Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution (formerly The American Revolution Center) is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania dedicated to telling the story of the American Revolution. The museum was opened to the public on April 19, 2017, the 242nd anniversary of the first battles of the war, at Lexington and Concord, on April 19, 1775.[2]
Overview
The museum owns a collection of several thousand objects including artwork and sculpture, textiles and weapons, manuscripts and rare books. Permanent and special exhibition galleries, theaters and large-scale tableaux portray the individuals and events and engage people in the history and continuing relevance of the American Revolution.
Morris W. Offit[3] serves as the chairman of the Board of the Directors. Dr. R. Scott Stephenson was named president and CEO in November 2018. Philadelphia area media entrepreneur and philanthropist H. F. "Gerry" Lenfest served as chairman of the board of directors from 2005 until 2016 and was instrumental in leading the Museum to its opening in 2017.[4]
Location
The museum is located in the historic heart of Philadelphia, the city that served as the headquarters of America's founding. The site is across the street from the First Bank of the United States and two blocks from Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center, Second Bank of the United States, American Philosophical Society, Carpenters' Hall, and the Liberty Bell.
Design and construction
The building was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), and on June 12, 2012, RAMSA partner and Driehaus Prize winner Robert A. M. Stern unveiled designs for the permanent location.[5] Groundbreaking for the museum occurred in fall 2014.
The museum rises three stories above the street and, with a full basement, encompasses 118,000 total square feet, with 32,000 dedicated to exhibits and interpretive spaces. The first floor includes a museum shop and the Cross Keys Café which opens to the sidewalk. The first floor interior is organized around a skylit central interior court and features a cross-vaulted ticketing lobby, a multi-use theater and a changing exhibition gallery. The second floor features 18,000 square feet of galleries and a theater dedicated to the exhibition of George Washington's marquee tent. The museum's third floor offers rooms for events and two terraces overlooking the First Bank of the United States, Independence National Historical Park, and the Philadelphia skyline beyond. The museum is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification.[6]
The museum opened on 19 April 2017.
Outdoor plaza
The Museum's outdoor plaza opened on 25 September 2016. It is accessible to both museum visitors and to passersby, and feature dramatic installations of Revolutionary War artifacts, bronze sculpture, shaded seating, and – once the museum building opens, seasonal café seating.[7]
Exhibits
Visitors follow a chronological journey from the roots of conflict in the 1760s to the rise of armed resistance, the Declaration of independence of 1776 through the final years of the war. Visitors see the diversity of revolutionary-era Americans and their opinions, for example by viewing an Oneida Indian council house, and the 1773 volume Poems on Various Subjects by Phillis Wheatley, America's first published black female poet.
Several immersive gallery experiences feature a full-scale replica of Boston's Liberty Tree, the recreation of an Oneida Indian Council, the Battlefield Theater featuring the Battle of Brandywine, a recreation of Independence Hall, and a large model of an 18th-century privateer ship. A dedicated theater houses an iconic surviving artifact of the Revolution: General Washington's Headquarters Tent, which served as both his office and sleeping quarters throughout much of the war.
The Museum's president and CEO, formerly the Vice President of Collections, Exhibitions, and Programming, Dr. R. Scott Stephenson holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of Virginia. Stephenson is a specialist in colonial and revolutionary American history and material culture with a background in visual storytelling. Dr. Philip C. Mead, Chief Historian and Director of Curatorial Affairs, holds an M.A. and PhD in American History from Harvard University.
Other historians who have been consulted on the project include: Richard Beeman (University of Pennsylvania), Vincent Brown (Harvard University), Thomas Chavez (National Hispanic Cultural Center), Thomas J. Fleming (writer and novelist), James Hattendorf (US Naval War College), Don Higginbotham (University of North Carolina), Pauline Maier (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Holly Mayer (Duquesne University), Thomas McGuire (Malvern Preparatory School), David McCullough (Yale University), Gary Nash (University of California, LA), Ray Raphael (University of California, Berkeley), Matthew Spooner (Columbia University), Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (Harvard University), and Gordon S. Wood (Brown University).
