Revolutionary Things: Objects from the State Museum’s Permanent Collection

Long considered the birthplace of the nation, Pennsylvania is home to many of the people, events, and symbols of America’s war for independence from Great Britain. On the occasion of the nation’s 250th anniversary, The State Museum of Pennsylvania recently opened a special exhibit showcasing over 140 artifacts from the museum’s permanent collections. Titled “Revolutionary Things,” the approximately 3000 sq ft exhibit draws a range of objects associated with Pennsylvania’ s role in the Revolutionary War, as well as the subsequent commemoration and memorialization of this turning point period in both Pennsylvania and American history. Some of the objects on display have a documented history of use from that revolutionary time and are therefore quite rare. Others reflect the wide variety of ways in which later generations of Pennsylvanians remembered, imagined, and celebrated the nation’s founding and the Keystone State’s central role in it. Join Dr. Curt Miner, Chief of Interpretation and Senior History Curator at the State Museum, for a closer look at this new exhibit during January’s virtual Learn at Lunchtime program.