Press Releases
Celebrate the Museum’s Third Birthday on April 19 – Virtually!
April 13, 2020Sign a Digital Birthday Card for a Chance to Win Free Tickets
Learn How to Make an 18th-Century Cake or Cocktail
Commemorate the 245th Anniversary of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”
The Museum of the American Revolution is turning three! Help us celebrate the Museum’s birthday – virtually! – on Sunday, April 19. Sign a digital birthday card or share your favorite Museum memory for a chance to win four tickets to visit when we reopen, and learn how to make a celebratory 18th-century “Whisky Cake” or rum shrub cocktail.
The Museum, which opened to the public on April 19, 2017 – the anniversary of the “shot heard ‘round the world” that ignited the Revolutionary War – has welcomed nearly a million visitors from across the nation and around the world to explore the tumult and transformation of the Revolutionary era.
What would a celebration be without cake? Visit the Museum’s website to download a recipe for a “Whisky Cake” favored by George Washington, featuring dried fruit and nuts soaked overnight in whiskey. The recipe was adapted for the modern kitchen by Chef Walter Staib of City Tavern Restaurant, located just around the corner from the Museum. Watch here as Chef Staib and Chef Diana Wolkow demonstrate how to make the cake on the Emmy Award-winning PBS show “A Taste of History.” (A simpler whiskey cake recipe with ingredients that you may have at home is available here.)
For a celebratory toast, download a recipe for a simple three-ingredient rum shrub cocktail (along with a mocktail version), a popular drink at many early American gatherings and celebrations. Take a photo of your concoction and share it with us using @AmRevMuseum on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
April 19 also marks the 245th anniversary of the first shot of the Revolutionary War – later called the “shot heard round the world” by American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson – at the Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts. Join us on Facebook at 11 a.m. on April 19, as we commemorate this anniversary with a video presentation featuring Tyler Putman, Manager of Gallery Interpretation, who will tell compelling stories about the remarkable witness objects from the battles at Lexington and Concord.
Visit the Museum’s Virtual Tour to explore the Lexington and Concord Gallery and learn about the artifacts from that day, including:
- an original beam from the Old North Bridge, on loan from the Concord Museum;
- the gun carried by Captain David Brown, leader of a company of Concord minutemen, as he confronted a British force across the Old North Bridge;
- a British musket a soldier of the 4th (King's Own) Regiment of Foot;
- a mirror from Captain David Brown's house that was damaged by a British soldier on April 19, on loan from the Concord Museum;
- and a powder horn and sword carried by men who stood with Captain Brown to confront the British troops at the bridge, on loan from the Concord Museum.
About Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.