I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia for a few days and since I knew the Museum of the American Revolution had just opened in April, it was high on my list of things to see. I had heard good things about it and I am happy to report that it is excellent.
It has been a trend, and in my opinion a horrible one, in museums to replace actual artifacts with various "interactive" activities to teach history. Not so here! The exhibits include plenty of artifacts, with clear text that puts them into context. The entire revolution is covered from beginning to end. I did have my complaints, such as I thought the French contributions were short-changed a bit, but considering how unexpectedly wonderful everything else is it is a fairly small complaint.
Here's the best part: I put this thread into the General Firearms section for a reason! The firearms of the Revolution are covered very well. In fact, it may well be the best collection of Revolutionary era firearms on display anywhere. What's more, I even witnessed a worker showing a reproduction rifle to the kids. Letting them handle it, teaching them how to load and fire it, and explaining the impact of such weapons on the battlefield. (Note to Kirk; she even explained to them to be sure not to point it at anyone even though it wasn't loaded.)
Here are a sampling of photos, but this is just a small portion.
Literally, a wall of muskets:
Weapons known to have been used by the militia at Lexington:
Weapons known to have been used by the British regiments that captured New York:
Equipment of a rifleman:
Weapons used at Cowpens:
There are also a number of dioramas that display the uniforms of the period. Tarleton's Legion:
A Hessian soldier:
There are also, of course, many artifacts besides firearms. Items known to have been used at Bunker Hill:
A pair of British holster pistols:
Naval weapons, included one captured by John Paul Jones:
That's enough to give you a good idea, but this is a small sampling. It is located just a few blocks from Independence Hall, on the same side of Chestnut street, next to the historic 2nd US Bank building.
It has been a trend, and in my opinion a horrible one, in museums to replace actual artifacts with various "interactive" activities to teach history. Not so here! The exhibits include plenty of artifacts, with clear text that puts them into context. The entire revolution is covered from beginning to end. I did have my complaints, such as I thought the French contributions were short-changed a bit, but considering how unexpectedly wonderful everything else is it is a fairly small complaint.
Here's the best part: I put this thread into the General Firearms section for a reason! The firearms of the Revolution are covered very well. In fact, it may well be the best collection of Revolutionary era firearms on display anywhere. What's more, I even witnessed a worker showing a reproduction rifle to the kids. Letting them handle it, teaching them how to load and fire it, and explaining the impact of such weapons on the battlefield. (Note to Kirk; she even explained to them to be sure not to point it at anyone even though it wasn't loaded.)
Here are a sampling of photos, but this is just a small portion.
Literally, a wall of muskets:
Weapons known to have been used by the militia at Lexington:
Weapons known to have been used by the British regiments that captured New York:
Equipment of a rifleman:
Weapons used at Cowpens:
There are also a number of dioramas that display the uniforms of the period. Tarleton's Legion:
A Hessian soldier:
There are also, of course, many artifacts besides firearms. Items known to have been used at Bunker Hill:
A pair of British holster pistols:
Naval weapons, included one captured by John Paul Jones:
That's enough to give you a good idea, but this is a small sampling. It is located just a few blocks from Independence Hall, on the same side of Chestnut street, next to the historic 2nd US Bank building.
