A New Look Into America’s Past

Reopened last year, the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., offers a brand-new design brought to life by vivid stories from the past.

The first thing you notice when entering the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, which reopened last fall after a two-year renovation, is its soaring light-filled atrium. The room opens on to three floors of exhibits presenting a day’s worth of historical delights to explore. From displays on life-changing inventions like Kevlar, which inventor Stephanie Kwolek developed to be five times stronger than steel, to exhibits chronicling the demise of small one-room schools in favor of the consolidated multistory buildings in which our children learn today, the museum offers new insights on American life around every turn.

The museum’s renovation came in large part out of a desire to better organize the exhibits so that they would make more sense to the visiting public. The improvement is apparent but not perfect, for there is still something of a sound bite feel to the place. The museum captures snatches of history without a strong sense of chronological organization, but there are still plenty of exhibits that intrigue. One such exhibit is a recreation of Julia Child’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, kitchen, which you may recognize in the newly released Julia & Julia, in which Meryl Streep portrays the nation’s first TV kitchen goddess.

Among the feature displays here is the commanding black hulk of John Bull, one of America’s first steam engines, which was imported from England in 1831. Employed on the first rail line between New York City and Philadelphia, the locomotive cut travel time between the two cities from two days to five hours.

Of particular sentimental value to visiting Americans is the original Star-Spangled Banner with its 15 stars and 15 bars, lying in dim repose behind a wall of glass. It forms the core of the museum’s new flag gallery, which details the history of the War of 1812 and its significance in establishing the U.S. as a nation among other nations. Visitors are also drawn to The American Presidency gallery, which displays the hat worn by Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford’s Theater, among other treasures.

Even after the renovations, the most popular gallery continues to be the The First Ladies at the Smithsonian, where the roles of the nation’s first ladies, from wives to daughters, are told largely through the gowns they wore and the personal items they carried. Helen Taft’s 1909 inaugural ball gown in silk chiffon embroidered with metallic thread takes center stage. Also among the collection is the silk satin robe of Dolley Madison, who was the fashion icon of her time. She is also the First Lady credited with creating the role, being the first among the presidents’ wives to serve as matriarch of the Washington social scene.
—Deborah Huso

If You Go
For more information on the National Museum of American History, call 202/633-1000, or visitamericanhistory.si.edu. As with all Smithsonian museums, admission is free.

The information in this story was accurate when it was published in the November/December 2009 issue of AAA World, but details such as dates, times and prices may have changed since then. We suggest you verify such details directly with the listed establishments before making travel plans.