Museum of the American Revolution Special Event (Audubon PA)

THIS EVENT IS LIMITED TO STAFF OF THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Overview

At the Museum of the American Revolution (MoAR) in Philadelphia, we provide our visitors with memorable encounters with original objects and exposure to diverse and unfamiliar stories to make the story of the American Revolution more accessible to everyone. Our educators also engage visitors of all ages with replicas of historical objects to provide experiential learning opportunities. Firearms, both the historic artifacts the Museum displays and the replicas the Museum’s educators use to interpret those artifacts, are popular learning tools for visitors. Several of our colleagues who discuss firearms with visitors, however, have never had the opportunity to load and fire a flintlock musket or rifle.

Up to 15 MoAR staff members participate in a day-long live firing session with replicas of flintlock muskets and rifles from the Museum’s education collection. This experience will enhance our team’s ability to educate visitors about the Revolutionary War.

MoAR will plan to bring replicas of a French musket, a British musket, and a Pennsylvania rifle to the range for use during the session. MoAR will also bring the necessary black powder, lead balls, and buckshot for each of the three firearms.

Required Equipment: Please plan to bring the following:

• a way to take notes
• hearing protection
• eye protection
• plenty of your preferred method of hydration (both plain water and something to replace electrolytes you will lose via sweating is ideal)
• clothing appropriate for the weather (loose fitting clothing, especially around the neck, is discouraged as hot brass can lodge against the skin and cause a burn)

Optional Equipment: The following equipment is not required but may come in handy at the event:

• hat with a brim
• stapler (and extra staples) to attach your target to the backer board
• folding chair
• lunch (we are close to a WAWA and other lunch options)
• snacks
• sunscreen and/or bug spray

Instruction: 

• Rules for safe muzzleloader handling & range rules
• Firearm parts and operation & ammunition
• Shooting fundamentals: Five steps to firing each shot
• Natural Point of Aim
• Shooting from the prone, standing, and sitting/kneeling positions

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

Hear the true story of Paul Revere’s famous ride and learn about the events that immediately precipitated the Revolutionary War. Paul Revere did not ride alone – many individuals played crucial roles in the events of April 19th, 1775.

This history presentation begins with alarm riders warning, “The Regulars are out!” You’ll hear about the dramatic stand on Lexington Green, and the “shots heard round the world” at Concord’s North Bridge. The tale concludes with harrowing life-or-death choices along the 17-mile “battle road.”

This exciting tale will be woven throughout the day’s marksmanship events.

Our history presentations are based on “Paul Revere’s Ride” by David Hackett Fischer, a thoroughly researched recounting of the events leading up to the historic skirmishes between Patriots and Red Coats at Concord and Lexington on April 19, 1775.

“The true story of Paul Revere’s ride is very different from the popular myth of the lone rider of the Revolution…This is a tale of contingency, with great events hanging in the narrow balance. It is the story of free people, making hard choices. Most of all, it is about America’s half-remembered heritage of collective action in the cause of freedom. When Paul Revere and his many friends alarmed the Middlesex countryside, they were carrying that message for us.”