NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY, KENNETH E. BEHRING CENTER

General George Washington began wearing this uniform coat around 1789, after he had resigned from the Continental army to become the nation’s commander in chief.

Constitution Avenue between 12th and 14th Streets, NW. Mall entrance: Madison Drive between 12th and 14th Streets, NW. Open daily from 10 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. Closed December 25. Metrorail: Federal Triangle or Smithsonian station. Smithsonian information: 202-633-1000. americanhistory.si.edu

The “Teddy bear” was created by the Ideal Toy Company and named after Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

In 1858, the “objects of art and of foreign and curious research” in the National Cabinet of Curiosities were transferred from the US Patent Office to the Smithsonian Institution. This was the genesis of the collections in the National Museum of American History. After the Centennial Exposition of 1876 closed, the Smithsonian received a windfall of objects that had been displayed in Philadelphia for the nation’s 100th anniversary celebration. Many of those objects were put on exhibit in the US National Museum Building (now the Arts and Industries Building) when it opened in 1881. Today, the spacious halls of the National Museum of American History are filled with exhibits that explore America’s social, cultural, scientific, and technological history.

The flag that inspired the national anthem is displayed at the heart of the museum

SHINING NEW LIGHT ON AMERICAN HISTORY

Visitors immediately connect to the American story as they walk into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History’s central atrium from the Mall. A skylight dramatically opens the building, and a grand staircase connects the museum’s first and second floors. A Welcome Center on the second floor and an information desk on the first floor orient visitors to the museum.

The National Museum of American History has recently transformed how its audiences experience history—through new exhibitions, learning places, and programming spaces all centered on the theme of innovation. The 45,000-square-foot Innovation Wing on the first floor features exhibitions that explore the history of American business, showcase “hot spots” of invention, and put the spotlight on the National Numismatics Collection. Updates will be posted on the museum’s Web site, americanhistory.si.edu.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES GALLERY

 

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries Exhibition Gallery is located on the first floor in the west wing of the National Museum of American History. The wing will be undergoing renovation, and the Libraries Galley will close temporarily—check the NMAH Web site for dates. Guest-curated by Smithsonian staff, the exhibition showcases books from the Libraries’ rich and diverse collections. For more information, see here.

FIRST FLOOR

EAST WING: TRANSPORTATION AND TECHNOLOGY

WEST WING: INVENTION AND INNOVATION

AMERICA ON THE MOVE

This 26,000-square-foot exhibition anchors the General Motors Hall of Transportation and features more than 300 transportation artifacts—from the 1903 Winton that was the first car to be driven across the USA, to the 199-ton, 92-foot-long “1401” locomotive, to a 1970s shipping container—all showcased in period settings.

The Fredonia’s deep hull, narrow beam, and fine lines represent the pinnacle of design for deepwater fishing schooners. In 1896, the Fredonia was hit by a heavy sea and sank.

The exhibition’s 19 settings, organized chronologically, allow visitors the opportunity to travel back in time and experience transportation as it shaped American lives and landscapes. As visitors travel through the show, they can walk on 40 feet of Route 66’s original pavement from Oklahoma or board a 1950s Chicago Transit Authority Car and, through multi-media technology, experience a “commute” into downtown Chicago on a December morning.

ON THE WATER

An 8,000-square-foot exhibition about the country’s maritime history and culture, “On the Water: Stories from Maritime America” engages the public in a dynamic exploration of America’s maritime past and present through objects, video, and interactive stations.

JOHN BULL LOCOMOTIVE LANDMARK OBJECT – TRANSPORTATION AND TECHNOLOGY

The oldest operable self-propelled locomotive in the world, the John Bull became a symbol of the Industrial Revolution. Built in England and brought to America in 1831 for service on the Camden and Amboy Railroad of New Jersey, one of the first public railroads in the United States, the John Bull was an English design modified to fit the expansion of a frontier nation. The locomotive transported passengers from two of America’s largest cities, Philadelphia and New York.

WARNER BROS. THEATER

FIRST FLOOR CENTER, NEAR THE CONSTITUTION AVE ENTRANCE

The Warner Bros. Theater is a state-of-the-art venue for public programs, including film screenings, lectures, concerts, and symposia. The theater hosts We the People, a special film that provides visitors a broad overview of the history of America. Check the information desk or visit the museum’s Web site for the current schedule.

A Thomas Edison lightbulb, early 1880.

