SOMERS POINT — The Patriots for Somers Mansion has joined forces with the Atlantic County Historical Society to present the RevolutionNJ traveling exhibit Revolutionary Lives: Living the American Experiment Then and Now.
Levi Fox, a history professor at Immaculata University and member of the Patriots, and others set the display up July 9.
He said it highlights New Jersey’s involvement in the revolution and involves an interactive element in which participants can write their own American experience and hang it on the wall.
“I can tell you as a public historian, that’s good practice to have something like that to get that engagement,” he said.
The exhibit features the often-overlooked stories of everyday New Jerseyans whose lives, labor and choices shaped the Revolutionary Era and continue to inspire civic engagement today, according to the New Jersey Historical Commission.
“Revolutionary Lives gives people the opportunity to see how ordinary people who, through their everyday experiences, were caught up in making history — and ultimately contributed to creating our nation’s future,” said Carrie Fellows, executive director of Crossroads of the American Revolution, the nonprofit formed to plan the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in New Jersey.
The exhibit will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 15-18 and July 21-24 at 907 Shore Road. Parking is available in the rear and side of the building.
According to the New Jersey Historical Commission, the state’s diversity mirrors its revolutionary times. New Jersey had a mix of distinct languages, religions and cultures. Loyalties were roughly divided between those supporting the revolution, those opposed, and the rest who were uncommitted.
By the end of the war, the state had suffered more damage than most and endured more violent clashes than any other.
The exhibit explores this tumultuous period through the stories of everyday people under extraordinary circumstances.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff