The Wandering Disciple

Transportation in the early days was difficult, in order to cross the country you needed to take a risky wagon ride across the rugged countryside.  But it would all change in the the late 1800's as the country was introduced to a new form of travel, the railroad.  Before long, the country was connected with a series of rail lines making it easier to move people and goods across the nation.  The America on the Move exhibit at the National Museum of American History allows you to follow the journey of transportation in the country from horse back to the present day. (Photo: February 14, 2009)

The history of transportation is spotlighted in the America on the Move exhibit at the National Museum of American History.  The exhibit which takes up much of the first floor of the museum is a popular attraction featuring modes of transportation spanning the decades.  (Photo: February 14, 2009)

A trolley is one of the many modes of transportation on display in the America on the Move exhibit at the National Museum of America History. From horse and carriage to trains and further to motorized vehicles, you can view the entire timeline of our nation’s transportation history. (Photo: February 14, 2009)

A free black woman is portrayed in the Communities of a Changing Nation exhibit at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC. The exhibit showcased the 19th century life and struggles of a industrial workers of Connecticut, Jewish immigrants of Ohio and free blacks of South Carolina. The exhibit ran from February 1999 through September 2012. (Photo: February 14, 2009)

A vintage Buick is just one of the American transportatuion icons that can be found in the America on the Move exhibit at the National Museum of American History in Washington DC.  The museum is jammed packed with over 300,000 square feet of exhibits dedicated to the American culture.  (Photo: February 14, 2009)

Washington, DC: The National Museum of American History houses some of the artifacts that helped shape the American way of life. From the original Star Spangled Banner to the Ruby Red Slippers from the Wizard of Oz, the museum covers our country’s history and culture from its inception to present day. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized $36 million dollars for the Museum of History and Technology. Construction of the 750,000 square foot museum began on August 22, 1958. The museum opened to the public in 1964. It contained three floors of exhibition space that showcased our nation’s history from the Revolutionary War to present day. In 1980, the name was changed to the National Museum of American History as the exhibits focused solely on the experiences of the American people. Today the museum houses the following permanent exhibits: • Invention at Play; interactive activities. • Julia Child’s Kitchen • Science in American Life; Ira Remsen laboratory, Gilbert chemis...