LIGHTING A REVOLUTION

Thomas Edison’s revolutionary invention is only the beginning of the story of electricity, which is the subject of this exhibition. Here, visitors can explore the similarities and differences between the processes of invention in Edison’s era and today.

The John Bull was a symbol of the Industrial Revolution and an engine of change. Built in England and brought to America in 1831, the John Bull is the world’s oldest operable self-propelled locomotive. The Bull transported passengers from Philadelphia and New York City and set the style for American locomotives to come.

POWER MACHINERY

The full-size engines and models displayed here illustrate the harnessing of atmospheric forces, the early age of steam power, and the development of high-pressure and high-speed engines. Displays show the evolution of steam boilers and the steam turbine, and progress in the techniques of harnessing waterpower. The collection also includes a number of historic internal-combustion engines.

STORIES ON MONEY

“Stories on Money” explores the museum’s National Numismatic Collection through two different themes. “America’s Money,” featuring objects from colonial America and the gold rush, examines how money changed from colonial days to the present and explores the renaissance of American coinage. “The Power of Liberty” presents an array of liberty coins from the United States and around the world as well as coins featuring real and mythological women. The exhibition immerses visitors in objects and interactive media through which they can view enlarged images and delve into numismatic history.

This ten dollar coin was made in 1850 by Baldwin & Company during the gold rush. The cowboy design celebrates the spirit of the western frontier.

FOOD: TRANSFORMING THE AMERICAN TABLE 1950–2000 & JULIA CHILD’S KITCHEN

This exhibition examines some of the major changes in food and wine in postwar America. From the impact of new technologies to the influence of social and cultural shifts, the exhibition considers how these factors helped transform food and its production, preparation, and consumption as well as what we know about what’s good for us. The public is invited to take a seat at a large communal table in the center of the exhibition to share thoughts and experiences about food and change in America. Julia Child’s home kitchen, with its hundreds of tools, appliances, and furnishings, serves as the opening story of the museum’s first major exhibition on food history.

On the west side of the building, explore the museum’s new Innovation Wing, which has more than a dozen exhibitions, hands-on learning spaces, and places for programs.

AT A GLANCE

The Star-Spangled Banner, the first ladies’ gowns, Abraham Lincoln’s hat, Lewis and Clark’s compass, Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves, Thomas Jefferson’s portable wooden desk on which he wrote the Declaration of Independence, the John Bull locomotive—the list of America’s favorites goes on and on in the museum’s wide-ranging, entertaining, and educational collections.

RALPH BAER’S INVENTOR’S WORKSHOP LANDMARK OBJECT – 1 WEST

Ralph H. Baer, known as the inventor of the home video game, donated his workshop to the museum. “Innovation Nation” introduces visitors to the theme of innovation through gaming technology.

INVENTING IN AMERICA JOHNSON LOUIS GATEWAY TO INNOVATION

The introduction to the theme of innovation begins in the concourse area leading to the west wing. Here, in collaboration with the US Patent and Trademark Office, “Inventing in America” focuses on inventions and innovators of the past and present, including Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Samuel Morse. The display features early patent models as well as trademarks and inventions of National Inventors Hall of Fame members.

A Fordson tractor in “American Enterprise.”

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE MARS HALL OF AMERICAN BUSINESS

“American Enterprise” chronicles the tumultuous interaction of capitalism and democracy that resulted in the continual remaking of American business—and American life. Visitors are immersed in the dramatic arc of power, wealth, success, and failure in America in an 8,000-square-foot space centered on the role of business and innovation from the mid-1700s to the present and tracing the country’s development from a small, dependent, agricultural nation to one of the world’s most vibrant economies. In addition to a chronological and thematic approach, the exhibition focuses on advertising history and features a biography wall with inventors, entrepreneurs, marketers, regulators, and others who have influenced and changed the marketplace. The show concludes with “The Exchange,” a section of the exhibition with interactive and hands-on opportunities for visitors.

Live cooking demonstrations! Check the museum’s Web site for current schedule.

SPARK!LAB

Spark!Lab is where museum visitors become inventors. The Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation invites children ages 6–12 to create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment, and invent. Activities for children and families incorporate traditional science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with art, museum activities, and creativity.