Collection
George Washington's tent
The Museum of the American Revolution has a collection of several thousand objects. The museum's collection includes items owned and used by General George Washington during the War of Independence, an extensive collection of historic firearms and edged weapons, important art, important manuscripts, and rare books. The collection started by Rev. W. Herbert Burk in the early 1900s makes up the core of the collection.[8]
Some items have been displayed at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Valley Forge National Historical Park, the National Constitution Center, the Winterthur Museum, the Senator John Heinz History Center and the North Carolina Museum of History. [9]
Highlights include:
George Washington's tent[citation needed]
Silver camp cups from Washington's field equipment[10]
Wartime correspondence and books from Washington's library
The thirteen-star flag known as the Commander-in-Chief's Standard
The fowling piece carried by Captain David Brown, leader of a company of minutemen from Concord, Massachusetts, and a British military musket carried by a soldier of the 4th (King's Own) Regiment of Foot, both of whom participated in the first battle of the War of Independence, April 19, 1775.
A Dreadful Scene of Havock, Xavier della Gatta's painting of the Battle of Paoli
The Battle of Germantown, by Xavier della Gatta (1782)
William B. T. Trego’s iconic 1883 painting The March to Valley Forge.[11]
Soldiers’ letters and orderly books as well as volumes owned by Patrick Henry, George Mason and other founders
Volume of ancient Roman history by the author and historian Livy, owned by George Mason[12]
A copy of the first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence, printed by the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776[13]
British plan of the Battle of Brandywine[14]
Hessian headgear[15]
Selections from the collection
The March to Valley Forge, William B. T. Trego (1883)
The March to Valley Forge, William B. T. Trego (1883)
Continental Currency (1776)
Continental Currency (1776)
First newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence, Pennsylvania Evening Post (1776)
First newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence, Pennsylvania Evening Post (1776)
Plan of the Battle of Brandywine (1777)
Plan of the Battle of Brandywine (1777)
Awards
In 2012, the museum received the MUSE Award (Silver level) from the American Alliance of Museums in the category of Mobile Applications, recognizing the museum's American Revolution Interactive Timeline iPad app.[16]
In 2017, the museum received the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Award in the category of Preservation Planning for Washington's War Tent.
In 2017, the museum was nominated for a Leading Cultural Destinations Award 2017 – “The Museum Oscars” – for Best New Cultural Destination of the Year, North America.
In 2017, the museum's digital interactives by Bluecadet won a Communication Arts 2017 Design Annual Awards.
In 2017, the museum won an Award of Merit from the British Guild of Travel Writers.
In 2017, the museum was named Engineering News-Record’s Best Projects 2017 Award of Merit in the Cultural/Worship Category.
In 2017, the museum was named ACE 2017 URBAN PROJECT OF THE YEAR.
In 2018, the museum received an Excellence in Exhibition Award for Special Achievement for engaging audiences in something they think they know in new ways from the American Alliance of Museums (AAM).
In 2018, the museum received PA Museums' Institutional Award for Washington's War Tent.
In 2018, the museum was awarded an AASLH Award of Merit.
In 2018, the Institute of Classical Architecture recognized the Museum of the American Revolution with its Stanford White Award in the category of commercial, civic, and institutional architecture.
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.
At the Museum
Plan your visit to rediscover the Revolution in historic Philadelphia.
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Plan Your Visit
Purchase Museum tickets, enhance your visit with guided tours, and plan your Museum experience with information on directions, parking, shopping, dining, and more.
Plan Your Visit
October 2018 Educator Open House in the Galleries
Walking & Guided Tours
Explore the Museum with an expert with the Museum's robust lineup of tours, including early access tours, in-gallery highlights tours, audio tours, outdoor neighborhood walking tours, tactile tours, and more.
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Three guests view the Arms of Independence case and touch screen in the Museum galleries.
Book Your Group Visit
The Museum offers in-person and virtual experiences and tours for student, youth, or adult groups to explore the remarkable story of America’s founding.
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This image shows adolescent males, in military costumes, sitting inside the camp site tent in Revolution Place. There is also a mother dressing her son in a military costume, standing outside the tent.
EXHIBITS
Revolution Place
Saturdays & Sundays, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
The Museum’s family-friendly discovery center, open Saturdays and Sundays, brings to life the Museum’s lively, diverse Old City neighborhood during the 1700s and invites visitors to learn through hands-on exploration.
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Rhonda Brace (left), a descendent of Jeffrey Brace, who was enslaved during the Revolutionary era, found freedom, and wrote a memoir in 1810, which was republished in 2004 by Kari Winter (right).
