“Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon,” on exhibit at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, has something for everyone. The video that explains how the three life-size statues were made will intrigue artists, photographers, historians, and technology fans. Military buffs will like the weapons used in the American Revolution, including cannons, muskets, and swords. But if you are a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), you will have an immediate affinity for Washington himself.
“The life-size wax figures really bring him to life,” June Ahrens said. She is Regent of the Hurst Chapter of Captain Nathaniel Mills, Daughters of the American Revolution. “The most impressive thing about the exhibition is learning how the wax figures were made.”
The first stop in the 11-section exhibition is a short video about the two-year project to create statues of Washington at age 19, 45, and 57. They were based on a plaster mask of his head, his famous dentures, statues and other art pieces, and measurements of his clothing. Artists, forensic scientists, 18th-century garment experts, and computer scientists came together to bring Washington to life.
Staring at Washington, all six feet two inches of him, can create an overwhelming feeling for a 21st-century descendant of one of his soldiers. While George and Martha Washington never had children, many DAR members have a very personal, almost familial, sense of pride about Washington. While he is not their ancestor, he was their ancestor’s commander in chief.
“It’s an awesome feeling to know my ancestor, John George Kerstetter, a humble farmer and blacksmith from Pennsylvania, who enlisted in 1775 at Philadelphia, was in the Continental Army at the time of Washington’s famous crossing of the Delaware,” Ahrens said. “It certainly makes you appreciate history and the sacrifices our ancestors made.”
Rita Bryan, a member of the Six Flags Chapter of the DAR, feels the same. One of her ancestors served with Washington during that bitter cold winter at Valley Forge in December 1777. Another ancestor, David Burleson, was in the North Carolina militia.
“It thrills me to see the exhibits and statues and to read letters and documents,” she said. “I am proud of our country and its desire to be the land of the free. Our younger generations should know the history of their family or of their country.”
“Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon,” is open through January 22, 2012. There are more than 100 original objects associated with George Washington, including those dentures, which were not made of wood. The exhibition covers his life from youth to his final days at his beloved Mount Vernon. It was organized by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association.
Museum hours are Monday - Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday: Noon – 5:00 p.m. The museum is closed Christmas Eve and Christmas. Single tickets for non-members are $14 for adults and $10 for children or senior citizens. For more information visit http://www.fwmuseum.org/or call 817-255-9300.
