George Rogers Clark Exhibit

In preparing for the United States’s Bicentennial, the federal government initially planned for a large-scale celebration held in Philadelphia, the country’s first capital city. The idea faced criticism from the public, who accused it of being elitist and ignoring the country’s diversity. The backlash influenced the federal government to step back and instead fund more localized commemorations. As a result of this new approach, many projects in Indiana focused on aspects of American history that resonated more with its residents.

The George Rogers Clark exhibit at the Indiana State Museum is one example. It ran from February 25, 1976 to the 200th anniversary of the Siege of Fort Sackville on February 25, 1979. Clark was an officer in the American militia who played a critical role in the siege. This major American victory during the American Revolution resulted in the United States acquiring Vincennes, Indiana’s oldest city. Vincennes was named the capital when the Indiana Territory was created in 1800.

The three-year exhibit was a major undertaking with more than two-hundred people trained as visitor guides. Prior to the exhibit’s dedication, a dinner was held with recipes from the 1700s and there was a city-sponsored parade. Taking up the entire second level of the museum, the exhibit examined the life of George Rogers Clark by detailing his upbringing, early military career, and his victories over the British during the American Revolution. The exhibit ended with a new technology called a “historic documentary environmental theater.” This theater was only the third of its kind in the country and the first to show a history-themed documentary. It consisted of images of Clark’s campaign being projected above a large topographical map that traced his progress by pinpointing it with light.