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Man who purchased a $1,700 piece of a tent from a thrift store astonished to learn of its close link to historical icon
A man who purchased a $1,700 'scrap of fabric' from a thrift store struck gold after it led to an 'astonishing' historical discovery.
Richard 'Dana' Moore, a history enthusiast and collector from Virginia, found an artifact claimed to be a piece of George Washington's war tent on Goodwill's website in 2022.
The priceless piece of fabric, complete with a note linking it to a 1907 exposition, was up for grabs in the historical documents section.
'I was like, 'This can't be.' So I was a little bit astonished,' Moore told CNN.
Moore was skeptical but he took the risk and purchased the item for $1,700.
Richard 'Dana' Moore, a history enthusiast and collector from Virginia , found an artifact claimed to be a piece of George Washington's war tent on Goodwill's website in 2022
Experts at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia confirmed the artifact's authenticity as a genuine piece of Washington's dining tent used during the Revolutionary War, It will now be on display as part of the museum's 'Witness to Revolution' exhibit until Jan. 2025
'There are a lot of fakes out there,' he added. 'There's always something that's not real, that looks to be real.'
'I jumped in with both feet. I said, 'Hell with it.' I'm gonna bid on it,' he said.
He then reached out to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia in 2023 to authenticate the artifact.
Experts at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia confirmed the artifact's authenticity as a genuine piece of Washington's dining tent used during the Revolutionary War.
Matthew Skic, curator of exhibitions at the museum, was excited but also skeptical regarding the authenticity of the item.
'What's really fascinating about this particular fragment is it retains some of the red wool trim on the edge of it, and that was telling us that this was likely cut away from the edge of the roof of the dining marquee,' Skic said
Skic explained that Washington's tent was seen as a way to connect people to the past
General George Washington's original sleeping and office tent from the Revolutionary War was carefully preserved by generations of the Custis and Lee families
'This one is a lot of fun because it came from an unlikely spot,' Skic said. 'You don't expect to find these kinds of historical treasures in a place like that, although this is not the first historical treasure that has come up via Goodwill.'
Skic explained that Washington's tent was seen as a way to connect people to the past. 'And there might have been a similar mindset in 1907 when this, this fragment of the dining marquee, was cut,' Skic said.
Now on display as part of the museum's 'Witness to Revolution' exhibit until January 2025, Moore's incredible find has made him the only known private owner of a piece of Washington's tent.
'It's the history behind it. Can you imagine the information and the things that were said within that tent?' Moore asked rhetorically.
'I never got chills like that in my entire life,' he said. 'We were both over the moon. We still can't believe it.'