6/13-6/15: Road closures may impact your visit.
Due to the Army 250 festival and parade, there are multiple road closures that may impact your travel time. Based on current information, please reference the driving guidance on our directions page. Please note street closures have changed for guests coming from Virginia via I395. Exit 3 (12th Street) is open leading to L'Enfant Plaza. Maine Avenue exit is closed.
Spy Museum Revamps Culper Spy Ring Exhibit
Experience the all-new and reimagined “Spying Launched a Nation” exhibit, now showcasing one of the treasures of the Museum’s collection and the iconic story of the Culper Spy Ring, the first American spy network.
Made possible by a generous grant from the Verstandig Family Foundation, the new exhibit now boasts a fully immersive space with projections on the walls and floor as well as OLED monitors that allow the characters of George Washington and the Culper Spy Ring to come alive in hologram like imagery.
The experience is narrated by the charismatic and inimitable Chris Jackson, best known for his role as George Washington in the original cast of the Broadway musical, Hamilton.
A priceless 1777 letter written by George Washington authorizing America’s first official effort at espionage is the centerpiece of this unique experience. The resulting innovative intelligence work was instrumental in winning the Revolutionary War against the British forces.
Using the Culper Spy Ring as a quintessential example of how intelligence work can change the trajectory of international affairs, a new “Why Spy?” video incorporates stories ripped from the headlines that show examples of the importance of credible intelligence in our modern world.
This unique media installation was designed and produced in partnership with Cortina Productions and Electrosonic, Inc. with fabrication support from ExPlus and Russell Gage.
Exhibit Highlights
New immersive experience
1777 George Washington Letter
Exhibit Narrator - The charismatic and inimitable Christopher Jackson, best known for his role as George Washington in the original cast of the Broadway musical, Hamilton.
Joseph Cortina (Cortina Productions), Chris Jackson and Kathryn Keane (Spy Museum | VP of Exhibitions and Collections)
Original Washington Letter
Thank You to the Verstandig Family Foundation
The updated exhibit prominently highlights the significance of the 1777 letter from George Washington to Nathaniel Sackett, recognized as the first evidence of a civilian intelligence effort, and the story of the Culper Spy Ring.
