SPOKANE, Wash. — As America marks its 250th birthday, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is inviting visitors to experience the nation’s history through the tangible objects that ordinary people chose to preserve.
The exhibit, titled “America at 250,” distills 25 decades of American history.
“This was such an important anniversary — the 250th birthday — and we have this incredible collection that covers centuries,” said Wes Jessup, executive director of the museum. “Our brilliant curator, Ellen, had the idea to bring out an object from each decade.”
Curator Ellen Postlewait searched through the museum’s extensive history collection to identify pieces that would resonate with visitors. Some items connect directly to major historical events, while others tell more intimate, personal stories.
“There’s something about the physical nature of an object and the stories it carries that you can’t get in the virtual world,” Postlewait said. “There’s still something about coming and seeing that object that’s kind of irreplaceable.”
Among the oldest pieces is a cane made from wood, antler and silver that belonged to Uriah Slack, a Revolutionary War militia member believed to have helped ferry George Washington and his troops across the Delaware River on Christmas Day in 1776.
“Whether or not he was actually there at the ferry crossing is a little less certain,” Postlewait said. “But all evidence points to the fact that this man was actually in this place at this time.”
A 39-star flag on display was never an official U.S. flag, but rather anticipated the Dakota Territory entering the Union as a single state. History moved faster than expected. The Dakotas entered as two separate states—North and South Dakota—while Montana and Washington joined the Union just days later.
“I hope this exhibit shows folks that we are as much a part of that national story as anybody else — that it is these personal stories and the ways these individual people have connected to these broader things that makes the tapestry of American history,” Postlewait said.
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