FACTS ABOUT THE YORKTOWN VICTORY CENTER
Yorktown, Virginia

Theme 
A museum of the American Revolution, the Yorktown Victory Center chronicles America’s struggle for independence from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of the new nation.  Thematic exhibits and living-history programs relate the experiences of ordinary men and women who lived during the Revolutionary era.

Location 
On Route 1020 in Yorktown; adjacent to Colonial National Historical Park, which encompasses Yorktown Battlefield, and 12 miles from Williamsburg. Six miles from Interstate 64, Exit 247.  GPS address:  200 Water Street, Yorktown, VA 23690.

Exhibit Areas
First in a series of indoor exhibits, the Declaration of Independence Gallery explores the document that articulated radical ideas inspiring decisive action. The Witnesses to Revolution Gallery presents the stories of a representative and diverse group of 10 people whose lives were profoundly affected by the Revolution. The Converging on Yorktown Gallery describes the multinational nature of forces that converged on Yorktown in the fall of 1781 and highlights the Betsy and other British ships scuttled or lost in the York River during the Siege of Yorktown.  A Time of Revolution, an evocative 18-minute film set in an encampment at night during the Yorktown siege, dramatizes the musings and recollections of an array of individuals.  “The Legacy of Yorktown: Virginia Beckons” exhibition examines how people from many different cultures shaped a new society and the development of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.  In an outdoor re-created Continental Army encampment, historical interpreters describe and depict the daily life of American soldiers during the last year of the war.  A re-created 1780s farm that includes a dwelling, kitchen, tobacco barn, crop field, and herb and vegetable garden, shows how many Americans lived in the decade following the military end of the Revolution.

Historical Perspectives
Yorktown was the site of the climactic battle of the American Revolution. In early Fall 1781, Washington and Rochambeau had the British army trapped along the shores of the York River.  The allied armies had all of the land routes blocked.  The French navy blockaded escape by sea.  Cornwallis had no option but to surrender to the combined forces.

Hours of Operation
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily year-round, until 6 p.m. June 15 through August 15.  Closed on New Year’s and Christmas days.  Allow a minimum of two hours for a visit.

Administration
Operated by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. 
   Chairman:  H. Benson Dendy III.
   Executive Director:  Philip G. Emerson.
   Acting Senior Director of Museum Operations and Education:  James S. Holloway 

Museum History
Opened April 1, 1976, as one of three Bicentennial centers in Virginia. In the 1990s, the museum’s focus broadened to encompass the entire American Revolution, including the formation of a new government after the Revolution, and to interpret the Revolution from diverse points of view. A renovated Declaration of Independence entrance gallery and long-term exhibition, “The Legacy of Yorktown: Virginia Beckons,” debuted in October 2006. Work began mid-2012 on transforming the Yorktown Victory Center into the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and a cornerstone was dedicated on May 10, 2013. The project, expected to be complete by late 2016, includes an 80,000-square-foot structure that will encompass expanded exhibition galleries, classrooms and support functions, and reorganization of the 22-acre site. While exhibits and parking availability will be impacted at various stages of construction, the Yorktown Victory Center continues in daily operation throughout the transition period.

For additional information and photographs, journalists should contact Media Relations, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, P.O. Box 1607, Williamsburg, Virginia 23187-1607, (757) 253-4175 or 253-4114. 

Inquiries from the general public should be directed to (888) 593-4682 toll-free or (757) 253-4838, or www.historyisfun.org. 

                                                                                                                                 7/2013