Smell the Revolution: Rum-scented mug among museum’s items

In this Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 photo, under a spotlight, Gary Davis, left, and Paul Synnamon hang a mural depicting the Battle of Bunker Hill as construction continues at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. History buffs will be able to peer into the eyes of a “most excellent likeness” of George Washington and get an actual whiff of the Revolutionary War when Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution opens next year. The collection of art, printed works, immersive exhibits and objects from the Revolutionary Era opens April 19. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma) In this Monday, Oct. 24, 2016 photo, under a spotlight, Gary Davis, left, and Paul Synnamon hang a mural depicting the Battle of Bunker Hill as construction continues at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. History buffs will be able to peer into the eyes of a “most excellent likeness” of George Washington and get an actual whiff of the Revolutionary War when Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution opens next year. The collection of art, printed works, immersive exhibits and objects from the Revolutionary Era opens April 19. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

By Associated Press November 23, 2016 3 min read

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – History buffs will be able to peer into the eyes of a “most excellent likeness” of George Washington and get an actual whiff of the Revolutionary War when Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution opens next year.

Curators have scoured the country for the priceless artifacts to display in the museum, including a 1770s-era creamware mug that stills smells of rum, due to the material it’s made of. The vessel was created to celebrate Boston’s fight for liberty.

“It’s like having a little surround-smell of the revolution,” said R. Scott Stephenson, the museum vice president of collections, exhibitions and programming.

The museum is set to open April 19, the anniversary of the opening battles in 1775 between British troops and American colonists in Lexington and Concord and the “shot heard round the world.”

The 118,000-square-foot museum just two blocks from Independence Hall will feature a collection of art, printed works, immersive exhibits and objects from the Revolutionary Period.