SECOND FLOOR

EAST WING: AMERICAN IDEALS WEST WING: AMERICAN LIVES STAR-SPANGLED BANNER GALLERY

The museum is home to the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the national anthem. Visitors are able to view the flag in an atmosphere reminiscent of the “dawn’s early light”—what Francis Scott Key experienced on the morning of September 14, 1814 and learn about history and preservation.

The first floor of the west wing focuses on innovation and creativity. The Manchester, New Hampshire, workshop of Ralph H. Baer, a prolific inventor who is often referred to as the “father of video games,” is the landmark object here.

In Spark!Lab, children create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment, and invent.

PLACES OF INVENTION JEROME AND DOROTHY LEMELSON HALL OF INVENTION AND INNOVATION

“Places of Invention,” one of the exhibitions featured in the Innovation Wing.

“Places of Invention” takes visitors on a journey through time and place across America to discover the stories of six inspiring communities. A focus on precision manufacturing in Hartford, Connecticut, in the late 1800s shows how a factory town puts the pieces together in explosive new ways. The story of Technicolor in Hollywood, California, in the 1930s puts the spotlight on the young town that gave birth to the golden age of movies. An examination of cardiac innovations of the 1950s in Medical Alley, Minnesota, reveals how a tight-knit community of tinkerers keeps hearts ticking. A look at hip-hop’s birth in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s shows how neighborhood ingenuity created new beats. The rise of the personal computer in Silicon Valley, California, in the 1970s–80s reminds us how suburban garage hackers plus lab researchers equaled personal computing. Through clean-energy innovations in Fort Collins, Colorado, a college town combines its energies for a greener planet.

“Object Project,” an exhibition about everyday things that changed everything.

INVENTIVE MINDS JEROME AND DOROTHY LEMELSON HALL OF INVENTION AND INNOVATION

“Inventive Minds,” adjacent to “Places of Invention,” introduces visitors to the mission and work of the Lemelson Center, particularly its efforts to document invention. Brief video interviews of inventors, complemented by archival materials and artifacts, puts the focus on the people, who tell their stories in their own words—and their processes. The gallery also highlights the inventive creativity of Jerome Lemelson and the vision of Lemelson and his wife, Dorothy, in founding the Lemelson Center at the Smithsonian in 1995.

PATRICK F. TAYLOR FOUNDATION “OBJECT PROJECT”

On view here are everyday things that changed everything. “Object Project” presents familiar objects in a new light, exploring how people, innovations, and social change shaped life as we know it. Visitors have the opportunity to see and handle objects—from refrigerators and bicycles to ready-to-wear clothing and household conveniences as diverse as window screens and deodorant—and explore their significance through historic documents and compelling activities. Encompassing almost 4,000 square feet, the display features some 300 objects, including a “magic” scrapbook and a special version of “The Price Is Right,” and offers visitors the chance to try on clothing virtually.

WEGMANS WONDERPLACE

This space allow curious kids ages 5 and under to “cook” in a kitchen inspired by Julia Child; plant and harvest pretend vegetables and run the farm stand; find the owls hiding in a miniature replica of the Smithsonian’s Castle building; and captain a tugboat based on a model in the museum’s collection. Here we nurture the motivation behind innovation—the sense of wonder that causes us to ask why … or why not.

DOLLHOUSE

Faith Bradford donated this dollhouse to the Smithsonian in 1951 after spending more than a half century collecting and building its miniature furnishings. The house is inhabited by Peter Doll, his wife, Rose Washington Doll, and their ten children.

THE VALUE OF MONEY GALLERY OF NUMISMATICS

A vault door marks the entrance to “The Value of Money,” where visitors delve into the National Numismatic Collection to explore the origins of money, new monetary technologies, the political and cultural messages money conveys, numismatic art and design, and the practice of collecting money. Featuring more than 400 objects from the collection, including a storied 1933 Double Eagle, a personal check signed by President James Madison in 1813, a 1934 $100,000 dollar note, and a depression-era one-dollar clamshell.

The $100,000 gold certificate was only issued in 1934 for use within the Federal Reserve System. The note features President Woodrow Wilson.

WALLACE H. COULTER PERFORMANCE PLAZA

Against the backdrop of a dramatic new first-floor panoramic window, this performance space and demonstration stage with a working kitchen highlights Americans’ quest for the new. Programming is linked to the ideas of innovation presented on the floor as well as to food, music, and theater, through which visitors can better understand American history. Daily schedules are available at americanhistory.si.edu and the information desk.

