After a yearlong renovation, the Old Barracks Museum is open to the public, to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. The historic site features Revolutionary War reenactors like military interpreter Daryian Kelton. Photo credit: Lucy Harper / NJ State House News Service.

By Lucy Harper
NJ State House News Service 

TRENTON, N.J. – For the first time in decades, General George Washington’s triumphal flower arch – which he marched under into Trenton on his way to his first presidential inauguration in 1789 – will be on display starting July 4 to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.

It’s part of the grand reopening celebration of the historic Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, welcoming visitors back after a yearlong restoration to the site that played an important role in the Revolutionary War.

The display of the original arch is a centerpiece of the museum’s celebration.

“It’s actually one of our favourite objects because it’s easy to focus on Washington, but Washington had an army behind him, and his memories created by the ladies, so it’s one of those objects that can speak to any number of people, not just the famous general,” said Mark A. Turdo, the Barrack’s assistant director of interpretation and curation.  

“[The Barracks] isn’t solely a military story, it is a part of the fabric of Trenton,” said Michelle Doherty, museum executive director. 

“It’s a gift for us to get to tell their stories,” Doherty said about the Revolutionary soldiers. “I’m incredibly proud and grateful that everyone managed to pull this off.” 

The Old Barracks Museum focuses on preserving the story of the Revolutionary War, and is now a living time capsule, with annual reenactments and permanent historical actors to bring the story alive. 

At different periods during the American Revolution, the Barracks housed both British and American soldiers. In December 1776, it played an important role in the Battle of Trenton after Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night and led a surprise attack. Washington’s victories in Trenton and the subsequent Battle of Princeton boosted morale of American troops.

The Barracks was first built in 1758 to house soldiers during the French and Indian War and became a museum in 1903 after being purchased by Beulah A. Oliphant and restored by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

The latest restoration strengthened the structural integrity of the 268-year-old building, but also allowed the staff at the Museum to further develop the exhibitions inside. 

“A lot of the last year, we had the gift of being able to spend time doing research,” Doherty said. 

This includes new information from the Revolutionary War, such as the discovery of hundreds of new patients from when the Barracks’ functioned as a military hospital where Washington ordered his troops be inoculated against smallpox in 1777. 

“We went from a list of 12 patients, to a list of over 230,” Turdo explained. “Nobody had tried to find everybody before.” 

Researchers also found the names of the Lenape that were serving in the New Jersey regiment, along with much more information of the Hessians, who were German troops hired by England to fight Washington’s Continental Army. 

“We would never have had the time normally,” Turdo said. 

Museum curators also created a digital interactive battle map for the 1776 and 1777 battles of Trenton, and the creation of a documentary titled “Overlooked” highlighting the historical significance of the ladies of Trenton’s work in preserving this incredible chapter of history. 

Additional 250th anniversary activities throughout the state can be found at Visit NJ.

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Lucy Harper is a Princeton University major in history and a minor in journalism.