Concord Museum's Whose Revolution exhibit celebrates 250th anniversary of the American Revolution
A new exhibit at the Concord Museum in Concord, Massachusetts shows what everyday life was like in the 18th century as part of the state's 250th anniversary celebration of the American Revolution.
As Massachusetts gets ready to commemorate the anniversary, some spots are doing it up big. This past Sunday, the Concord Museum lit the lamp to The Concord 250 Lantern.
"It was great. It was everything that we had hoped for. So many people turned out for it and many, many people had put their hearts into making the lantern," said Margot Kimball, executive director of Art For All.
History unfolds at Whose Revolution exhibit
Inside the museum, the Whose Revolution exhibit shows what life was like leading up to April 19, 1775, and "the shot heard round the world," which marked the beginning of the war with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Lisa Krassner, the museum's executive director, said the exhibit explained, "what was it like to live during a revolution, with all the turmoil and discord," adding, "Massachusetts leads the nation in telling the story of the revolution."
Officials said it has taken more than two years to put the exhibit together.
"This is a town-wide effort, too, but the museum has been involved all along," said Concord Museum curator David Wood.
Revolutionary War era fashion and other museum tidbits
Some of the displays are stunning, including a gorgeous dress from revolutionary days.
"This is the height of fashion. It's a dress made in England. The silk, woven in London, a place called Spitalfields. It's over the top how elevated an object like this is," Wood said.
Part of the display also shows just how deep women's pockets were back then.
"This pre-dates the pocketbook or the purse and women would wear two of these underneath their skirts," Krassner said.
The tidbits of knowledge in the museum surrounding the 250th anniversary are plentiful. WBZ-TV saw a device called a twybil, a traditional hand tool that was used to open the chests of tea at the Boston Tea Party.
In addition, a 10-foot foot tall lantern outside the museum is a replica of Paul Revere's lantern and can hold 250 of the famed industrialist's original lanterns.
To purchase tickets to the Whose Revolution exhibit at the Concord Museum, please click here.
