American Revolutionary War Museum Yorktown

The New American Revolution War Museum At Yorktown

The Sounds of Fifes & Drums.

Story and photos by Will A. Davis

Driving along the beautiful Colonial National Parkway along the York River toward Yorktown one can almost hear the sounds of fife and drums, regimental bands and the blistering sounds of a cannonade. Yorktown, the pivotal battle in Virginia which caused British General Cornwallis to surrender his army to combined American and French forces led by George Washington has a whole new sound. The sights and sounds of visiting Revolution history live!

With the recent opening of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, an 80,000 square foot building added on to the original 1976 Yorktown Victory Center Museum, featuring expanded exhibit halls and galleries one can do just that . New and expanded Education areas bring a new and dynamic dimension to interpreting the battle for the colonies successful effort from 1776 to 1783 to become independent of Great Britain.

As you take your first steps into the beautifully renovated vestibule and lobby of the American Revolution Museum to purchase your tickets, begin your experience by exploring the Gift Shop before or after your visit, as you prefer. There is also an indoor/outdoor casual Museum Cafe just off the lobby to enjoy some downtime and treats.

Now the Revolution history begins.

Living History Revolutionary encampment

Revolutionary period farm

The Edward Moss family farm

Revolutionary Peninsula

The Colonial National Historical Park

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Activities To Do At The American Revolution Museum:

Indoor Museum: Almost 500 artifacts are on display in chronological galleries.1. Start with the 18 introductory film Liberty Fever, shown every half hour. Note: the film is quite loud and often depicts war and death and might not be suitable for young children.2. Distinguish the different uniforms of soldiers from various colonies by colors.3. Compare maps from British Colonial America in 1763 to modern day America.4. Read an original copy of the Declaration of Independence.5. Compare the size of the round shots fired from a French Siege Gun used in the Battle at Yorktown.6. Display a personal definition of the word liberty on an electronic lantern hanging from a Liberty Tree.

Outdoor Continental Army Encampment: Experience the daily life of a soldier7. Feel the heat of the outdoor kitchen where food is cooked all day by soldiers- check out their daily ration of food. 8. Learn about the medicine and treatments a regimental surgeon used- a surgeon was in attendance at every camp. 9. Hear the firing of a musket and learn about the process of loading and firing it in the amphitheater.

Outdoor Reproduction Farm 10. Smell the tobacco hung in the barn- tobacco was the #1 produced crop in American at the time.11. Watch as interpreters demonstrate how to use various woodworking tools in the utility shed. 12. Count the number of vegetable and fruits planted throughout the farm.

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Guest Services At The Front Desk

Purchase tickets or become a member at the Front Desk located on the first floor of the Museum’s Rotunda.

The Museum is committed to making its facilities, exhibits, and programs accessible for all audiences. Wheelchairs for use within the Museum are available free of charge on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Front Desk.

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American Revolution Museum At Yorktown Artifact Gallery

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. A sampling of the museums collection of more than 1,300 artifacts of the American Revolution and early national periods including documents, paintings, engravings, military equipment, tools, personal effects and furnishings is presented here.

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral

Formidable

Votes and Proceedings of the American Continental Congress

Common Sense

Militia In The Revolutionary War

If I was called upon to declare upon Oath, whether the Militia have been most serviceable or hurtful upon the whole I should subscribe to the latter. George Washington, September 1776

The role of the militia in the American Revolution is interpreted at The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown special events. Militia re-enactors present a musket firing demonstration at an October Yorktown Victory Celebration event.

Even before the struggle for American independence ended, two contrasting views of the role of the Revolutionary militia had emerged. Popular opinion, remembering the gallant stand of the Minutemen at Concord and Lexington, held fast to the ideal of the brave citizen soldier as the mainstay of defense. Other Americans however, including many Continental Army veterans, derided the militias reputation for fleeing in the face of the enemy. The early histories of the Revolution also tended to minimize the contributions of the militia, and one acclaimed account of the war, written as late as 1929, even referred to the utter failure of the militia system.

More than 3,000 militiamen, under the command of Governor Thomas Nelson, were present at the Siege at Yorktownin October 1781. Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Collection

Visitors at the The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are invited to train as members of a citizen militia during the Liberty Celebration in July.

Listen to an audio interview with Edward Ayres and Steve Clark of WCVE

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American Revolution Museum At Yorktown Tours And Tickets

After stepping foot on the ground where America secured its independence in the final, decisive battle of the Revolutionary War, head to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to experience what post-war life was like in the newly free colonies. A living-history museum, the Yorktown Victory Center features indoor exhibitions, a Continental Army Encampment and a 1780s farm.

Two of the most fascinating exhibits include an early draft of the Declaration of Independence, before it was given to Congress members to sign, and one that covers the fates of British ships lost in the York River during the war. At the outdoors Continental Army Encampment, historical interpreters detail the lives of American soldiers at the end of the war. Also outdoors, a fully recreated 18th-century farm showcases the types of crops tended to in that time period and the lifestyles of many Americans during the war.

American Revolution Museum At Yorktown

Take in the Revolution through dynamic gallery exhibits, films and outdoor living history.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells the story of the nations founding, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond. Exciting indoor galleries feature period artifacts, immersive environments and films, including The Siege of Yorktown, with a 180-degree surround screen and dramatic special effects.

In the outdoor areas, visit a re-created Continental Army encampment to learn about the life of a soldier and take in daily demonstrations on medical treatment, camp life and cooking, and see firings of a flintlock musket. Explore a Revolution-era farm, based on a real-life 18th-century family, to help with chores in the house, kitchen, tobacco barn, gardens and crops.