ARCHIVES CENTER

The museum’s Archives Center shows highlights from its collections in changing displays.

WEST WING: THE NATION WE BUILD TOGETHER STAR-SPANGLED BANNER GALLERY

The museum is home to the Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the national anthem. Visitors are able to view the flag in an atmosphere reminiscent of the “dawn’s early light”—what Francis Scott Key experienced on the morning of September 14, 1814—and learn about its history and preservation.

WELCOME CENTER

The Nina and Ivan Selin Welcome Center, adjacent to the Mall entrance, helps visitors make the most of their time at the museum by providing easy access to information about exhibitions, tours, programs, and amenities.

GEORGE WASHINGTON STATUE LANDMARK OBJECT – THE NATION WE BUILD TOGETHER

This marble statue of George Washington was sculpted by Horatio Greenough under commission by the US government in 1832. Designed as an allusion to Phidias’s Olympian Zeus, the sculpture was originally unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda in 1841 and later moved to the Capitol’s lawn. The statue came to the Smithsonian in 1908 and debuted in this building in 1964.

A 2½–story timber-framed house from 1760 was brought to the museum from Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1963 and is the centerpiece of the exhibition “Within These Walls …”

WITHIN THESE WALLS

“Within These Walls …” tells the history of a house that stood at 16 Elm Street in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and five of the many families who occupied it from the mid-1760s through 1945. The exhibition explores some of the important ways ordinary people, in their daily lives, have been part of the great changes and events in American history. The centerpiece is the largest artifact in the museum: a Georgian-style, 2 ½–story, timber-framed house built in the 1760s, saved from the bulldozer by the citizens of Ipswich in 1963, and relocated to this space. Within this house, American colonists created new ways of living, patriots sparked a revolution, an African American struggled for freedom, community activists organized to end slavery, immigrants built new identities for themselves, and a grandmother and her grandson served on the home front during World War II.

Coming in Summer 2017:

MANY VOICES, ONE NATION

AMERICAN DEMOCRACY: THE GREAT LEAP OF FAITH

RELIGION IN AMERICA

On February 1, 1960, four African American students refused to leave the lunch counter at F. W. Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina, when they were denied service. Their defiance heightened many Americans’ awareness of racial injustice and ultimately led to the desegregation of the counter.

GREENSBORO LUNCH COUNTER LANDMARK OBJECT – AMERICAN IDEALS

On February 1, 1960, four African American students sat down at this counter and asked to be served. They remained in their seats even though they were refused service and asked to leave. Their “passive sit-down demand” began the first sustained sit-in and ignited a youth-led movement to challenge injustice and inequality throughout the South. This defiant movement heightened many Americans’ awareness of racial injustice and ultimately led to the desegregation of the F. W. Woolworth lunch counter on July 25, 1960.

ALBERT H. SMALL DOCUMENTS GALLERY

This intimate gallery allows the museum to show changing displays of fragile documents and photographs. Check the museum’s Web site for current information.

Archie Bunker’s chair from “All in the Family” on display in “American Stories.”

AMERICAN STORIES

“American Stories” showcases historic and cultural touchstones of American history through more than 100 objects from the museum’s vast holdings, including Dorothy’s ruby slippers, the rarely displayed walking stick used by Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln’s gold pocket watch, Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves, and a fragment of Plymouth Rock. A chronological look at the people, inventions, issues, and events that shape the American experience, “American Stories” introduces American history and provides changing exhibition space for new acquisitions.

Abraham Lincoln wore this suit comprising a black broadcloth coat, trousers, and vest during his presidency. The hat is the one he wore to Ford’s Theatre the night of his assassination.

Uniform worn by Brigadier General Peter Gansevoort during the American Revolution. This is one of the few Revolutionary War uniforms in existence.

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY: A GLORIOUS BURDEN

“The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” looks at the personal, public, ceremonial, and executive actions of the men who have held this office and impacted the course of history in the past 200 years. More than 900 artifacts, including national treasures from the Smithsonian’s vast presidential collections, bring to life the role of the presidency in American culture. Among the exhibition’s highlights are Thomas Jefferson’s wooden lap desk on which he wrote the Declaration of Independence; the carriage Ulysses S. Grant rode to his second inauguration; the top hat worn by Abraham Lincoln the night of his assassination; George Washington’s battle sword; and Bill Clinton’s military case used to contain the topmost national security information.

One of the famous Vietnam-era UH-1H “Huey” helicopters.

