Washington, DC

[archeryguy02]

I'm heading to DC soon and was wondering if there are any places there that may have anything related to the fur trade era, museums, etc.

 

[outdoorman]

Lots of rats in DC---just not sure if they are furbearing or not! :wink:

Outdoorman

 

[outdoorman]

Honestly though, check out the Smithsonian mueseums. One of them has an extensive display of old muzzleloading rifles and pistols. Wish I could remember which one---maybe Natural History?

Read my friend, and enjoy your visit. I would like to someday go back.

Outdoorman

 

[wpjson]

Check google. Washington, DC is history. Love the place. Last trip I managed to locate Theordore Roosevelt's Memorial.

 

[fleener]

I have not made it yet to see teddys memorial. Been very close several times, but not made it yet.

fleener

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Check the "Castle" the US centennial exhibition, a red brick building pert of the Smithsonian on "the Mall." Natural History has some good displays about the original Americans. Also, the NRA Museum in nearby Fairfax VA. There are several Battlefields nearby. Gettysburg is only 120 miles NW. Antietam is even closer. Mannasas is 30 miles West of DC just a few miles from the NRA.

I had the very Good fortune to live in DC, when a truly great exhibit of Karl Bodmer's paintings and the artifacts gathered by Prince Maximillian were on display. A few years later, I was in Ft Clark North Dakota, where they had spent the winter about 1830, and the riverside and hills looked exactly the same as Bodmer had painted them. (Most of the watercolor portraits of Indians in books are Bodmer's pictures.)

Williamsburg and Yorktown are only 200 miles SE of DC. Ft McHenry in Baltimore is only 30 miles North.

As for fur trade, there really is very little on permanent display about that period in the Smithsonian's many buildings. Mt Vernon is 20 miles South, (I would suggest seeing Gunston Hall, George Mason's home, nearby but more impressive than Mt. Vernon)

Every summer there is an American Folklife festival emphasizing three or four American subcultures and it usually includes an Indian Tribal group. You would have to check if anything interesting is being featured

Looking for Fur trade era items around DC, is like asking for a Philly steak sandwich at a Chinese restaurant.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Valley Forge and Independence Hall in Philly are 140 miles NW of DC.

 

[wpjson]

Last month we stopped at Chancelorville and the Wilderness battlefields. Montecello, Mt. Vernon (I was honored to lay a wreath in George Washington's tomb) attended Easter sunrise sevices at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Lot of history. Have fun.

 

[BrownBear]

Not fur trade, but you're within a couple of hours of Gettysburg and a whole lot of other CW locations. Allow looooooots of time.

 

[RedFeather]

You might try the Navy Yard museum. Some muzzle loaders and, around the building, some really BIG front stuffers (as in naval cannons and mortars). Easily done in an afternoon. Out front is a 16" gun (they made them there at the Yard) along with test shots into battleship belt armor plates, even large embedded round balls. Plus the base is rather pretty. The Smithsonian used to have a couple of Rodman guns on display but that was a while back. I would call ahead to see what's on display. Wear comfortable shoes.

 

[Captjoel]

The Kentucky Rifle Foundation is proud to announce the official opening our display titled, "The Kentucky Rifle a Complete Narrative" 1760-1860, at the NRA National Firearms Museum, 11250 Waples Mill Road Fairfax, Va 22030. The display will run from May 15, 2014 to May 15, 2015. If you're in the Washington D.C. area during this period, please stop by and see the museum and the exhibit, it's free, and we're sure you will enjoy it.

 

[BrownBear]

Just had a recollection.... Danged if it isn't odd for me to remember anything these days! :rotf:

If you admire historic paintings of landscapes and people from that era and lots more, track down the National Portrait Gallery. Can't even remember the address, but it's only a few blocks off the mall.

Unbelievable array of great paintings there. We always save up money for a dinner at a favorite restaurant about a block away when we're in DC, then arrive about 4 hours early so we can spend it all in the gallery.

Lotta originals there you might have admired in reproductions used in books from before the Revolution until well past the fur trade. The repros are nothing compared to those originals.

 

[faste350]

also not fur trade, but Arlington Cemetery is a very special place to visit. it is overwelming to stand there and take in the view.

 

[satx78247]

The AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM of The Smithsonian Institution has a NICE collection of ML firearms & fur trade era artifacts.

yours, satx

 

[Loyalist Dave]

40 minutes South of DC is Washington's home at Mount Vernon.

Travel a short distance from DC on I-66 and you will find the NRA museum.

If you come up from the South on I-95, near Quantico VA is the USMC Museum.

Antieatam National Battlefield is 2 hours away, as is Gettysburg.

IF you are coming up I-81, the Museum of Frontier Culture is in Staunton, VA.

LD

 

[Shooey]

A tour of the Carlysle House in Old Town Alexandria is a nice way to spend an afternoon.

 

[hawkeye2]

The National Firearms Museum (National Rifle Assn. Museum) is "hosting a display entitled “The Kentucky Rifle, A Complete Narrative 1750-1850”. The exhibit will be located at the NRA’s National Firearms Museum May15, 2014 thru May15, 2015 in Fairfax, Virginia. The purpose of the exhibit is to tell the story of the development of this early American art form and its role in helping America and its people become a free and independent country.

NFM exhibit rifles will be made up of 20 examples of the best Kentucky rifles including: the earliest known J.P. Beck along with important rifles by Graeff, Dickert, Haga, Eyster, Armstrong, Schroyer, Lauck, the PA rifle, J. Wilson, Frazier, Hoffman, the “Gamecock” rifle, Clark, and Kettering and Barnhart."
http://www.nramuseum.org/

11250 Waples Mill Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22030

It is easy to get to from anywhere in the DC area and is a mile from Rt. 66 and 1/2 mile from Rt. 50

 

[fleener]

when ever I am in DC, I do not have a car and have to use public transportation. How hard it to get to the NRA on public transportation?

Fleener

 

[zimmerstutzen]

It is probably a short cab ride from a metro station
I left the dc area 16 yes ago and don't remember how close the station is along 66

 

[BrownBear]

Here is the route map for the DC Metro. Slick setup.