The Springfield Museums announces the opening of Declaration of Innovation: Springfield’s Revolutionary Ideas, a new exhibition at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History on view May 16-September 27.
Timed to coincide with the nation’s Semiquincentennial, the exhibition explores how bold thinking has shaped Springfield’s identity as the “City of Firsts.” Through immersive environments, hands-on activities, and compelling storytelling, visitors will discover how ordinary people sparked extraordinary change across centuries.
“Springfield has long been a center of imagination and invention,” says Elizabeth Kapp, Curator of History at the Springfield Museums. “This exhibition invites visitors to investigate how innovation can be both an individual breakthrough and the yearslong efforts of a community. Many parts of our everyday lives, parts we don’t even notice, began as revolutionary ideas. By exploring these connecting histories, we discover how the people of Springfield have brought and continue bring revolutionary change to our world.”
The exhibition begins in the 1770s, immersing visitors in the experiences and perspectives of colonists grappling with independence from British rule. Through interactive elements, guests engage with the everyday realities of the period, including the impact of the Stamp Act taxing everyday goods. Visitors can challenge themselves to decipher colonial-era cursive and try their hand at writing a Daily Declaration, signing off with their very own John Hancock.
Drawing from the Museum’s History Library & Archives, the exhibition highlights Springfield’s contribution to the American language through its association with Merriam-Webster. Dictionaries from 1777 and 1879 illustrate how definitions and national identity have shifted over time. For example, the changing meaning of the word “patriot” offers a way to see how the United States transformed socially and politically following the American Revolution and through the Civil War.
The exhibition also explores Springfield’s emergence as a center of industrial innovation. Visitors can join an assembly line, using interchangeable parts to construct and customize a vehicle inspired by those in nearby galleries. Hands-on activities based on the first gasoline-powered automobile and the famed Gee Bee racing planes demonstrate how the industrial age revolutionized Springfield and factories around the world.
By focusing on the process of innovation—its creativity, persistence, and collaboration—Declaration of Innovation offers a dynamic, accessible experience that encourages visitors of all ages to see themselves as part of an ongoing story of ingenuity.
Declaration of Innovation: Springfield’s Revolutionary Ideas is sponsored by Beacon Bank. MassMutual is the season supporter of the Springfield Museums.