Saturday, June 11, 2011

National Museum of American History

From the Dec. 28, 2008, Boston.com.

The National Museum of American History Kenneth E. Behring Center in Washington, DC, reopened in November after a two-year, $85 million project.

Until Jan. 4th, the White House copy of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was on display.

The Fort McHenry flag, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the "Star-Spangled Banner" is the centerpiece of the five-story sky lit atrium.

Other items displayed are Julia Child's kitchen, Judy Garland's ruby-red slippers, a backyard bomb shelter, an extensive display of children's lunchboxes, a 40-foot section of Route 66 and a 1903 Winton automobile, the first vehicle to drive across the United States.

The America On the Move exhibit consists of 26,000 square feet with 340 objects in 19 settings including the coming of the railroad to a California town in 1876, the role of the street car and automobile in creating suburbs and the global economy of Los Angeles in 1999.

Other items include a Chicago Transit Authority "L" Car, a 1999-ton, 92-foot long Southern Railway locomotive the 1401 and a huge Route 66 map.

Something I'm Going to Want to See. --Cooter

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