Collectors of historical memorabilia always get excited when they make an interesting find.
And in some cases, those finds can be uncovered at places as unexpected as the local thrift store.
Now, this Virginia history buff found this treasure on the Goodwill.com auction website that has him beaming with pride.
Man finds a piece of George Washington’s tent online
Richard “Dana” Moore is an avid history buff with an affinity for Civil War artifacts.
However, the collector also enjoys looking for items from other periods including the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Moore recently discovered an incredible artifact that once belonged to the first President of the United States, George Washington – and he found it on a Goodwill auction site.
The item is now on display at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.
The swatch of fabric is a six-inch-long piece of linen that was once part of Washington’s dining marquee (or dining tent).
Part of the item on auction included a piece of paper that reads, “a piece of George Washington’s tent, from the history building at Jamestown exposition 1907 property of John Burns Dec 23rd 07.”
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Moore said that many of the items he collects are found through metal detecting, and he assumed the piece of fabric “couldn’t be real” at first glance.
“But when I zoomed in, the fabric looked authentically old. The brief handwritten note referencing the Jamestown Exposition of 1907, which was attached with a rusty pin, added to the feeling of age,” he said.
Moore added that his “gut kept telling me this could be real,” so he purchased the piece for $1,300.
He said after he bought the piece, he felt overwhelmed by feelings of responsibility to own “such an important artifact of history.”
The collector waited to tell his wife Susan Bowen about his Goodwill find, and she admits she was a bit skeptical at first.
A revolutionary discovery
According to Bowen, she and her husband watched an online presentation from the Museum of the American Revolution over a year after buying the fabric swatch.
“That’s what prompted us to reach out to them,” she told Fox News Digital.
Matthew Skic, official Curator at the museum, said the fabric was cut as a souvenir when the marquee was on display in 1907 and the canopy did make an appearance at the Jamestown Exposition that year.
“At that time, Mary Custis Lee, Martha Washington’s great-great-granddaughter and daughter of Robert E. Lee, owned Washington’s tents from the Revolutionary War. She put the dining marquee on loan to the exposition,” said Skic.
Washington used two marquees while traveling with his troops in 1778 – one for his personal office and sleeping quarters and one for dining.
The piece of fabric Moore found has now been authenticated and his wife said seeing it on display in the museum is “an honor.”
“Seeing it as part of the exhibit was so exciting. It’s been a very emotional day for both of us,” she added.
Informed American will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
