transforming the Yorktown Victory Center into the
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 3605, Williamsburg, VA 23187
(757) 253-4139 ~ www.historyisfun.org
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transforming the Yorktown Victory Center into the
AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN
“Oh God! It is all over,” exclaimed British Prime Minister Lord North upon hearing of
the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. For the victorious Americans, it was the
dawn of a new era. Though a treaty officially ending hostilities and recognizing the young
United States of America was two years away, the outcome of the American Revolution was
determined at Yorktown.
For the past two decades, next to the site
of this pivotal event in American history, the
Yorktown Victory Center has chronicled the
Revolution through gallery exhibits and living
history, from the beginnings of colonial unrest
to the adoption of the Constitution and Bill of
Rights, with emphasis on personal stories of the
Revolutionary era.
Now the Victory Center is embarking on
its next chapter with an imposing new facility
and a reconfigured site plan that allow for
expanded gallery exhibits, enhanced outdoor
interpretive programming, and a renewed perspective on the meaning and impact of the
Revolution. The new museum will be called American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
A public-private partnership will be crucial as the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
implements the long-range plan to strengthen the museum galleries, outdoor exhibits, and
education programs and bring the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to reality.
Building and exhibit construction and renovations to the site are funded by the Commonwealth
of Virginia. Total cost of planning and construction is estimated at $50 million. The
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., has secured leadership gifts that, to date, total more than
$3.9 million to support projects and programs that require private funding to become reality. An
additional $2.7 million has been raised for the Annual Fund.
The new name – American Revolution Museum at Yorktown – was adopted by the
Board of Trustees on May 11, 2012. Recommended by a board naming study task force, the new
name will be implemented upon completion of the new museum. The Yorktown Victory Center
will continue to welcome visitors and school groups during construction.
“The plans…are outstanding and
exciting. They offer opportunities to
integrate the stories of home front and
battlefront life in imaginative and
effective ways that are not possible
within the current configuration of the
YVC. The plan is thoughtful,
visionary, and compelling.”
~ David Donath, President, the Woodstock
Foundation, Inc. &member, JYF Museum and
Programs Advisory Council
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A NEW MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
As an educational institution of the Commonwealth, the Jamestown-Yorktown
Foundation places its highest priority on delivering innovative, effective educational programs.
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown will encourage visitors to think beyond the
history they learned in textbooks and use critical thinking skills to consider the significance and
current relevance of the Revolution.
“A Clear Sense of Mission”
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational institution of the Commonwealth
of Virginia, shall foster through its living-history museums – Jamestown Settlement and
Yorktown Victory Center – an understanding and awareness of the early history, settlement, and
development of the United States through the convergence of American Indian, European, and
African cultures and the enduring legacies bequeathed to the nation.
In renewing accreditation for the
Foundation’s museums in 2011, the
American Alliance of Museums “…found
the educational programs and collections
management practices to be excellent”
and “observed an institution with a clear
sense of mission and service to its
audience.” It is this mission and audience
that remain at the forefront as we develop
and create the American Revolution
Museum at Yorktown.
Permanent Galleries
The new museum will offer expanded galleries, classrooms, and visitor services all in one
building. The new gallery exhibits and living-history programs at the American Revolution
Museum at Yorktown will explore the ideas and events that served as catalysts to an American
revolution and the struggle for a uniquely American identity. Visitors will be guided through
five key themes of the American Revolution:
“The British Empire and America”
“The Changing Relationship – Britain and North America”
“Revolution”
“The New Nation”
“The American People”
Vibrant, interactive gallery exhibits will provide an exceptional visitor experience.
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To meet the expectations of today’s intergenerational museum audiences, the new
museum galleries are strategically designed to include
Artifacts
Short films
Interactive touch screen technology
Dynamic indoor exhibit
Themes for the galleries will address Virginia Standards of Learning for the history and
social studies areas of geography, civics, economics, and history at the elementary, middle, and
high school levels.
Legacies to Future Generations: Artifacts are the tangible pieces of our past that endure
for generations. In line with our educational mission, we acquire artifacts for their value
as educational tools and their ability to help tell the dramatic and compelling story of
American independence. Over the past several years, the Foundation has focused
considerable attention on expanding our collection of 18th-century artifacts. These
artifacts will provide tangible illustration of the lessons being taught to school children
and visitors of all ages.
Far left: Life-size plaster statue of George Washington made by William James Hubard in the 1850s, a copy of a late-18th-century marble
statue by Jean-Antoine Houdon that resides in the Virginia State Capitol.
