An artifact that originally belonged to President George Washington recently found its way into the hands of one man. Virginia History Enthusiasts – And then a museum – all thanks to Goodwill.
This artifact is currently on display at the American Revolution Museum In Philadelphia. Collector Richard “Dana” Moore came across the artifact on Goodwill’s auction site — a six-inch-long piece of linen fabric taken from a Washington dining marquee, or tent.
The fabric was auctioned off with a note that read: “A piece of George Washington’s tent, from the History Building of the Jamestown Exposition 1907, property of John Burns, December 23, 2007.”
Moore’s collection consists mostly of Civil War artifacts, but he has also collected artifacts from the Civil War. American Revolution and has spent years learning about the War of 1812 through metal detecting. During an interview with Fox News Digital, the history buff said he first thought the piece “couldn’t be real.”
Richard “Dana” Moore and Suzanne Bowen loaned an artifact belonging to George Washington to the American Revolution Museum. (Susan Bowen)
“But when I zoomed in, the fabric looked absolutely vintage,” he said. “A brief handwritten note referencing the 1907 Jamestown Exhibition, pinned in with a rusty pin, added to the vintage feel.”
“My intuition kept telling me that this could be true.”
Moore thought the fabric was special, so he purchased it from an auction site for $1,300. Moore said that after purchasing the fabric, he felt very happy to have responsibility for “such an important artifact of history.”
He delayed telling his wife, Susan Bowen, about the purchase, which she was initially skeptical about.
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The cloth, which has darkened over the years, is currently on display at the Museum of the American Revolution. (American Revolution Museum)
“I assumed it couldn’t be true until a year later, when we saw an online presentation from the Museum of the American Revolution,” Bowen told Fox News Digital. “That’s what prompted us to contact them.”
Museum curator Matthew Schick told Fox News Digital that the fabric was cut out as a souvenir when the awning was on display in 1907. As the note confirms, the awning appeared at the Jamestown Exposition that year.
“At the time, Mary Custis Lee, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and daughter of Robert E. Lee, was the owner of Washington’s Tent from the Revolutionary War,” he said. “She loaned the dining room for the exhibit.”
In 1778, Washington used two awnings while traveling with his troops – one for meals and the other for his private offices and sleeping quarters. The fabric Moore found was part of Washington’s dining room. Schick certified the fabric’s authenticity after examining the piece.
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The artwork came with a note referencing the 1907 exhibition. (American Revolution Museum)
“We took a close look at the weave of the fabric and the style and shape of the red wool edging with the assistance of textile conservator Virginia Whelan,” he said. “These details matched the dining marquee. We were able to determine that this piece was cut from the scalloped edge of the dining marquee’s roof.”
The expert said the fabric had darkened over the years “due to accumulation of dirt and dust”.
“The red wool binding at the edge has faded a little, but most of its color is intact,” he said. “The edges of the piece are frayed from being cut by the marquee.”
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Schick said it is “very unusual to find artifacts like this, especially through a Goodwill online auction!”
“Prior to the discovery of this piece, nine fragments of Washington’s tent were known to exist, all in the collections of museums or other institutions,” he said. “For example, the Museum of the American Revolution owns three fragments of Washington’s tent. There may be more out there!”
General Rochambeau and General Washington giving final orders before the assault at the Siege of Yorktown, October 1781. (Pierce Archive LLC/BuyEnlarge via Getty Images)
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The cloth is currently on display at the Philadelphia Museum along with other pieces of Washington’s tent. Historians are still actively investigating the piece, and Schick said the museum is researching who John Burns, the man who allegedly wrote the handwritten note, was.
Bowen said it was “an honor” to see the artifact at the American Revolution Museum.
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“It was very exciting to see it as part of the exhibition,” he said. “It was a very emotional day for both of us.”
