Doors will soon open on the area’s newest historical offering.
Currently the Yorktown Victory Center, the American Revolution Museum plans to debut, in addition to the new name, a 22,500-square-foot gallery space and introductory film at a preview of the new museum Oct. 15 and 16.
Nearly 10 years in the making, the museum originated with a master plan approved in 2007 by Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Construction began in 2012, and the 80,000-square-foot building initially opened in 2015.
In just a few weeks, visitors can engage with Revolutionary history in ways they likely haven’t before.
The introductory film, “Liberty Fever,” starts a storytelling thread that weaves through the whole museum: “ordinary people in extraordinary times,” Peter Armstrong, the Foundation’s senior director of museum operations and education, said Monday.
Currently in various states of installation, the galleries, once complete, will house nearly 500 artifacts, including a Declaration of Independence broadside from 1776 and nine-foot-tall portrait of King George III.
The exhibits juxtapose history with modernity, including interactive touch screens, films and even an experiential theater placing audiences in the middle of the Siege of Yorktown.
It’s all in the interest of those “light bulb” moments, as Interpretive Site Manager Homer Lanier said: “Light bulbs and memories, that’s what we work for.”
The outdoor living-history area remains under construction through next March.
Enhancements include expansions of both the Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm, as well as a newly constructed amphitheater overlooking an artillery demonstration area.
An official grand opening celebration for the museum will occur March 23 to April 4, 2017.
Bridges can be reached by phone at 757-345-2342.
Yorktown Victory Center
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
Location: 200 Water St., Yorktown
For more information, visit historyisfun.org.
