BTU Spotlight: Celebrate America 250 at the Museum of the American G.I.

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence – an act of defiance by our nation’s founding fathers that added fuel to the fire of decades of conflict and, eventually, unified 13 individual colonies in a fight for freedom from tyranny.

But while it’s easy to enjoy the freedoms that we can trace back to the events surrounding the American Revolution, it is also easy to feel disconnected from an event that happened so long ago.

The Museum of the American G.I., located on Highway 6 just south of College Station, aims to change that by presenting a fresh perspective on the American Revolution presented through something all generations can understand: money. Their new exhibit Currency of Independence: Financing the American Revolution, is on display until August 2, 2026.

According to the museum’s website, the exhibit features 28 original Revolutionary-era notes that once paid soldiers, purchased supplies, and circulated through homes, farms, and businesses during one of the most uncertain periods in American history.

Melissa Bauman, the museum’s curator of collections and registrar, says that these notes embody the spirit of a people figuring out how to finance a future they believed in, a necessary hurdle in the fight for independence. For colonists an ocean away from their ruling authorities – ones they would eventually fight and die to separate from – these precious documents were an essential first step towards living independently.

“They were trying to build a country, and that’s done by faith,” Bauman said. “[They were saying], ‘We don’t quite know for sure how we’re going to do this. We're going to put this out there, and people are going to have to trust, work together, and believe this is going to happen.”

The bills on display date from the 1750s, twenty years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, through the 1780s and tell the story of a nation trying to make a name for itself. The collection includes pieces of currency printed and designed by Benjamin Franklin, and each one has a unique story to tell.

“Each bill can actually be its own paper, its own rabbit hole of research,” Bauman said. “Everything has a story – every printer, every engraver – I think that’s the really interesting thing. Each one is a piece of artwork.”

While trying to connect with the past through a history lecture, memorizing dates and battles, or scratching our brains to remember what our AP U.S. History teachers once said can be difficult, seeing the real history in person presents a unique opportunity to connect with the past.

And since Texas was still almost seventy years away from joining the United States, it can offer a fresh perspective.

“It’s not from a Southern area, so we don’t really see this,” Executive Director Leisha Mullins said. “This is the perfect exhibit for the 250[th anniversary] for people to come and see. This is a connection to our history that we would not normally see.”

The museum’s permanent attractions are well worth a visit for anyone interested in military history, or connecting with those that have protected our freedoms for 250 years. While other museums are dedicated to one war, the Museum of the American G.I.’s collection tells the stories of an array of conflicts through the eyes of those who fought on the front lines.

“All of our exhibits are set up to give a personal connection,” Mullins said. “The individual stories allow us to tell the big picture.”

The museum’s mission is to preserve, honor, and educate, and they accomplish that through their collection of rare artifacts – from vehicles to an actual door from the infamous Hanoi Hilton POW camp – that you will not find anywhere else.

“We have a little bit of everything,” Mullins said. “If someone comes through, even if they are an expert, I can almost guarantee they will walk out and at least know one
thing that they did not know about something.”
 

The Museum of the American G.I. is located at 19124 Highway 6 South in College Station. Visit their website, americangimuseum.org, for more information on hours, admission, exhibits, and events throughout the year.