The Museum of the American Revolution’s First Oval Office Project is coming to Tryon Palace and will be open for tours from March 26, through 28. The First Oval Office Project is an inspiring handsewn, reproduction of General George Washington’s mobile headquarters that travelled with him throughout the American Revolution. The reproduction encampment includes the sleeping and office marquee, dining marquee, baggage tent, camp bed, furniture, and more that were part of his mobile headquarters while commanding the Continental Army, as well as other tents for common soldiers in the Continental Army. A team of interpreters from the Museum of the American Revolution will be on site to guide you and answer questions about his military life while on campaign. Tryon Palace will be the only site in North Carolina to host the First Oval Office Project during 2026. It is a “do not miss event” for all ages!
How do we know what Washington’s war encampment looked like? After two hard campaigns against British forces in 1776 and 1777, Washington’s set of tents were worn beyond repair. In January 1778, artisans in Reading, Pennsylvania, began construction on a pair of new marquees for Washington. These tents survived several more years of battle including that of Yorktown, Virginia. After the British conceded defeat in September 1783, the marquee tent, camp equipage, and military papers were carefully preserved and brought home to Mount Vernon. The tent was passed down through Martha Washington’s family, except for a brief period when the federal government held it during and after the Civil War. It was often exhibited and was eventually housed at the Smithsonian Institution. In 1909, it was sold to Reverend W. Herbert Burk by Washington descendent Mary Custis Lee in. Burk founded the Valley Forge Historical Society and collected Revolutionary objects for display at his museum at the Washington Memorial Chapel. This collection eventually inspired the creation of the Museum of the American Revolution, which opened in 2017 in Philadelphia. Washington’s War Tent is the centerpiece of the Museum’s collection and is now a part of an immersive multimedia presentation.
Prior to opening, the Museum of the American Revolution partnered with the Historic Trades Department at The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to reproduce Washington’s War Tent – what is now the First Oval Office Project.
Living history interpreters with the First Oval Office Project will begin the process of setting up camp on Tryon Palace’s South Lawn early on the morning of Thurs., March 26, and be open for tours by mid-morning. Tickets for this Special Tour of the First Oval Office Project are $20 for adults, and $10 for youth. For more information, or to purchase tickets go to Tryon Palace’s website at www.tryonpalace.org.
To add to the excitement of this event, the Tryon Palace Foundation and First Citizen’s Bank will host “A Gala Celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial at North Carolina’s First State Capitol,” on March 27. Guests will experience cocktails and appetizers under Washington’s dining marquee, with exclusive access to Washington’s Revolutionary War encampment and its interpreters. A colonial-inspired dinner will be served at the North Carolina History Center, with a keynote speaker from the Museum of the American Revolution. Throughout the evening guests will enjoy the merriment of 18th century toasts to the “New World at Hand” and period instrumentalists. Tickets to the event are $175, and table sponsorships are available. All proceeds benefit the Tryon Palace Foundation in support of Tryon Palace. Come celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary of independence with Tryon Palace, North Carolina’s first state capitol.