Exhibit This

Explore museums showcasing everything from American history to avian wonders

By Nina Kolodij

Valley Forge and Montgomery County are home to spectacular sites that tell the story of our country. The places and people here are like a timeline that starts from the early beginnings of the United States and leaps into the hubbub of today, and the Valley Forge National Historical Park is the perfect place to start.

Examining The Past

The best way to experience the history that happened at Valley Forge in the 1770s is through the interactive exhibits housed in the new museum at Valley Forge National Historical Park’s visitors center. As you move through the museum, you’ll discover how George Washington’s troops—as well as hundreds of women and children—persevered through the winter to march away together as a more united force. Take a seat in the theater for an exciting film on this history, then see hundreds of historic artifacts from the park’s collection.

The park itself is brimming with monuments, memorials and statues commemorating the bravery and harsh conditions they endured. The log cabins on display aren’t original but have been refurbished and reconstructed to show exactly what living conditions were like. A popular favorite point of interest is the National Memorial Arch, commemorating the arrival of the troops and their service during the American Revolutionary War despite their crushing defeat after the Battle of Brandywine.

You’ll also want to visit the Patriots of African American Descent Monument, one of the only dedications on Federal land that honor Black Patriots of the American Revolution. It features a quote from Charles L. Blockson, a historian and expert on Black genealogy and the Underground Railroad. His disappointment in the lack of Black recognition during his visit to the park in the 1940s helped inspire the longoverdue dedication of the monument.

You can get a glimpse of Blockson’s life work, too, in Montgomery County, PA. His collection of writings, photographs and other items documenting the global experience of Black history is a short drive from the park at the Charles L. Blockson Exhibition at Centre Theater in Norristown.

Exploring The Present

For a unique collection of modern flair, the American Treasure Tour Museum in Oaks is a must-stop place. It has everything from cars and circus art to pop-culture doodads to one of the world’s largest private collections of automatic music machines—think grandiose music boxes. efinitely take advantage of free admission to the Berman Museum of Art at rsinus College in Collegeville, where students work with the community to preserve the culture of the Philly area via more than ,000 pieces of art and 0 outdoor sculptures.

Speaking of art, just outside of alley Forge is the aptly named town of Audubon, where ohn ames Audubon first lived after moving to America from France. es, that ohn Audubon, who helped define American wildlife art and bird conservation. You can tour his historic house and the new museum at the John James Audubon Center in Mill Grove and feast your eyes on the original life-sized portraits of avian beauties that led to the creation of the National Audubon Society.