An animatronic diorama of George Washington crossing the Delaware River is on display inside the Mercer Museum in Doylestown.
The restored scene, one of seven from Neshaminy Mall's "Freedom Wall," was unveiled Monday, Oct. 26, according to the Bucks County Herald. It will remain on view through 2027 as part of the museum's "The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution" exhibit, according to a post by Signature 57, which helped with the unveiling.
The diorama is one of seven animated Revolutionary War scenes originally commissioned by G. Stockton Strawbridge, grandson of the cofounder of Strawbridge & Clothier, for the mall's grand opening on Aug. 18, 1968. Artist Mrs. Tommy Rowland created the large-scale series, the Herald reported. Each diorama weighs about 300 pounds, PhillyBurbs reported in August 2024.
When first installed, each scene had animatronics and sound. Shoppers could press a button and watch figures move. But after Strawbridge's closed and Macy's took over, the displays fell into disrepair and suffered water damage, PhillyBurbs reported.
The museum's curatorial team replaced the original electrical system with modern wiring, bringing movement back to the figures, according to Signature 57. Bensalem Township said Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo participated in the unveiling. Penn Community Bank funded the restoration project, the township said.
The effort to preserve the dioramas was led by DiGirolamo and Sally Sondesky, treasurer of the Historical Society of Bensalem Township, according to PhillyBurbs. Bensalem Township officials and the Bensalem Historical Society donated the Washington Crossing diorama to the museum, Signature 57 said.
A second diorama depicting the signing of the Declaration of Independence already hangs in the lobby of the Bensalem Township municipal building. Five others remain in township storage awaiting restoration: Washington's troops at Valley Forge, the Battle of Germantown, William Penn signing a treaty with Native Americans, Ben Franklin gaining French support and the hiding of the Liberty Bell.
The unveiling came days after local resident Karen Alexander organized "Neshaminy Mall: One Final Walk, a Community Gathering" on Saturday, Oct. 24. The response surprised her. "Within a few days I had heard from almost 250 people," Alexander told the Herald. Her sister Patti Cullen and niece Nicole Cullen helped organize the event.
Most of the 1968 Bensalem mall is scheduled for demolition by year's end. Boscov's, Barnes & Noble, the AMC Neshaminy 24 theater and the Jean Madeline Institute beauty school will remain standing. The property's owner, Lakewood, N.J.-based Paramount Realty, wants to demolish the mall and build something new, DiGirolamo told the Philadelphia Inquirer, as BucksCo.Today reported.
Five dioramas still sit in township storage with no announced timeline for their restoration.
