Soon to be joining the plethora of exhibits that preserve Philadelphia’s status as the most historical city in the United States is the National Constitution Center’s summer exhibition Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon. Running from July 1 to September 5 2011, courtesy of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, avid history-lovers and American patriots will marvel at the revelation of previously undisclosed facts about George Washington and his life as an entrepreneur and a Founding Father. As the sole preservers of Mount Vernon, Washington’s plantation home in Virginaia,, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association will be transporting the most popular collections to central Philadelphia to maintain the President’s legacy as “First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen”. With close to 100 objects and old artifacts including architectural models, fine art pieces, ancient manuscripts, maps, beautiful paintings and full-scale life-like figures, the exhibition will provide a deeper viewing of a life that directly influenced the American Constitution. To allow for an entirely up-close-and-personal experience with the first President himself, an original set of Washington’s infamous dentures will also make a rare appearance (they are actually made out of ivory, NOT wood). To showcase his life as a slave owner as well as a political hero, the National Constitution Center will also be hosting of The President’s House: Their Untold Stories in Quilts, an accompanying exhibition of quilts that represent the domestic reality of George and Martha and the courage and humanity of their nine slaves. — LAURA WESTERMAN
Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernont runs from July 1st to September 5th at the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street, near Independence Hall. Tickets are $17.50 for adults, $15.50 for senior citizens and students, and children and active military members go for free!