Below: Miniature of Daniel Morgan, renowned for defeating the British at
Cowpens in 1781, by James Peale. Cream ware jug dating to the 1770s
decorated with the inscriptions “God speed the plow” and “Success to the
Grain Retur’nd.” British officer’s gorget.
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Personal stories and interactive maps are among the technology that will allow modern museum visitors to explore the people and places of the Revolution
Technology in the galleries: Graphics, interactive technology, and mini-theaters will
engage modern museum visitors and ensure that varied learning styles – auditory, visual,
and sensory – are incorporated into the gallery experience.
Siege of Yorktown Experiential Theater: The Siege of Yorktown film will tell the intense
and evocative story of the victory that launched our nation. Played in a multisensory
special-effects theater, this film will be the culmination of the visitor’s experience in the
“Revolution” gallery.
With simulated explosions rocking seats, cannon balls
whizzing virtually past guests’ heads, and the smell of
saltwater wafting through the theater during the Battle of the
Capes, it is expected that this film will be a “must-see” for
visitors.
New Introductory Film: The introductory film at the American Revolution Museum at
Yorktown will bring visitors to the museum into the world of Revolutionary America and
prepare them for the experiences of the new galleries and enhanced outdoor living-history
areas. In order to effectively and accurately tell the compelling story of the American
Revolution, the film requires diverse geography, large-scale battles on land and sea, and
the representation of key historical events and individuals.
The Mary Morton Parsons Challenge Grant for Gallery Exhibits
In fall 2012, the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation of Richmond, Virginia, issued a challenge grant for the
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown: Up to $500,000 in gifts to support Gallery Exhibits in the new
museum will be matched 2 to 1 by the Foundation. The gifts, which must come from individuals, corporations, and
foundations, must be made before November 30, 2013.
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Living-history Areas
The galleries will segue to expanded and reconfigured living-history areas, where educators
serving as historical interpreters guide visitors through hands-on interactive activities. The
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown site plan provides for significant enhancements to
the existing Continental Army encampment and farm. These outdoor classrooms bring history
alive and allow visitors to make personal connections to the people who founded our nation.
Re-created Continental Army Encampment: The encampment will be relocated and
expanded, with additional space for musket- and artillery-firing demonstrations and
military drills.
Revolution-era Farm: The time period of the farm will transition from “1780s” to
“Revolutionary War” to more fully complement the new indoor galleries. Improvements
include expansion of the farmhouse and construction of a building representing quarters
for enslaved people. Interpretive programming at both outdoor sites will be linked to
gallery themes.
Artist’s rendering of the entrance to the signature living-history area, the re-created Continental Army encampment.
The encampment will be reconfigured to improve the demonstration of the cannon fire that American and French troops
rained down on the British at Yorktown.
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Outreach education programs bring skilled museum educators into classrooms and inspire a lifelong love of learning history.
Electronic curriculum materials bring the Foundation’s standards-based resources into homes and classrooms across the country and around the world.
A Gateway to Education
The galleries and outdoor living-history areas will act as an immersive gateway to structured
standards-based education programs.
On-site programs for students and adult learners
Outreach programs in classrooms throughout Virginia
Web-based curriculum materials
The Foundation’s education programs support national and state standards of learning, assist
teachers in their classrooms, and enable families to expand their children’s learning beyond the
classroom.
“A diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” --James Madison
The Annual Fund
As plans unfold for the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, donations to the Annual Fund sustain our
core educational programming. From a replica uniform of a Continental Army soldier to immerse students in the
American Revolution to a reproduction traverse board to teach 17th-century navigation aboard Susan Constant, annual
giving provides the tools that bring history to life - at our museums and in classrooms throughout Virginia.
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A Public Private Partnership
The Commonwealth of Virginia is committed to funding the museum’s construction. To
create the experiences for visitors, schoolchildren, teachers, and distance learners to understand
the Revolution’s legacy for us today, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc., Board of
Directors has embraced urgent private funding needs that support Gallery Exhibits, Outdoor
Exhibits, and Educational Resources.
A Unique Opportunity, An Abiding Legacy
The American Revolution has a far greater significance
than a war of independence. It gave rise to a nation that put
into practice the ideals of individual freedoms, democratic
institutions, and duties of citizenship.
With the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown,
we can ensure that the citizens of the United States have a
museum that ignites the imagination, engages the mind, and
inspires in current and future generations an appreciation of
the people, places, and ideals that forged our nation.
Wan to stay up to date on the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown?
Join our mailing list!
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 3605, Williamsburg, VA 23187
(757) 253-4139 ▪ fax (757) 253-5299
www.historyisfun.org
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