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: AMERICANS AT WAR

This 18,000-square-foot exhibition surveys the history of the US military from the colonial era to the present, exploring ways that wars have been defining episodes in American history. Using a unique blend of more than 800 original artifacts, graphic images, and interactive stations, the exhibition tells the story of how Americans have fought to establish the nation’s independence, determine its borders, shape its values of freedom and opportunity, and define its leading role in world affairs.

Among the objects included in the exhibition are one of the few Revolutionary War uniforms in existence; furniture used by General Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee during the surrender ceremony at Appomattox Court House; a restored “Huey” helicopter, an icon of the Vietnam War and the largest object on display; and the uniform Colin Powell wore during Operation Desert Storm.

The Continental fleet’s gunboat Philadelphia, which sank in battle in 1776, was discovered and raised from Lake Champlain in 1935.

GUNBOAT PHILADELPHIA

In October 1776, American troops in a ragtag collection of newly built boats faced an advancing line of British ships on Lake Champlain in New York. The Americans, under the command of Benedict Arnold, were forced to retreat, but not before they fought the British to a standstill. One of the American vessels, Philadelphia, sank during the battle and rested on the bottom of the lake until 1935. It was recovered that year with much of its equipment intact, and came to the museum in 1964, complete with the 24-pound ball that had sent the gunboat to the bottom.

THE FIRST LADIES

“The First Ladies” explores the unofficial but important position of first lady and the ways different women have shaped the role to make contributions to the presidential administrations and the nation. The exhibition features more than two dozen gowns from the Smithsonian’s almost 100-year-old First Ladies Collection, including those worn by Frances Cleveland, Lou Hoover, Jacqueline Kennedy, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. A section titled “Changing Times, Changing First Ladies” highlights the interests and responsibilities of Dolley Madison, Mary Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt, and Lady Bird Johnson and their achievements during their husband’s administrations. “The First Ladies” encourages visitors to consider the changing roles played by the first ladies and American women over the past 200 years.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on this portable desk from 1865.

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY: A GLORIOUS BURDEN

This exhibition explores the personal, public, ceremonial, and executive actions of the 44 men who have had a huge impact on the course of history in the past 200 years. More than 400 objects, including national treasures from the Smithsonian’s vast presidential collections, bring to life the role of the presidency in American culture. The visitor discovers the nation’s highest office through multiple thematic sections, a timeline, and media presentations.

Antonio Stradivari (1644?-1737) of Cremona, Italy, crafted a number of decorated string instruments that are now in the museum’s collection, including those known as the Ole Bull, a violin made in 1687, the Greffuhle violin from 1709, the Axelrod viola built in 1695, and the Marylebone cello of 1688.

HALL OF MUSIC

The Hall of Music is the home of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. Check the museum’s Web site for concert schedules.

For generations, the lunch containers many of us hauled to school and work have reflected American culture. Of all the bags, boxes, trays, cans, and cartons we have carried over the past century, the most message-laden is the metal lunch box. A selection of boxes and their drink containers from the collections of the National Museum of American History explores this colorful heritage.

TAKING AMERICA TO LUNCH

“Taking America to Lunch” celebrates the history of American lunch boxes. After lunch boxes reached the height of their popularity at the dawn of the television era, lunch box sales became barometers for what was hip in popular culture at any point in time. Included in the display are approximately 75 objects drawn from the museum’s collection of children’s and workers’ illustrated metal lunch boxes and beverage containers dating from the 1880s through the 1980s.

GENERAL INFORMATION

For information and maps, visit the Welcome Center on the second floor or the information desk on the first floor. Information is also available online at americanhistory.si.edu.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS, TOURS, AND DEMONSTRATIONS

The museum offers tours and public programs daily. For information about tours, concerts, lectures, living history theater, and more, inquire at the information desk or Welcome Center, call 202-633-1000, or visit the museum’s Web site. For inquiries about school tours, call 202-633-3717 or visit the museum’s Web site.

WHERE TO EAT

The Stars and Stripes Café offers a variety of all-American favorites on the lower level. In LeRoy Neiman Jazz Café on the first floor, visitors can enjoy light fare, espresso, hand-dipped ice cream, and a view onto bustling Constitution Avenue.

MUSEUM STORES

Museum stores located on the first and second floors offer a wide variety of objects and publications relating to American history, plus postcards, film, T-shirts, posters, and more.