WEBVTT

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I'm Elizabeth Goodwin . I'm the

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executive director of the Great Bridge

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battlefield and waterways History

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Foundation . The museum opened in june

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of 2020 during Covid . And uh we have

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now been open almost 2.5 years and

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uh we , the foundation has been around

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since 1999 working to preserve this

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history and preserve the battlefield .

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Part of that was to build out the park

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the museum and it came to fruition in

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2020 . I'm Justin Iverson , I'm the

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4/80 intelligence surveillance ,

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reconnaissance wing historian R Wing

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did a staff ride here back in the fall

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to explore information warfare and also

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the black experiences of the battle

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here that happened in the american

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Revolutionary War . And the director

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Elizabeth uh told me that they're

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developing a new exhibit . And so I

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wanted to see um , what that looked

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like . And and if we could set up any

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other exhibits that brought more to

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the museum purpose of the museum is

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really to educate the community locally

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and regionally about the Battle of

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Great Bridge and the history of our

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canals . So the Battle of Great Bridge

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was the first land battle in the colony

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of Virginia during the Revolutionary

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War . And it was the first patriot

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victory . Uh , it was a great turning

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point for the war of Independence . Uh ,

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it forced the british out of uh Great

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Bridge back to Norfolk , They

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eventually left Virginia altogether .

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And uh Virginia was left to govern

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itself after that . I think it's

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important to remember the history . Uh ,

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this was really the start of our nation

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right here . Most people don't realize

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that this battle happened right here

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and to remember that , learn from it

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and make a better future for ourselves .

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Going forward is important .