Morris County is stepping into the national spotlight this month as a major traveling exhibition arrives at the Morris County Library, giving residents an immersive look at the everyday lives that helped shape America’s founding.

From January 9 through January 23, visitors can experience Revolutionary Lives: Living the American Experiment Then and Now, a special exhibition that explores New Jersey’s central role in the American Revolution through the stories of ordinary citizens rather than just famous figures and battlefield victories.

The exhibit is housed in the library’s atrium gallery in Whippany and is open to the public during regular library hours. It offers an engaging, accessible way for families, students, and history enthusiasts to better understand how life unfolded in a state that endured more battles, skirmishes, and military activity than any other during the war.

New Jersey’s Revolutionary story was one of deep division, cultural diversity, and constant upheaval. Residents spoke multiple languages, practiced different religions, and came from a wide range of backgrounds. Loyalties were split between supporters of independence, loyalists to the Crown, and families simply trying to survive as armies moved through their towns, requisitioned supplies, and turned quiet communities into strategic strongholds.

Revolutionary Lives focuses on the personal experiences of these men, women, and families, bringing attention to the choices they made and the sacrifices they endured. Through interpretive displays and narrative storytelling, visitors are invited to consider how these personal struggles shaped the values of civic duty, community, and freedom that continue to define American life today.

The Morris County Heritage Commission brought the exhibit to Whippany as part of a broader effort to prepare for the 250th anniversary of American independence. The exhibition serves both as a tribute to local residents who played vital roles in the Revolution and as an educational tool that makes history tangible for modern audiences.

The installation also reinforces Morris County’s growing presence within New Jersey’s broader arts and cultural landscape, joining a wave of regional programming that celebrates the state’s rich historical and creative heritage through accessible public experiences featured across Explore New Jersey’s Arts and Culture coverage.

Admission to the exhibition is free, making it an easy and meaningful way for the community to connect with the people who lived through one of the most transformative eras in American history. For many visitors, it offers not just a history lesson, but a deeper understanding of how ordinary New Jerseyans helped build the nation from the ground up.