A pair of George Washington’s spurs — on loan from Mount Vernon in Virginia — now sit at the center of a powerful new exhibition in Denver. And like many of the artifacts on display, they carry a story shaped at every turn.
“These have a truly remarkable story,” said Gwendolyn Lockman, who’s guiding visitors through “Moments That Made Us,” a museum exhibition that highlights pivotal chapters in both American and Colorado history.
Set to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary and the state’s 150th anniversary in 2026, the exhibition marks what Lockman calls “a once-in-a-generation moment for a once-in-a-generation anniversary.”
Among the artifacts is a striking poster celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation — and the groundbreaking shift it represented for those enslaved in the South. The exhibit also showcases Colorado’s own trailblazing role in the women’s suffrage movement. In 1893, the Centennial State became the first in the nation to grant women the right to vote by popular vote…