Years of Collections Research Reconnects Artifacts and An Honorable Military Burial for Human Remains
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oct. 7, 2026 — For more than six decades, Science Museum Oklahoma cared for artifacts from one of America’s earliest naval battles of the Revolutionary War. After years of research, the museum is now working with The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and U.S. Army’s Human Resources Command to reunite the artifacts with the gunboat Philadelphia and reunify human remains from both collections for an honorable burial.
Today, Science Museum Oklahoma formally transferred those human remains associated with the Revolutionary War gunboat Philadelphia to a military escort from the New Hampshire National Guard on behalf of the U.S. Army. The remains will be reunited with those held by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History before being escorted for burial at Saratoga National Cemetery in New York on Oct. 13, two days after the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Valcour Island.
As a Smithsonian affiliate, Science Museum Oklahoma follows current museum standards for the care and preservation of artifacts. The museum’s Philadelphia collection consisted of 42 artifacts, including cannonballs, uniform buttons, weapon components, and other materials, which were on display from 1963 to 2012. Those items are now with the Smithsonian.
"These artifacts connect us to the earliest days of our country and to the people who served during a defining time in America,” said Susan Berberet, Collections Manager for Science Museum Oklahoma. “As our research gave us a better understanding of their story, it also presented an opportunity to care for them even further. We are honored to help reunite these remains and recognize their service with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The transfer follows years of diligent research by both museums into artifacts that have been a part of their respective collections for decades. That work traced the artifacts to the Philadelphia, an American gunboat sunk by British cannon fire on Oct. 11, 1776. Though the American fleet was defeated in the battle, they successfully delayed British troops advancing from Canada, giving the battle an important place in the early history of the Revolutionary War.
The gunboat Philadelphia was raised from Lake Champlain in 1935 where more than 700 objects, including tools, weapon components, and human remains were found. The Philadelphia itself remains one of the rare surviving intact American Revolutionary War fighting vessels. The gunboat is currently undergoing a multi-year conservation treatment at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
The Oct. 13 burial will bring together human remains recovered from the Philadelphia and cared for separately for decades. It will take place almost exactly 250 years after the battle in which the gunboat and its crew played a role in the fight for American independence.