A new exhibit at the Charlotte Museum of History opens next week, aiming to immerse visitors in one of the country's most pivotal moments.
The sounds of battlefields and soldiers marching echo throughout the Charlotte Museum of History's American Revolution exhibit. In one gallery, an American flag hangs overhead as visitors move through displays.
The exhibit explores key battles and people who led to the United States gaining independence from Great Britain. It includes a diorama of what uptown Charlotte used to look like more than 200 years ago.
Nolan Dahm, a historian who oversees the exhibit, said the diarama gives people a glimpse into the history of Charlotte, which some people may not be aware of.
“You're looking at a courthouse that the patriots defended, and then the British occupied,” Dahm said. "You're looking at a local college that the folks here had set up that the British used as their hospital, and then they buried their dead there. There are still British soldiers buried underneath uptown Charlotte right off of Tryon Street.”
One part of the exhibit focuses on the Carolinas, with swords and shoes from the Revolutionary War. Another highlights major battles that visitors can experience through a tablet.
The exhibit also tells the story of local patriots like Captain James Jack.
“So right here is one of those iconic scenes," Dahm said. "A guy named Captain Jack — Charlotte writes down that they are no longer going to follow the king's laws, and he rides on a horse like 500 miles up to Philadelphia."
The American Revolution exhibit opens Tuesday at the Charlotte Museum of History. It's part of a traveling exhibit that plans to visit 50 cities, including Washington, D.C., through 2031.
