UPDATE: The N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh announces it will extend normal operating hours from Friday to Sunday, Jan. 14 to 16, prior to the final week of Discover the Real George Washington: New Views From Mount Vernon. The museum will remain open until 9 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 15 and until 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 16.

The N.C. Museum of History will host the traveling exhibition Discover the Real George Washington: New Views From Mount Vernon during its three-year national tour. Approximately 100 original objects associated with Washington will be on view in this exhibition from Sept. 10, 2010, through Jan. 21, 2011, in Raleigh. The N.C. Museum of History is the only venue in the Southeast on the exhibition’s tour.

“Although over a million people come to walk in Washington’s footsteps at Mount Vernon each year, we know that not everyone will have a chance to visit his home,” said Jim Rees, President of Mount Vernon. “We wanted to bring the fascinating story of Washington’s life to people around the country by showing a wide variety of compelling personal belongings and some intriguing elements from our new Donald W. Reynolds Museum and Education Center.”

Discover the Real George Washington offers a new and refreshing perspective on our nation’s first president, his achievements, and his family and times. The exhibition reveals the real George Washington not only as a general and president, but as a young land surveyor, experimental farmer and savvy entrepreneur. Washington’s views on religion and slavery, and the influence of his wife, Martha, are also explored.

Highlights among the objects associated with Washington include:
• the only surviving complete set of Washington’s famous dentures, made of ivory, human teeth and animal teeth;
• three life-size figures of Washington based on cutting-edge forensic research, showing him at different stages of his life: as a young surveyor, as commander in chief, and as our first president;
• Gilbert Stuart’s famous portrait of Washington, ca. 1798;
• the family Bible from Washington’s personal library; and
• surveying equipment and maps used by Washington.