45-foot ship to tell story of the American Revolution

The ship will act as one of the museum's primary immersive exhibits, explore maritime involvement in the Revolution and highlight Forten, a free African-American boy who served on a privateer ship and later became a prominent abolitionist and wealthy Philadelphia businessman.

The exhibit will have an accessible ramp and builders will outfit the ship with lights to create the illusion of water and a speaker system to surround the exhibit with sounds of people working on a privateer ship.

Stephenson said the ship exhibit centered on Forten's story and the museum's artifacts will explore "one of the great unfinished aspects of the American Revolution: making the promise of equality apply to all people."