Open year-round 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Christmas and New Years days.

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A Video Tour Of The American Revolution Museum At Yorktown And The Yorktown Battlefield

Considered the last major battle of the American Revolution, Yorktown is synonymous with American victory. It was the beginning of the end of the war, and a crucial moment of triumph for the fledgling United States of America.

On a short trip to Virginia, I was inundated with history from all periods of the countrys past. Just one example: Jamestown, the location of the first permanent British settlement in America in 1607, is a mere half hour from Yorktown, the site where the British ultimately relinquished their foothold in 1781. Add onto that its role during the Civil War, plus the DC area creating and preserving the countrys politics and culture, and its undeniable: Virginia has seen it all.

The Yorktown Battlefield is part of the Colonial National Historical Park, and you can tour the grounds from your car. On the ~100°F day I visited, this was a welcome relief. A handy map takes you to the different positions utilized by the British, the French, and the Americans, and a smartphone app provides helpful supplemental information and context. While youll have to use a bit of imagination to bring to life the now-empty grassy fields where historically vital events took place, its a great day out for anyone eager to explore one of the most important battlefields in the United States.

Museum Of The American Revolution

The Museum of the American Revolution 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.

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Ways To Explore The American Revolution Museum At Yorktown

Adjacent to the Colonial National Historical Park which includes the Yorktown Battlefield, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown brings to life one of the most consequential battles of the American Revolution. In October of 1781, American General George Washington and French General Comte de Rochambeau cornered British troops, forcing General Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown. Yorktown, a small town on the banks of the York River, is close to Williamsburg and Jamestown. The three towns are known as the Historic Triangle.

The American Revolution Museum opened in the spring of 2017 with a 22 acre site that includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, classrooms, media rooms, a large gift shop, and cafe. The museum is family friendly, inviting, and encourages engagement. Most exhibits are interactive, whether they invite visitors to touch artifacts, take a quiz and check answers by sliding screens, touch screens that encourage guessing or hypothesizing, or with telephones that play recorded narratives. There are also several spaces to sit and watch short films or more in depth displays. Be sure to leave plenty of time to explore the reproduction farm- there are several interpreters who will engage and include visitors in various demonstrations. During off season winter months, guides provide information inside the museum before brief tours of the outdoor areas.

Traveling with Kids:

Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum At Yorktown

Take a journey of historic proportions at Jamestown Settlementand the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown two history museums that tell the story of Americas beginnings. Discover the real people and events of Americas first permanent English colony in 1607 to the Revolution and the establishment of a new nation almost two centuries later through immersive galleries and outdoor living-history.

Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and located along Virginias scenic Colonial Parkway. Visit with a variety of ticket options for your historic getaway.

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Chestnut Street Bas Reliefs

Designed by artist Ellen Qiong Schicktanz, the Museum has two bronze sculptural reliefs installed along Chestnut Street.

The first sculpture is located in the William and Lauran Buck Revolution Courtyard and features Emanuel Leutzes Washington Crossing the Delaware. The nighttime crossing of the Delaware River was the turning point of the Revolution, when Washingtons army, despite months of demoralizing defeat, found the courage to launch a nearly impossible raid that galvanized the entire nation.

The second sculpture is located in the Marjorie and Lewis Katz Liberty Courtyard and features John Trumbulls The Declaration of Independence. The original painting is displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The foreground figures are life-size, drawing pedestrians into the iconic depiction of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress by the drafting committee, which included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.

American Revolution Museum At Yorktown Galleries

PERIOD ARTIFACTS COMBINE WITH SENSORY EXPERIENCES TO TELL A COMPELLING STORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Iconic artifacts of the American Revolution and early national periods acquired in recent years for the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are among close to 500 objects on exhibit in the 22,000-square-foot permanent exhibition galleries opened October 15, 2016.

Along with immersive environments, dioramas, interactive exhibits and short films, period artifacts engage visitors in the story of the American Revolution, from its origins in the mid-1700s to the early years of the new United States. The galleries, where visitors first encounter a rare first-model Brown Bess British infantry musket dated 1741 and a rare early American long rifle two remarkable survivals from the era of the nations birth present five major themes.

The Changing Relationship Britain and North America describes rising tensions between the American colonies and chronicles the growing rift, from the Stamp Act of 1665 to the First Continental Congress in 1774. Within a full-scale wharf setting including a Red Lion Tavern that serves up a short film issues of taxation and British economic control are brought into focus. Among artifacts on exhibit are an English-made firing glass and silver teaspoons inscribed with symbols of liberty and a document box embossed with the gilded text Stamp Act Rep /March 18, 1766.

King George III in his coronation robes

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American Revolution Museum At Yorktown Tells A New The Story Of The Nations Founding

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells the story of the nations founding, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond. Stories of citizens and soldiers unfold through immersive indoor exhibits and outdoor living-history experiences that capture the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today.

The 22,000-square-foot permanent exhibition galleries engage visitors in the tumult, drama and promise of the Revolution through nearly 500 period artifacts and immersive environments, interactive exhibits and short films, including an experiential theater that transports visitors to the Siege of Yorktown. A vibrant outdoor living-history experience complements and enhances the storyline with a re-created Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm where costumed historical interpreters engage visitors in an array of activities, from military drills to cloth making.

Dont Just Visit the Past, Get into it with Immersive Films and Gallery Exhibits In the 170-seat museum theater, the award-winning film Liberty Fever introduces visitors to the world of Revolutionary America. The Siege of Yorktown film transports visitors into the action of Americas 1781 victory shown on a 180-degree screen with dramatic special effects, including wind, smoke and the thunder of cannon fire.