Celebrating America's 250th: The Unmissable Appeal of Special Exhibitions Revealed by the Patrons & Patriots Exhibit

My introduction to Nick and Mary.

The Mathews' journey.

Nicholas Mateus and Maria Aris Pappamihalopoulou met in New York City, after emigrating from Greece separately. They were married in 1942, opened a lunch counter, and thus began the story of our American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

Nicholas and Maria, who are known to us today as Nick and Mary Mathews, are not only the epitome of the American Dream, but are the well-deserved focus of a recent special exhibition at the American Museum of the Revolution at Yorktown.

Exhibit photo of the lunch counter.

The foundation this exhibit is built on: celebrating our 250th.

As many of you may know by now, there's been a spotlight on the upcoming 250th anniversary of our vote for independence and adoption of our Declaration. Here in Virginia, it's captured and consolidated by VA 250. (Your state may likely have events happening as well - you can use this link to check by opening a new tab for later!)

I often visit VA 250's website to keep my eye on events around here.

Because although 2026 marks the 250th of the two events previously mentioned, the truth is the Revolution started earlier.

There are anniversaries and days worth noting happening throughout 2025 and will go well beyond, through the Treaty of Paris' 250th in 2033.

My goal: inspire you to seek out special exhibits sharing:

• America's 250th
• other historical events in your home city, county, or state

I found out about the "Patrons & Patriots" special exhibition in Yorktown, as part of the VA 250 ongoing celebration. Thanks to Tracy Perkins, Media Relations Manager for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, I got behind-the-scenes access to those who brought the Mathews' Legacy to life for those able to visit.

While the "Patrons & Patriots" exhibit has ended as this post is written, don't worry! I've asked about how you can learn more, and maybe even find some of the display items yourself.

Disclaimer: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share; it does not change your price but sometimes you might get a discount.

Entrance to Patrons and Patriots special exhibit.

The visit to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

First and foremost, I'm dropping some photos and snippets about the Mathews' because their story is so important. If you are celebrating American independence, where better than Yorktown, and both Nick and Mary knew that early on.

They built their dream in Yorktown by purchasing land and opening Nick's Seafood Pavilion. Sticking to their "roots" of a lunch counter, this restaurant was a meeting place for community.

And it was never forgotten how special this 'mom and pop' business was.

From the mosaics on the wall, to the traditional waitress uniforms, and of course - the menu stating clearly that there was no connection to any other restaurant. Nope, this was all Nick and Mary.

Exhibit photo of Nick's Seafood Pavilion

Menu displayed at the special exhibit

As the couple grew older their passion for history grew even stronger. How is this all tied to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown?

During the excitement for the upcoming 1976 bi-centennial was the perfect time for Nick and Mary Mathews to take a big step: donating 23 acres of land in 1972. In 1976, the Yorktown Victory Center opened.

That gift of land now offers every visitor to Yorktown the ability to understand American independence through an immersive experience. It's what we know as the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and a must-visit for Americans and lovers of history from abroad!

But that gift of land wasn't the end:

• The Mathews Legacy Fund continues to support sharing the stories that need to be told.
• Their sponsorship of the U.S.S. Yorktown, working with our U.S. Navy to honor the place they loved.

As I walked through the exhibit and took it all in, I jotted down the questions I had for the team. Tracy was kind enough to respond. Where her colleagues have shared their replies, I've noted it.

Exhibit display, U.S.S. Yorktown

Questions for the museum team that brought us Patrons and Patriots.

Question 1: I can see why this exhibit was included, but I'd love to hear in the words of (American Revolution) museum curators, why the exhibit is included for VA 250 celebrations.

"The exhibition is about a personal triumph living the American dream, and the Mathewses' legacy of giving back to their chosen community and to our nation," said Allen Hoilman, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation director of Exhibition and Curatorial Services.

Sarah Meschutt, Ph.D., senior curator for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and co-curator of the "Patrons & Patriots" special exhibition, added, "This was demonstrated by their generous gift of land to the state in the early 1970s that gave this community the honor of having been selected as a Bicentennial Visitor Center for the statewide celebrations of the 200th anniversary of American Independence.

