Museum of the American Revolution
101 South 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 253-6731
https://www.facebook.com/AmRevMuseum/
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Museum of the American Revolution
(From the Museum’s website)
On a recent trip to Philadelphia for the Cornell versus Penn Football Game (We won!), I had on my bucket list a series of small museums that I wanted to visit. One of them was the Museum of the American Revolution at 101 South 3rd Street in Old Town Philadelphia.
What was supposed to be a two-hour visit ended up being almost four hours of fascinating artifacts, paintings, murals, flags, ammunition and cold hard facts about the Revolutionary War and its beginnings, battles and finally peace.
My first stop in the museum was the exhibition “Liberty: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War” which showed the artists interpretations of the historical battles and occurrences that took place during the war from the travels of Paul Revere to the Battles of New York and New Jersey. The paintings tried to explain the happenings in the war years since photography did not exist at the time.
The exhibit takes the viewer on a journey with the troops and each of the happenings in different parts of the new country. The Battles both North and South that people fought for their wanting freedoms from a society that they felt was not listening to them and repressing them both socially and economically.
“The Boston Massacre” as seen by an eye witness account
This led to the main exhibitions on the second floor “A Revolutionary War”, “The Darkest Hour” and “A New Nation”. Each room built on the timeline of the War starting with the Stamp and Tea Taxes that Britian imposed on the Colonists who felt they had been taxed enough and the system did not go through even the colonial government set up at the time.
Room by Room leads you from situation to situation and battle to battle and the people who fought them. It was interesting in that you see the role that men and woman both White and Black and the Native Americans played in each situation. These were things I never read in a history book. You see how ordinary people played a role in shaping this country by fighting for their freedom with very little in ways of ammunition and direction.
You also notice the changes that could have happened with some of the disastrous battles in the beginning of the war that almost led to General Washington being removed, which would have changed the trajectory of the war. There were stories of how other European powers such as the French got involved with the war and new immigrants to the country of German descent played their role in the battles.
The two artifacts that I found most interesting first was the pieces of the King George Statute that stood in the Bowling Green Park in Lower Manhattan. There were pieces of the statue that still existed and had not been melted down. Another interesting fact was that the head of the statue was smuggled back to England by Loyalists of the Crown. I had thought the whole thing had been melted down (this was on loan from the New York Historical Society).
The other artifact that caught my attention was the tent that General Washington had used on his battles as his ‘war room’. They showed us in a film program the tent he used at Valley Forge that had been saved by his wife’s granddaughter, who was General Lee’s wife. The tent and other artifacts had been held at the Lee Estate by his wife and had been protected by one of the slaves on the plantation. I thought that was an interesting story.
The later rooms tell the story of a nation in growth and change. From the makings of building the nation to the Women’s Suffrage, you can see the way we have evolved as a nation.
This is a museum that takes several hours to enjoy and you need about three to four hours to truly enjoy it. This is an all-day affair.
The Museum of the American Revolutionary War History:
(From the Museum’s website)
Mission & Vision:
When the museum of the American Revolution opened its doors on April 19th, 2017, it fulfilled a promise made more than a century ago to create a museum dedicated to telling the rich and complex story of our nation’s founding. Since then, we have a delivered an exceptional experience to hundreds of thousands of visitors and established ourselves as a destination that brings history to life in a unique and powerful way.
Mission:
The Museum uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people.
Our Vision:
To ensure that the promise of the American Revolution endures.
History of the Museum:
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures.
Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19th, 2017, is a private, non-profit and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit http://www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877-740-1776.
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