TEST Myth and Memory: Stories of the American Revolution

Myth and Memory explores the rich and complex history of the American Revolution as it played out in New England. Drawn from the museum and archival collections of Historic New England, the objects in this exhibition tell the stories of people – men and women, rebels and loyalists, enslaved and free – whose lives were linked by the shared experience of revolution.  

These objects came into the collection accompanied by stories from their donors. Many of the stories are well-documented in the archives, connecting objects to notable people, places, and events related to the American Revolution. Other stories are based on the memories of ancestors, recorded and preserved as family lore. Nearly all these stories contain embellishments formed over time as these objects circulated between private and public realms, passed down from one generation to another and into the hands of collectors, antiquarians, and museum curators. Myth and Memory revisits these stories to untangle fact from fiction, find truth in their mythologies, and add new perspectives to familiar histories.  

Through the themes of Resistance, Loyalty, Liberty, and Memory, Myth and Memory draws attention to how we remember the American Revolution and reckon with its legacy.