52nd Annual Delaware Show

THE WASHINGTON COLLECTION AT THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BY DR. R. SCOTT STEPHENSON When the Museum of the American Revolution opens in spring 2017, visitors will have an opportunity to view a fabulous collection of objects associated with George and Martha Washington that have been assembled over more than a century. The museum, under construction just steps from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, will encompass more than 25,000 square feet of exhibits and theaters. The core exhibition will begin by exploring the roots of the American Revolution in the years following Great Britain’s victory over France and Spain in the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) through the outbreak of fighting near Boston in spring 1775. Visitors will follow the paths of ordinary and well-known people as they grapple with the dangers and opportunities of a revolutionary conflict; as they create a groundswell of support for declaring independence; and as they struggle and sacrifice to define and secure the blessings of hard-won liberty. Having explored the multifaceted dimensions of revolutionary change in an era of conflict and upheaval, the core exhibition will conclude with the creation of the American republic and reflections on the legacies of the American Revolution for subsequent generations, including our own. George and Martha Washington—the focus of the loan exhibition at the 2015 Delaware Antiques Show—will be featured throughout the core exhibition and media programs at the Museum of the American Revolution. The collection of Washington-associated objects at the museum has its origins in the patriotism and collecting acumen of the Reverend W. Herbert Burk, D.D. (1867–1933). As rector of All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Burk first signaled what would become his all-consuming passion in a 1903 speech at Valley Forge. Calling for a monument to Washington’s memory, he founded both the Washington Fig. 1. Valley Forge postcard, ca. 1911. — 24 —