Montgomery County played an important role in the American Revolution and that history will be celebrated at an upcoming exhibition at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

The exhibit, Witness to Revolution: The Unlikely Travels of Washington’s Tents, will open on President’s Day weekend.

It tells the story of how General George Washington’s headquarters tent from the Revolutionary War survived and the people who protected it.

The tent, made for Washington in the spring of 1778 while his army camped at Valley Forge, is now the crown jewel in the Museum’s collection.

It was Washington’s home during the Continental Army’s winter encampment at Valley Forge and preserved by his family.

In 1909, Reverend W. Herbert Burk of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Norristown raised $4,500 to buy the tent from Mary Custis Lee, a descendant of Martha Washington and Robert E. Lee’s daughter.

He made Washington’s headquarters tent the centerpiece of his Valley Forge Museum of American History and in 2003, the collection was transferred to the National Center for American Revolution, now the Museum of the American Revolution.

During the special exhibition, more than 100 artifacts from across the country will be on display to expand the story told during the Museum’s Washington’s War Tent theater presentation.

“Since the Museum’s opening, visitors who have viewed our dramatic Washington’s War Tent presentation are often moved to tears and want to know more about the tent’s role as George Washington’s wartime home and about the diverse people who ensured that it survived to the present day,” said Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, Museum President, and CEO.

The exhibition which includes touchscreen interactives, audio, and video elements will be on view at the Museum from February 17, 2024, through January 5, 2025.

It is included in regular Museum admission.

Read more about Washington’s headquarters tent and the special exhibit at the Museum of the American Revolution.

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