Today in Smithsonian History: July 3, 1965

The gunboat Philadelphia on display in the National Museum of American History in 2005. The Philadelphia sank into Lake Champlain in October 1776, during a naval battle against the British in the American Revolution. Visible is the 12 pounder gun mounted at the bow. She was raised in 1935 with much of its equipment intact and came to the museum in 1964, complete with the 24-pound ball that sent the gunboat to the bottom. (Photo by Harold Dorwin)

July 3, 1965  The Armed Forces History Hall opens in the Museum of History and Technology, now the National Museum of American History. It features the 55-foot gun-boat, Philadelphia, which was recovered from the waters of Lake Champlain virtually intact. This is the oldest and most complete naval artifact associated with the American Revolution. Among other exhibits relating to the U.S. Army are George Washington’s headquarters tent and General Philip H. Sheridan’s horse, Winchester.

The Gunboat Philadelphia exhibition has been reinterpreted and updated to include its recovery in 1935, a history of its display at Lake Champlain as well as early preservation and acquisition by the museum. This exhibition includes historical video footage of the raising of the Philadelphia from Lake Champlain accompanied by an interpretive cart that provides hands-on experience with preservation needs. Painted scrims provide the visitor with a simulated visual sense of the “underwater” space of the Philadelphia. New cases will display artifacts that were recovered with the gunboat as well as the crew payroll.
Learn more about the Philadelphia.

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