Conquistadors to Patriots: Arms and Armor in Colonial America

June 30, 2007 through January 5, 2008

See the armor and weaponry that enabled the Spanish conquistadors to conquer, American Revolutionaries to revolt, and everything in between!

From 1513 to 1783, four European powers – Spain, France, Holland, and England – vied for control of the land and material wealth of North America. The battle for New World domination resulted in numerous wars, the shifting of power, evolving military technology, and eventually colonial revolution. This exhibition traces arms and armor from the Spanish Conquistadors through the American Revolution.

Come and marvel at such treasured historical artifacts as the gauntlets of Prince Philip of Spain, Myles Standish’s sword, Paul Revere’s pistol, and George Washington’s epaulettes!

French Model 1754, 1754-1762, France, Courtesy of Old Sturbridge Village	Pair of gauntlets for Prince (later King) Philip of Spain, 1549-50, Germany, Higgins Armory Museum (423.o & p)	Powder horn of Ezra Beaman by Micah Briard, 1775, America, Courtesy of Worcester Historical Museum	Cuttoe of Major General Artemas Ward, about 1770, America (hilt) and France (blade), Courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society

Special thanks to the following institutions and individuals who loaned artifacts and helped make this exhibition possible:

Massachusetts Historical Society
Old Sturbridge Village
Fitchburg Historical Society
Amherst Historical Society
Pilgrim Hall Museum
Artemas Ward Museum, Harvard University
Bolton Historical Society, Inc.
Harvard Historical Society
Worcester Historical Museum
Old Colony Historical Society
Dedham Historical Society
American Antiquarian Society
Framingham Historical Society and Museum
Francis R. Carroll & The U.S. Presidential Museum
Paul V. Mullaney
Barbara Edsall