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"The Lilla S. Pechin Stamp Collection" is one of the most complete collections of the stamps of the United States in the country.

"The Valley Forge Collection" is not large, but additions are frequently made to it.

"The Washingtoniana" is admirably representative. There are several letters of Washington; a lock of his hair presented to Alexander Hamilton; a button presented to James Wilson Peale, who painted his portrait at Valley Forge; fragments of his first tomb and coffin; piece of molding from Pohick Church, which he built, etc.

The greatest relic of Washington is his marquee.

Among the treasures of the museum are the original cheque for $120,000, paid to General Lafayette for his services during the Revolution, and a fragment of the Liberty Bell.

The museum is intended to illustrate the development of the American nation, and every effort is being made to increase its educational value. It is used by teachers to illustrate and impress the lessons in American history.

The museum is supported by contributions from three classes of contributors: Perpetual patrons, who give $200 or more; life patrons, who give $50, and benefactors, who give $1 or more annually.

Perpetual Patrons.

Miss Sarah R. Chew.

Mrs. Ann Hunter Wood (Mrs. Alan Wood). In memoriam.

Life Patrons.

Mrs. Erastus Gaylord Putnam, New Jersey.
Mr. William Henry Pearson, Massachusetts.

Washington's Marquee The First Valley Forge Headquarters.- By far the greatest relic of Washington at Valley Forge is his marquee, or office and sleeping tent, in which he spent his first week upon these hills.

George Washington Parke Custis, Washington's adopted son, counted Washington's tent the greatest treasure of Arlington House and the most precious heirloom of the Father of

his Country. This "Pretorium of Valor," as it has been called, has had a remarkable history, which may be briefly summarized as follows:

The sleeping tent and larger dining-tent were made in Philadelphia, 1775, and first set up on Dorchester Heights.

Throughout the War of the Revolution these tents were used in the campaigns, and even when Washington occupied a house as his headquarters the sleeping-tent was set up for his private use. Within it he planned his campaigns, consulted with his officers, wrote letters and drafted despatches, slept and prayed.

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Copyright by Harper & Brother.

WASHINGTON'S WAR TENTS, 1852.

After the war the tent was first stored in the garret at Mount Vernon. Later, when Mr. Custis built Arlington House, the tents were carried there and stored. Before his death Mr. Custis presented the dining-tent to the Government.

At the death of Mr. Custis the sleeping-tent with the other relics of Washington and the Arlington estate were inherited by his daughter, Mrs. Robert E. Lee.

Upon the breaking out of the Civil War Lee resigned his commission in the United States army, and became commanderin-chief of the Confederate army. Mrs. Lee left Arlington House, and later the estate was seized by the Union army. The

tent and other relics of Washington were removed to Washington, and by order of Secretary Stanton were transferred to the Interior Department and placed on exhibition in the Patent Office.

Mrs. Lee appealed to President Johnson in 1869 for the restoration of these personal relics of Washington, and the order for their transfer was given, but the House of Representatives interfered.

The tent and other relics were removed to the National Museum in 1883.

Under the administration of President McKinley, the relics were restored to the family.

On May 27, 1907, the Rev. W. Herbert Burk, Minister in Charge of the Washington Memorial Chapel, secured from Miss Mary Custis Lee, the daughter of Mrs. Robert E. Lee, and the owner of the tent, an option for its purchase at $5000, and on August 19, 1909, made the first payment of $500, contributed by friends of the chapel, and received the tent, minus one-half of the side wall, from Miss Lee's representative and the curators of the National Museum. The following day, one hundred and thirty-one years after it was carried from Valley Forge, it was set up in the Valley Forge Museum of American History.

By the terms of the contract the balance of $4500 is to be paid within five years, the tent to be exhibited for the purpose of raising that amount. Miss Lee will devote the proceeds to the support of the "Old Confederate Woman's Home," in Richmond, of which she is the president.

The Washington Memorial Library. In connection with the Washington Memorial Chapel and the Valley Forge Museum of American History a great library has been planned as a memorial of Washington the Booklover. As its volumes will represent the nation's development, and will contain the record of its progress, it will be a fitting memorial of the Father of his Country. Each State is to be represented by books of history and biography. It will be a library of reference for historical research.

Two of its features are worthy of notice. The first is its Collection of Association Books. These include volumes owned

by the Washingtons, George Mason, author of the "Bill of Rights"; James Wilson, Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Gen. Philip Schuyler, Peter S. Du Ponceau, Francis Asbury, James Madison and others.

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Valley Forge

Presented by

THE WASHINGTON MEMORIAL

LIBRARY BOOK-PLATE.

The second feature is the Collection of Authors' Presentation Copies, presented to the library in honor of Washington, and forming the American Authors' Memorial of Washington. This collection includes gifts from such well-known authors as Lyman Abbott, Cyrus Townsend Brady, Andrew Carnegie, Margaret Deland, Kate Douglas Wiggin Riggs, Albert Bushnell Hart, George Iles, Henry Cabot Lodge, Hamilton W. Mabie, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Edwin Markham, Horace Howard Furness, Clinton Scollard, Henry Van Dyke and Woodrow Wilson.

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The bookplate of the library is a reproduction of Washington's, with the addition of the words, "The Washington Library, Valley Forge."

In time a suitable library building will be erected on the site first adopted as that for the rectory.

The First Chapel. To the east of the stone chapel stands the little frame one which has become famous as the place in which President Roosevelt made a notable speech on the

one hundred and twenty-sixth anniversary of the evacuation. This was the only time that a President of the United States has visited Valley Forge.

The President spoke on the lessons of Gettysburg and Valley Forge, and in the course of his address said:

"It is a good thing that these great historic landmarks of our country, Gettysburg and Valley Forge, should be preserved; that one should commemorate a single tremendous ef

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fort, and the other what we need, on the whole, much moremuch more commonly-and which is a more difficult thing— constant effort. Only men with a touch of the heroic could have lasted out that three days' wrestle at Gettysburg; only men fitted to rank with the great men of all times could have beaten back the mighty onslaught of that gallant and wonderful

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