Originally owned by President George Washington, the artifact recently found its way to a Virginia history enthusiast, who later donated it to the museum, thanks to Goodwill.
The piece is currently on display at the National Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. Collector Richard “Dana” Moore discovered the artifact, a 6-inch-long piece of linen fabric that came from Washington’s dining room tent, on the Goodwill auction site.
The fabric was put up for auction with the note, “Part of George Washington’s Tent. From the Historic Buildings of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition. Property of John Burns, December 23, 2007.”
While most of Moore’s collection is Civil War artifacts, he’s also used a metal detector over the years to collect items from the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. In an interview with Fox News Digital, the history buff said he initially thought the items “couldn’t be real.”
Richard “Dana” Moore and Susan Bowen loaned George Washington artifacts to the American Revolutionary War Museum. (Susan Bowen)
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“But under magnification, the fabric certainly looked old,” he explained, “and a short handwritten note about the 1907 Jamestown Exposition, held in place by a rusty pin, gave it a sense of antiquity.”
“My intuition kept telling me this could be true.”
Sensing the piece was special, Moore purchased the fabric on an auction site for $1,300, and explained that after purchasing the piece, he felt overwhelmed at the responsibility he felt for “such an important historical artifact.”
He waited to tell his wife, Susan Bowen, about the purchase, but she was initially skeptical.
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The cloth, which has darkened over the years, is now on display at the American Revolutionary War Museum. (American Revolutionary War Museum)
“After watching the American Revolutionary War Museum’s online presentation for over a year, we thought there was no way it could be real,” Bowen explained to Fox News Digital. “That’s what prompted us to reach out to them.”
Museum curator Matthew Sukik told Fox News Digital that the fabric was cut as a souvenir when the canopy was on display in 1907. As the notes confirm, the canopy appeared at the Jamestown Exposition that year.
“At the time, Mary Custis Lee, great-great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and daughter of Robert E. Lee, owned Washington’s Revolutionary War tent,” he added. “She loaned the dining tent to the Exposition.”
In 1778, Washington used two canopies while traveling with his troops: one for dining and one for his personal office and bedroom. The fabric Moore found was part of Washington’s dining canopy. After inspecting the fabric, Skitch certified its authenticity.
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The artifact was accompanied by a note referencing the 1907 Exposition. (American Revolutionary War Museum)
“With the help of textile conservator Virginia Whelan, we closely examined the weave of the fabric and the style and shape of the red wool trim,” he added. “These details match the dining canopy. We were able to determine that the fragment was cut from the scalloped edge of the dining canopy.”
Experts noted that the fabric had darkened over the years “due to the accumulation of dirt and dust.”
“The red wool trim around the edges has faded a bit, but most of the color remains,” he added. “The edges of the piece are frayed from where it was cut from the sign.”
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Skitch added that finding such artifacts is “very rare, especially at a Goodwill online auction.”
“Prior to the discovery of this fragment, nine fragments of Washington’s tent were known to exist, but they were all in museum and other institution collections,” he explained. “For example, the American Revolutionary War Museum owns three fragments of Washington’s tent, and there may be others out there!”
Generals Rochambeau and Washington give their final orders before the attack at the Siege of Yorktown, October 1781. (Pierce Archive LLC/Buyenlarge via Getty Images)
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The cloth is now on display at the Philadelphia Museum along with a fragment of Washington’s tent. Historians are still actively studying it, and Skitch said the museum is still trying to determine the identity of John Burns, who is said to have written the handwritten note.
Bowen said it was an “honor” to see the artifact at the American Revolutionary War Museum.
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“We were very excited to see it as part of the exhibit,” she said. “It was a very emotional day for us.”
