park, about a mile from Rockefeller Center, which became the celebrated location of its modern tree tradition.

The first tree was the brainchild of New York socialite Emilie D. Lee Herreshoff, who wanted everyone to enjoy the joy of a tree-lighting — even those who couldn’t afford a tree of their own.

But a year later, Philadelphia’s tree was still a sight to behold, and it remained on display until New Year’s Day.