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Here is this week’s challenge for “What is it Wednesday?” - What is it?! Thanks to everyone who played last week… the answer for May 21st is an exhaust port on our F6F Hellcat… see the previous post for the full details!Good luck on this week’s challenge! #americanheritagemuseum #historymuseum #visitma ... See MoreSee Less
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The answer to the “What is it? Wednesday” question from May 21st is the lower left exhaust port on our F6F-3N Hellcat! Stay tuned for the next “What is it? Wednesday” question tomorrow, May 28th at 10:00 am EST!#americanheritagemuseum #whatisitwednesday ... See MoreSee Less
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After Action Report: WWII Tank Demonstration Weekend - May 24-25, 2025 - Take a look at the full gallery from this past weekend at: www.americanheritagemuseum.org/2025/05/after-action-report-wwii-tank-demonstration-weekend-may-2025/This past weekend’s WWII Tank Demonstration Weekend was a total success even though some challenging weather rolled through on Saturday making conditions a bit more “realistic” to the mud that the Allies might have encountered on their way across Europe in 1944 & 1945! Despite the occasional rain showers on Saturday, we welcomed over 3000 visitors for the weekend!Our sincere thanks to all the volunteers, re-enactors, concessions providers, and staff members who worked hard through the weekend to get the job done! We appreciate your incredible dedication to our mission of keeping history alive for our guests! And thank you to all of our new and returning guests, members, and supporters – your enthusiasm for events like this is an inspiration to us! ... See MoreSee Less
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Honoring all who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our nation this Memorial Day. We will remember you. ... See MoreSee Less
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Thank you @therealchristopherknight for visiting us this weekend for a “Bunch” of real WWII tank action at the @americanheritagemuseum during our WWII Tank Demo Weekend! Great to have you along as a crew member in our 1944 M36 Jackson Tank Destroyer! #americanheritagemuseum #wwii #worldwar2 #christopherknight #bradybunch #m36 #m36jackson ... See MoreSee Less
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Speaker Series: A Perfect Frenzy by Author Andrew Lawler

April 12 @ 1:00 pm, ending 2:30 pm

Free with standard museum admission

Join us on Saturday, April 12th for a talk by nationally best selling author Andrew Lawler about his book A Perfect Frenzy – A story that will forever change our understanding about the American Revolution.

As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain. Virginia, the largest, wealthiest, and most populous province in British North America, was led by Lord Dunmore, who counted George Washington as his close friend. But the Scottish earl lacked troops, so when patriots imperiled the capital of Williamsburg, he threatened to free and arm enslaved Africans—two of every five Virginians—to fight for the Crown.

Virginia’s tobacco elite was reluctant to go to war with Britain but outraged at this threat to their human property. Dunmore fled the capital to build a stronghold in the colony’s largest city, the port of Norfolk. As enslaved people flocked to his camp, skirmishes broke out. “Lord Dunmore has commenced hostilities in Virginia,” wrote Thomas Jefferson. “It has raised our countrymen into a perfect frenzy.” With a patriot army marching on Norfolk, the royal governor freed those enslaved and sent them into battle against their former owners. In retribution, and with Jefferson’s encouragement, furious rebels burned Norfolk to the ground on January 1, 1776, blaming the crime on Dunmore.

The port’s destruction and Dunmore’s emancipation prompted Virginia’s patriot leaders to urge the Continental Congress to split from Britain, breaking the deadlock among the colonies and leading to adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Days later, Dunmore and his Black allies withdrew from Virginia, but the legacy of their fight would lead, ultimately, to Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.

Chronicling these stunning and widely overlooked events in full for the first time, A Perfect Frenzy offers a striking new perspective on the American Revolution that reorients our understanding of its causes, highlights the radically different motivations between patriots in the North and South, and reveals the seeds of the nation’s racial divide.

Details

Date:
April 12
Time:
1:00 pm, ending 2:30 pm
Cost:
Free with standard museum admission
Event Categories:
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EVENT TICKETS ONLY FOR SATURDAY & SUNDAY - No General Admissions available this weekend during WWII Tank Demonstration event.

There will be no General Admissions tickets available on Saturday, May 24th and Sunday, May 25th during the WWII Tank Demonstration Weekend - all visitors on Saturday and Sunday must purchase event tickets for Saturday and Sunday for access to the American Heritage Museum. $30 Adults | $25 Seniors/Veterans | $20 Children 3 to 16 years old.