Upcoming Museum Events
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Philip Gabriel Photography
Host Your Event at the Museum
The Museum is the perfect setting for your next corporate meeting, gala, event, fundraiser, or wedding with innovative menus crafted by our exclusive caterer, Brûlée Catering.
Learn & Explore
Whether you're learning from the classroom or the comfort of your home, experience the Museum from anywhere at any time with our digital resources.
Discover Online
A watercolor depicts Deborah and Harry, with their backs to the viewer, aboard a ship setting sail for Nova Scotia. They look out on men and women in the streets fighting for their freedom, as the Americans won the war. Many people were fighting for a place on the ships that were evacuating Loyalists.
Interactive Features
Dig into the compelling stories and complex events of the American Revolution with out interactive online learning experiences, including Season of Independence, Picturing Washington's Army, and the award-winning Finding Freedom.
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Bluecadet
360-Degree Virtual Tours
Explore our 360-degree virtual tours, including our Virtual Museum Tour, Virtual Tour of Washington's Field Headquarters, and Liberty Exhibit Virtual Tour, which feature panoramic images, supplemental audio and video, and more.
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Online Exhibits
Explore the Museum's online exhibits, including When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story as well as Cost of Revolution: The Life and Death of an Irish Soldier and Among His Troops: Washington's War Tent in a Newly Discovered Watercolor.
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General George Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters tent on display at the Museum
Washington's War Tents
Explore the cornerstone of the Museum's collection, General George Washington's Revolutionary War Tent, and the handsewn, full-scale replica of his field headquarters.
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Watch AmRev360 Episodes
Watch lively conversations on the American Revolution from all angles, hosted by Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson and featuring a broad slate of dynamic guests.
Watch
200th Edition Museum Staff Picks Reading List includes A People’s History of the American Revolution by Ray Raphael; John Adams by David McCullough; Never Caught by Erica Armstrong Dunbar; American Revolutions: A Continental History 1750-1804 by Alan Taylor; The Shoemaker and the Tea Party by Alfred F. Young; and Spies in the Continental Capital by John A. Nagy. The books are stacked on top of one another on a wooden bench outside on a sunny day. The books and the bench are in clear view while the background is blurred.
Read the Revolution
Browse a curated collection of excerpts from more than 200 thought-provoking books about the American Revolution and its ongoing legacy.
Browse Excerpts
Join & Support
Your support helps us continue to uncover and share compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government.
Support the Museum
Image 090420 Museum Galleries Photo Credit Jeff Fusco 2
Jeff Fusco
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A visitor holds a miniature version of George Washington's standard flag in front of photographs of people from the Revolutionary generation who lived into the age of photography.
Ways to Give
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Bluecadet
Corporate Partnerships
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Visit Us
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About 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 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.
Our History
Learn more about how the Museum of the American Revolution evolved from an idea by a history-minded minister in Valley Forge to welcoming more than a million visitors in historic Philadelphia .
Building Sustainability
Learn more about the Museum of the American Revolution's commitment to environmental sustainability.
Museum Building Exterior Green Roof
Highlights of Our Sustainability Efforts
• LEED Gold certified
• A green roof covers 50 percent of the building
• A stormwater retention system recycles as much as 18,000 gallons of water a day
• More than 80 percent of lighting is LED
• Approximately 80 percent of cleaning products used are eco-friendly
• Approximately 70 percent of the electricity used comes from green energy
Is the Museum of the American Revolution worth it?
This comprehensive, deeply insightful museum brought the revolution to me in such a captivating way that I was so uplifted by the end of the visit. Brilliant! Impressed by thematic references throughout the role of slavery, Native Americans and women and the impact the Revolution had on them.
How long does it take to go through Museum of American Revolution?
This 1.5-hour guided tour covers about a mile and stops outside iconic sites including City Tavern, Independence Hall, and Carpenters Hall to discuss the experiences of everyday people in the Revolutionary era.
Who created the Museum of the American Revolution?
Our History
Herbert Burk, launched a two-year fundraising effort to acquire the tent that General George Washington used as his mobile headquarters throughout much of the Revolutionary War. Even then he dreamed of the tent becoming the centerpiece of a future national museum devoted to America's founding.
What should you not miss at the National Museum of American History?
Star-Spangled Banner; Washington's uniform; Jefferson's lap desk; Dorothy's ruby slippers; American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.
How many artifacts are in the Museum of the American Revolution?
Nearly 500 objects made and used during the second half of the 18th century are on exhibit throughout the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown galleries.