National Museum of American History

When entering the National Museum of American History from the Constitution Avenue side, visitors might get the idea that the museum is all about transportation. The first thing everyone sees is a 19^th century Conestoga wagon and just beyond that a newly installed silver-blue 1965 Ford Mustang. It’s there to commemorate the opening of the museum fifty years ago.  There is a lot of transportation history featured in the museum but lots of other objects as well.

National Museum of American History

And by walking to the East Wing on the first floor visitors will see the 1831 John Bull Locomotive and beyond it lots of cars, trucks, buses and trains. Included among them is the 1903 Winton which was the first car to be driven completely across the United States in the same year.  The trip took H. Nelson Jackson and his hired mechanic Sewall Crocker 64 days.

On the Water: Stories from Maritime America is nearby with lots of artifacts and models relating to America’s commercial boating history. And nearby these two exhibits, you’ll have to take a look at Food: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000 which includes the kitchen from Julia Child’s Cambridge Massachusetts home. One of the other exhibits on the first floor, Lighting a Revolution, has an 1879 Edison Light Bulb that the inventor used in his first public demonstration of his brilliant idea.

The second floor has the real highlight of the museum and an item from Hollywood that runs a close second. The Star Spangled Banner is the flag that the soldiers raised over Ft. McHenry in September of 1814 after defeating the British attack on Baltimore that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that would become the U.S. national anthem. The 30 by 30 foot flag is displayed in a darkened room to protect it from further deterioration.  Displays and materials in the exhibit helps explain conservation efforts and some of the history of the flag and the anthem.

The next galley over has the second item, a pair of women’s shoes covered in red sparkles, yes, those ruby slippers. They are at the entrance to the American Stories exhibit that has special items from the course of U.S. history, including a piece of Plymouth Rock and a Miss Piggy (1974), yes, her. And across the hall is an exhibit organized by the future National Museum of African American History and Culture, Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963. Lincoln’s top hat that he was wearing the night he was killed at Ford’s Theater is currently a part of that exhibit.

The third floor has the First Ladies, The American Presidency, Gunboat Philadelphia and The Price of Freedom, which has artifacts from the two hundred plus years of U.S. military history. Some of the highlights include George Washington’s uniform from 1789, the furniture from the McLean House in Appomattox, Virginia when Lee surrendered to Grant, and an actual 1965 Huey Helicopter that was used in the Vietnam War.

Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Gown from 2013 is currently on view in the First Ladies exhibit and U.S. Grant’s carriage and Thomas Jefferson’s portable desk from 1776, yes used for writing that document, is at the center of The American Presidency section.

In many sections of the museums are small carts with hands-on materials that help keep younger visitors engaged in understanding the story of our nation's past.

The lower level has a large cafeteria and section with ride simulators, for those that want to actual feel some movement after looking at the transportation artifacts upstairs. Visitors will note that the west wing of the building is under renovation, and new exhibit halls and facilities will open in the coming years. The website for the museum is here and their You Tube channel is here.

Links: Official website of the National Museum of American History

          You Tube channel of the National Museum of American History