National Museum of American History opens gunboat Philadelphia restoration exhibit

By Alvin Wu
Arts and Entertainment
National Museum of American History opens gunboat Philadelphia restoration exhibit

The public viewing windows of the gunboat Philadelphia restoration exhibit on Tuesday, Aug. 26. ZFJ/Alvin Wu

WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 (ZFJ) — The Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) opened an exhibit of the restoration of the Revolutionary War-era gunboat Philadelphia on Friday, Aug. 22.

Viewing windows at “The Gunboat Philadelphia Preservation Project” exhibit allow visitors to observe the vessel’s underwater restoration in real time, conducted by a team of underwater archaeologists and maritime conservators from Texas A&M University’s Nautical Archaeology Program (under contract with the Smithsonian).

The Philadelphia was built in the summer of 1776 under Brig. Gen. Benedict Arnold and the Continental Congress. The gunboat was part of a small American fleet that fought the British at the two-day Battle of Valcour Island. The Americans were defeated but did delay the British.

The Philadelphia sank to the bottom of Lake Champlain an hour after the battle ended and was eventually recovered by Lorenzo Hagglund’s salvage team in 1935. The ship was displayed in the lake’s region until it, its original equipment, and the cannonball that sank it were moved to the National Museum of History and Technology (the original name for the NMAH) before the museum was opened to the public Jan. 23, 1964.

A full view of the gunboat Philadelphia. SMITHSONIAN/Handout A full view of the gunboat Philadelphia. SMITHSONIAN/Handout

After spending 160 years underwater and decades on display, the gunboat’s timbers had been shrinking and its iron fittings disintegrating. The conservation team has been monitoring the impact of temperature, humidity, and vibrations on the ship. They are also studying the impact of the liquid nylon applied to the outer surface of the boat in the 1960s on the boat’s structural integrity.

The multiyear restoration project began in spring 2019 with funding from the museum’s board. The project received a $750,000 grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service through the Save America’s Treasures grant program in late 2023 and a $1 million donation from Americana Corner, an educational organization focused on America’s founding era and first century of existence.

The preservation team’s research into the gunboat’s construction and period records has unveiled new findings about its carpentry work and the people who constructed it.

The completion of the ship’s conservation work in summer 2026 is scheduled to coincide with the nation’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

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