American Revolution Experience
Traveling Exhibit

Innovative Revolutionary War Exhibition is Collaborative Project of the American Battlefield Trust and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. 
The Eliza Jane Meeker DAR Chapter is excited to announce the opening of the American Revolution Experience at the Meeker Mansion Museum on March 20, 2024. The innovative pop-up exhibition includes display panels and interactive digital kiosks that use storytelling, illustration, technology and unique artifacts and primary accounts to connect modern audiences with the people and places that shaped the birth of our nation. Created through a collaboration between the American Battlefield Trust and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, the exhibit is also made possible by generous matching funds from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program battlefield interpretation grants.
The exhibit will run from March 20, 2024, through Sunday, March 31, 2024, at the Meeker Mansion Museum in Puyallup, Washington. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon to 4:00pm. In addition to the American Revolution War Experience traveling exhibit, visitors can also view the newly unveiled Victorian Clothing exhibits and the new Meet Me At The Fair exhibit. The new Fair exhibit includes life size displays of Grange produce, the Rodeo, Hobby Hall, the Skyride and a selfie station in a fair jail cell reminiscent of vintage Fair photos.

The American Revolution Experience launched online in its first digital-only iteration during the
summer of 2022 to rapid acclaim and received a Bronze Award in the Education, Art, & Culture
division of the second annual Anthem Awards, an initiative of the Webby Awards celebrating
purpose and mission-driven work. It was also a finalist in the “People’s Choice” category of the
Webbys themselves.
“The American Revolution would not have happened without the decisions, sacrifices, and valor
of ordinary people,” said DAR President General Pamela Rouse Wright. “DAR is honored to
have collaborated with the American Battlefield Trust on this initiative to highlight some of our
Patriots and their roles in the founding of this great country. We are thrilled for people in
communities across the country to learn more about these individuals.”
The traveling exhibit includes 12 panels highlighting thematic connections between profiled
individuals and three interactive kiosks that connect to the full digital biographies, provide
documentary context on the Revolutionary War and offer information on how to visit the places
tied to these individuals today. Both online and on-site, the American Revolution Experience
features custom illustrations by South Carolina-based artist Dale Watson. The exhibit also draws
from documents and objects in DAR’s collection, as well as the Trust’s industry leading digital
interpretation resources.
“Independence may have been declared in Philadelphia by the Declaration’s 56 signers, but it
was hard-won on the battlefields we protect by the thousands of Patriot soldiers from whom
today’s Daughters trace descent,” said Trust President David Duncan. “Together, our
organizations bear witness to the fact that we are not so far removed from those impactful events,
that there are meaningful ways to bridge those 250 years.”
Meeker Mansion Museum is among the scores of libraries, historical societies and museums that will host
the American Revolution Experience through the spring of 2025, introducing visitors to a cast of
historical characters with diverse experiences throughout the conflict and the places they visited
on their journey. A longer-term mounting of the exhibit will remain at DAR’s national
headquarters in Washington, D.C. Individual DAR chapters across the nation, including the Eliza Jane Meeker DAR Chapter, have partnered with institutions in their communities to offer venues for the
exhibit, booking its current complement of copies to capacity; further inquiries will be placed on
a waitlist. The hosting request form and the touring calendar are available at
www.battlefields.org/ontour,
The American Revolution Experience invites visitors to consider the choice faced by members of
the revolutionary generation as tensions mounted in the 1770s: Would these ordinary citizens
risk their lives and livelihoods in pursuit of liberty? Or would they remain loyal subjects of the
British crown, coming into conflict with neighbors and family? The exhibit surfaces diverse
viewpoints and experiences, touching on the journeys — both literal and figurative — of Patriots
and Loyalists, men and women, Black and Native populations and even international allies.
Rather than focusing only on generals and famous statesmen, it introduces audiences to drummer
boys, military mapmakers and other ordinary people who were impacted by global events.
About the Organizations
From a grassroots organization started by historians nearly 40 years ago, the American
Battlefield Trust has grown into one of the most successful land preservation and education
organizations in the nation. The Trust has protected almost 60,000 acres associated with the
Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War, representing 160 sites in 25 states from
Massachusetts to New Mexico. Its 350,000 members and supporters believe in the power of
place and the continued relevance of our shared history to modern American society. Learn more
at www.battlefields.org.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote
historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Its members are descended from the patriots
who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With nearly 190,000 members
in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world’s largest and most active
service organizations.