transforming the Yorktown Victory Center into the

Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.

P.O. Box 3605, Williamsburg, VA 23187

(757) 253-4139 ~ www.historyisfun.org

2

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

3

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.

4

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.

5

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.

6

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.

7

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.

8

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