2 Jun - American Revolution Museum and Battlefield at Yorktown VA

 

Today we visited the American Revolution Museum and Battlefield in Yorktown VA.  It was a sloppy, rainy day again so this worked out pretty well.  The drive from our campground was only a few miles but the rain poured off and on.  

It is recommended you visit the museum first, then the outdoor display area, then the battlefield which is a driving tour with as many stops as you want.  More on that later.

Streams through the parking lot

Entrance to the museum

The National Park Service did not disappoint here.  Again, a beautifully presented museum.  Here are just a few pictures that show some of the displays.  Some were not authorized for photography.

The atrium, ticket sales to the left but we were able to use our passes again.

The main hallway

Awesome displays

I won't try to reiterate the history of the United States here, but summarize what we saw in the museum.  It basically "tells the story of the nation’s founding, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond". They have amazing artifacts presented in galleries.  There are several different movies to watch that were interesting.  One of them was "The Siege of Yorktown,” with a 180-degree surround screen and dramatic special effects such as vibrations as cannon shells explode, smoke and wind, etc.  A few more pictures:

Obvious emphasis on Yorktown here, as the last major battle of the Revolutionary War

George Washington.  Interesting, he died in 1799, only three years after leaving office.

We took our time through the museum.  It was a great refresher on the history of our Nation.  

We then made our way outside to the re-created Continental Army encampment which included emphasis on life of a soldier.  A re-enactor demonstrated loading and firing a flintlock musket.  The entire time we were outside it rained.

<Tried to insert cool video here but would not upload due to terrible Internet>

Another re-enactor gave us a demonstration about medical treatment the soldiers might have encountered. 

There was a cooking display and it smelled mighty good! 

Another re-enactor showed us the process of spinning yarn and weaving cloth.

Toward the rear of the area was a farming display where they had a wide variety of vegetables, cotton, tobacco and other products growing.  There was also a tobacco barn where the leaves were dried.  

Tobacco barn

Re-enactor describing his farm.  He was from Clinton, IA just 20 miles from the town where I grew-up

The first time I've seen tobacco growing.

Chicken checking out the tourists.

Very aromatic magnolia.

Departing the American Revolution Museum, we drove a short distance to the Yorktown Battlefield which is part of the Colonial National Historical Park Virginia.  The museum was still closed due to COVID but the gift shop was open.  Again, our passes gained us entrance to the park and the gift shop folks instructed us on downloading the National Park Service app that has a GPS-driven audio and visual tour of the battlefield.  They also sell a CD but she said so many vehicles no longer come with a CD player that the app is so much better.  So we downloaded the app and we were on our way.

Again, it continued to rain, so we too very few pictures during our driving tour of the battlefield.  The major stops included:

(A) The British Inner Defense Line

(B) Grand French Battery

(C) Second Allied Siege Line

(D) Redoubts 9 & 10

(E) The Moore House

(F) Surrender Field

The Moore House

The Yorktown National Cemetery

There is also an "Allied Encampment Tour" but our time away from the dog was running out and we needed to make our way back to the campground.  

If time permits we may try to get back here and tour the town of Yorktown.  It is also included on the app.  There is a maritime museum here I would like to visit.  

Tomorrow we plan to visit Colonial Williamsburg.  It sounds like there is ample parking there and a shuttle that takes you around.  With this being the Fourth of July weekend it may be a little busy!