The 200th birthday of America in 1976 was celebrated with great fanfare on the site of the present American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and the celebrations in Tidewater Virginia were centered at the Yorktown Victory Center building which opened in April, 1976.

This couple gave an endowment that supported the expansion of the Yorktown Victory Center, so that it has become the impressive museum we see today.

Bicentennial photo of Nick and Mary

In their minds and hearts, Nick and Mary Mathews valued their American identity and personified some of the core values of an American citizen. They provided the means for Yorktown to participate in those grand American Bicentennial programs held at Historic Yorktown in 1976-81.

They were proud of being near the battlefield where British forces surrendered to the allied armies of France and USA on October 19, 1781.

In this way, the exhibition served the statewide VA 250th program as a reminder of the Mathewses political campaign to have a Victory Center built where freedom was won in Yorktown for the 200th birthday of America.

They were to set an example of committed patriotism and legacy-giving that is inextricably linked to our present American Revolution Museum at Yorktown."

Hallway near museum entrance

Question 2: Are there any Mathews family members involved with American history preservation related to the family legacy?

From Jane Hohensee: "In one of the media pieces in the exhibition, Nick and Mary's nephew was interviewed and he speaks to how he has lived his life influenced by the ideals of hard work, patriotism, and giving back demonstrated in theirs."

Note: this was paraphrased from his interview.

Question 3: What will happen with the exhibit now that it has ended and will there be a way for visitors to the area (or online) to learn more?

Jane Hohensee:
"Before the exhibition ended, it was documented through photography and the media pieces that contain oral histories about the Mathews' will be preserved. Some of the artifacts that we borrowed from the YCMH will go back on display there where they can be visited by the public.

The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation has a planned giving society named in honor of the Mathews'. Members of the Mathews Legacy Society support our mission to foster awareness and understanding of the early history, settlement, and development of the United States; more information about that donor society can be found on our website, jfymuseums.org."

(click here to open the page in a new window)

Sarah Meschutt:
"After July 27, 2025, the objects will be returned to the art storage facility and the exhibit materials returned to their repository with our exhibitions team.

Incoming loaned items will be returned to the owners. Loaned items will be escorted to their original homes by curators.

Visitors can contact the curators and registrars to arrange access to the Mathews materials and artifacts on occasional basis by pre-arranged appointment.

Media Relations and Digital Media Services [at the Foundation] are the managers of certain images and can grant access electronically to some of the exhibitions audiovisual content."

Photo of Mary, displayed digitally

Question 4: Can you share some information about The Mathews Legacy Society and the importance to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation?

Author's note: The Mathews Legacy Society can be opened in a new tab by clicking here. In addition to what is below, Tracy shared a lot of fantastic info about endowment and planned giving opportunities with me- so please visit the page!

The Opportunity.

Planned gifts provide the opportunity for thoughtful philanthropy that will help build the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc.'s endowment. As the living embodiment of the generosity of many individuals, the endowment provides the financial stability that enables the Foundation to fulfill its educational mission.

The Mathews Legacy Society honors and recognizes those who have thoughtfully provided for the future of our museums by including the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. in their estate plans.

Members of The Mathews Legacy Society enjoy a special relationship with the Foundation, Inc. and are offered exclusive opportunities to experience our museums.

Starting with the Mathews.

The Mathews Legacy Society honors Nick and Mary Mathews, and I've shared some of their story above. Below are a few more notes from Tracy:

• Nick and Mary earned their fortune through Nick's Seafood Pavilion, their lunch counter turned world-renowned restaurant.
• Donating the land overlooking the York River in 1972, was the beginning. Upon her death, Mary bequeathed nearly their entire estate to the Foundation so that others would know "the blessings of democracy that commenced in my native land of Greece and later here in [Yorktown]..."
• With their bequest, Nick and Mary became one of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation's first benefactors, leaving a legacy for generations of Americans.

Washington statue at museum entrance

Behind Every Gift, there's a Story.

