First Oval Office Project at Fairmount Park with the Living History Youth Summer Institute

Join the Museum on Saturday, Aug. 10, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia where students from the Living History Youth Summer Institute, along with costumed living historians, will set up our First Oval Office Project, a recreated Revolutionary War encampment. The Museum's First Oval Office Project includes handsewn, full-scale replicas of General George Washington's sleeping marquee, camp bed, furniture, and more that served as his mobile headquarters while on campaign. This program, which will be held next to the John Welsh Memorial Fountain on the Avenue of the Republic across from the Please Touch Museum, is free and open to the public. It is a rain or shine event.

This event is a culminating public event for the students participating in the Museum's Living History Youth Summer Institute, which is part of our African American Interpretive Program. This six-week summer institute is an intensive course for young adults interested in interpreting the lives of people of African ancestry in the Revolutionary era and involves guest speakers, research projects, and field study. It will prepare the participants to explore careers in cultural heritage, museum, and theater fields.

The 2024 Living History Youth Summer Institute is made possible with support from:
Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, National Park Service
The Hamilton Family Charitable Trust 
Frances and Benjamin Benenson Foundation