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The American Heritage Gallery at Epcot
The America Heritage Gallery
Housed within the America Pavilion, The America Heritage Gallery is a mini museum filled with artifacts of a diverse collection of people who contributed greatly to American history. You will see displays representing famous American inventors, astronauts, authors, politicians, reformists, and actors.
The America Heritage Gallery is a walk through attraction that gets little publicity. You actually have to go through the entrance to the American Adventure Attraction in order to see the Gallery. You can walk through the American Heritage Gallery without viewing the attraction.
Inventor Thomas Edison is represented by 3 of his inventions on display. There is a Tinfoil Phonograph (pictured above) from 1878 - 1879. There is also an example of a Kinetophone and a Kinetoscope. The Kinetoscope was a way of watching moving pictures before modern motion pictures were invented. Inside a cabinet a strip of film passed rapidly by a lighted shutter giving the illusion of movement.
There are several authentic artifacts from American Astronauts: John Glenn, John Herrington, and the Apollo 16 mission.
John Glenn's Jacket from his Space Shuttle mission when he was 77 years old is on display as well as his helmet from his earlier days during his flight aboard Friendship 7 when he became the first American to orbit the earth.
John Herrington's flute that he played during his Space Shuttle mission aboard the Endeavor. Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, was the first Native American to fly in space.
A moon rock collected during the Apollo 16 mission from 1972 is shown here and dedicated to the memory of Virgil "Gus" Grissom as a tribute to our nation's brave pioneers of space exploration.
Writing from Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglas are also on display. Stowe was most well known for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin and an early copy of the classic novel is on display. There are several items penned by Frederick Douglas including a letter that he wrote to Abraham Lincoln.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of America is represented by a couple of different items. The first of which is the Queen Anne's Chair pictured above. This chair which was produced in 1748 by renowned cabinetmaker Solomon Russell. It was one of two matching chairs that Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah used in their Philadelphia home.
There is also a letter penned by Benjamin Franklin in 1783 while he was America's Ambassador to France. His mission at the time was to negotiate the Treaty Of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War.
Actor and showman Will Rogers is represented by some of his famous cowboy tools: Boots, Chaps, Saddle, Hat, and Lasso. Known for his ability with the lasso, it was interesting to learn that as a boy on his family's ranch a freed slave taught him how to use a lasso to rope cattle.
Beyond The Expected
Throughout Epcot and especially in the World Showcase there are many examples of Galleries and displays that don't show up on anyone's list of must see attractions, but are worthwhile to explore nonetheless.
The American Heritage Gallery is an interesting look at some authentic American artifacts, whether you choose to browse them while waiting for the next showing of the American Adventure or you decide to escape the heat or rain and stumble upon it. Regardless the reason, take the time to visit and check out this educational display.
Disney World Presents: The American Adventure At Epcot
There are many design elements that are working together to make this a tremendous attraction. Starting with the building itself, this colonial style manor used English Georgian architecture. By utilizing architecture that draws upon America's Colonial times, it automatically draws the guests into one of the most definitive periods of America's history.
Once inside the building guests are often greeted in the rotunda by the Voices of Liberty, an a cappella musical group that sings well known American patriotic and folk songs. The acoustical properties of the dome in the rotunda are such that they enhance the clarity of their voices. They are extremely talented, and it is amazing that they are just a small part of The American Adventure experience.
If you have time to explore the pre-show area of the building there is much to see around the perimeter of the room. It engages the guests to start thinking about the history of America.
As you proceed from the Rotunda to the staging area to enter the theater, you pass through a large hallway with a large number of flags that flew over parts of American during its formative years. Some of these flags were State Flags while others were used to represent the country as a whole. This again prepares the guests for the story that is about to be told.
Audio-Animatronic versions of Ben Franklin and Samuel Clemens are the hosts and guide the telling of the story. The Imagineers used the fact that they lived approximately 100 years apart to tie the elements of the story together. It presents America as an evolving nation that continually makes strides and overcomes the obstacles presented to it.
This scene with Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin was a landmark for WDI Audio-Animatronics design as Ben Franklin actually walks up steps and then walks across the room to join Thomas Jefferson. This took a monumental engineering feat to successfully complete this effect.
Much of the show is presented from the point of view of the common man. This scene shows a Civil War era family that was divided by the war with one son fighting for the North and one fighting for the South.
In other scenes you will see the struggle of the Revolutionary War from the point of view from two freezing soldiers, hear a discussion at a small town gas station about life during the Great Depression, and a Rosie the Riveter World War II scene where two women are working to keep America’s Naval Fleet operational. Throughout the show you see examples of the power of the American People to persevere despite the challenges put before them.
America’s recovery during the Industrial Revolution and celebration of its Centennial is presented with Samuel Clemens, Alexander Graham Bell, Andrew Carnegie, and Susan B. Anthony.
Naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt are shown here with Muir making a plea for Roosevelt to preserve the natural beauty of America for generations to come by creating more National Parks.
At the conclusion Ben Franklin and Samuel Clemens come together atop the Statue of Liberty to reflect upon where America has been and where it is going.
Technological Marvel
An unbelievable amount of technology went into creating this masterful show. In addition to the audio-animatronic figures that you see, there is a 175 ton, 65-foot by 35-foot scene changer that moves all of the show sets into place before they are elevated into view by telescoping hydraulic lifts. It takes a network of over two dozen computers to control all of the action that takes place during this show.
The many audio-animatronic figures used throughout the show have movements and a sense of realism not seen elsewhere. Next time you see the show pay close attention to George Washington's horse, it is hard to tell it is not real.
If you watch closely you will also see that any action that takes place in a time that predates the invention of the camera is only shown in artwork or scenes using audio-animatronics, but not in staged photography or film. This was done to give it a higher sense of integrity and consistency with WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering) Philiosophy.
See The American Adventure
Any trip to Epcot is not complete without seeing The American Adventure. There is so much to see and take in, that it takes many viewings to capture the multitude of details. The more times you see the show, the more you notice and appreciate.
See The American Adventure for the great storytelling, or see it for the impressive technology, but make sure you see The American Adventure.