As loyal Annual Fund donors, Dr. Ronald L. and Major General Cecelia L. Adolphi (USAR, Ret.) expanded their support by making a bequest and joining the Mathews Legacy Society.

"We want to be part of the legacy of maintaining our shared history so future generations to do not forget. We want to help preserve the torch of scholarship and knowledge...We must preserve and communicate it to audiences of all ages."

Click here and visit the Society's page.

And this isn't everything- in fact, I'm creating a follow up post to share the behind-the-scenes process on creating the "Patrons & Patriots" exhibition. You'll see a deeper dive into its creation. (Subscribe to the blog using the form on this page so you'll get it in your inbox!)

Supporters of the Patrons and Patriots exhibit

Go find history through special exhibits.

Clearly, there are many stories of the American dream, the road to independence, and our shared history. There continues to be. I've heard it over and over: history is what happened a moment ago.

Follow up on the links throughout this post.

Visit the American Museum of the Revolution at Yorktown (add it to your must-do history list!). Click here to reserve tickets!

...and seek out events celebrating America's 250th wherever you are. Special exhibits may be temporary- don't miss any opportunities!

And my personal call to action: if you're coming to this part of the United States, hit me up! I'm excited to offer custom itineraries to ensure you see all the things that interest you while you're here - I'm always seeking these things out for you!!

Click here to set up a call and chat - maybe purchasing a customized itinerary is for you!

Closing words from history.

Today, I'm dropping excerpts from President Ronald Reagan's speech celebrating the bicentennial of the 1781 Yorktown victory! Fittingly, the French President was in attendance.

To read the transcription in full, on the Reagan Library's official website, click here.

Remarks at the Bicentennial Observance of the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia

October 19, 1981

Mr. President, Mrs. Mitterrand, Lord Chancellor [Rt. Honorable Lord Hailsham, Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom], Governor John Dalton -- and I thank you very much for that most gracious introduction -- Members of the Congress, members of the Cabinet, distinguished guests, and my fellow citizens:

(excerpt 1) ...In a masterly execution of a textbook siege, General Washington and his grab-bag army defeated the finest troops King George could field.

The morning of the surrender must have been very much like this one today. The first real chill of autumn was in the air. The trees were turning brilliant with the hues of red and gold and brown. The sky was bright and clear. Quiet had finally returned to this lovely countryside. How strange the silence must have seemed after the thundering violence of war.

And then the silence was broken by a muffled beat of British drums, covered with black handkerchiefs, as the Redcoats marched to surrender. The pageantry was spectacular. The French in their spotless white uniforms lined one side of the road.

The ragged Continentals were brown and dreary on the other side. But the journals of those who were present mention that the Americans stood every bit as straight and equally as proud as any army could. They had, on that day, a military bearing that was not to be outdone by their comrades in white and blue nor by King George's men in their brilliant red.

(excerpt 2)...But those Americans were not professional soldiers at all. They had fought for freedom from Quebec to Saratoga, from Camden and Cowpens to Germantown, Valley Forge, and Monmouth -- towns and countrysides once so anonymous that King George complained he could neither pronounce them nor find them on the map.

By Yorktown, they were veterans, but they were still not soldiers. They were farmers, backwoodsmen, tradesmen, clerks, and laborers -- common men from all walks of life, anxious to return to their families and the building of a nation.

On that day in 1781 a philosophy found a people, and the world would never be the same.

....

Note: The President spoke at 12:23 p.m. from a reviewing stand overlooking the battlefield.

Following his remarks, the President returned to the White House.

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There is a huge practical disclaimer to the content on this blog, which is my way of sharing my excitement and basically journaling online.

1) I am not a historian nor an expert. I will let you know I’m relaying the information as I understand and interpret it. The employees of Colonial Williamsburg base their presentations, work, and responses on historical documents and mainly primary sources.

2) I will update for accuracy as history is constant learning. If you have a question about accuracy, please ask me! I will get the answer from the best source I can find.

3) Photo credit to me, Daphne Reznik, for all photos in this post, unless otherwise credited! All photos are personal photos taken in public access locations or with specific permission.