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U.S. National Memorial Arch | Murray Brandon Art | Watercolor Art

The United States National Memorial Arch is located in Valley Forge National Historical Park, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Valley Forge was the military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the American Continental Army, led by General George Washington, spent the winter of 1777–78 during the American Revolutionary War. Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure to freezing temperatures killed more than 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778. The 60-foot tall Arch was designed by Paul Philippe Cret, a French-born Philadelphia architect who also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, who styled the arch after the Triumphal Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy. Construction of the arch began in 1914, and it was formally dedicated to George Washington and his troops on June 19th, 1917. Original planners had intended for two arches: one to commemorate General Washington, and one to commemorate General Baron von Steuben, but those plans were dropped due to budgetary constraints. In 1996, a large restoration project was undertaken, in which nine tons of stabilizing steel were provided to ensure the monument was structurally sound. The restoration project ended in 1997. The Valley Forge Historical Park attracts 1 million yearly visitors, and the National Memorial Arch draws in 300,000 of these. This is a Murray Brandon’s watercolor painting of the National Memorial Arch on a clear winter day.  https://www.nps.gov/vafo/learn/historyculture/arch.htm