Revolutionary Things: Exploring Pennsylvania’s Role in America’s 250th

• Asia Tabb
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  Asia Tabb is the Host and Producer for WITF’s The Spark.
  
  She began her start in radio when she joined legendary radio/ host producer, Doc Christian. She worked closely with Doc for her role on “The Gospel Express, on WHOV 88.1 FM and was a host for “Unrestricted Praise” at Praise FM.
  
  Previously she was an anchor in Shreveport, Louisiana at KTAL/KMSS. Asia also worked as a Multi-Media Journalist at WHP-TV here in Harrisburg, PA.
  
  Asia got her break into news at KTVO in Ottumwa, Ia. While the 2020 caucuses were gearing up. Asia followed many candidates through their campaign trail from Senator Cory Booker, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, and 46th President of the United States Joe Biden.
  
  Asia was born and raised in Norfolk, Va. She graduated from Old Dominion University in 2018 with a major in Communications.
  
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The State Musuem of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg on May 13, 2024. (Jeremy Long - WITF)

AIRED; December 8, 2025

Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation. 

Dr. Curt Miner, the curator overseeing the new Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collection exhibit at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, joined WITF’s The Spark to talk about Pennsylvania’s pivotal role in the American Revolution. The exhibit, which opens Friday, December 12, 2025, and runs through August 2026, features about 140 objects from the museum’s permanent collection, many of which haven’t been on display in decades.

Miner explained that the exhibit’s name, Revolutionary Things, was intentional. “These are no ordinary objects,” he said. “Everything we’ve selected has a direct or indirect relationship to Pennsylvania’s role in the American Revolution.” Among the items highlighted is the Thompson Battalion flag, also known as the First Continental Regiment flag, which was carried by a Pennsylvania regiment from 1776 through the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. Miner described the flag as “a very delicate piece” that needed careful preservation before being put on display.

The conversation also touched on how Pennsylvania’s history is remembered and imagined through the objects. Miner discussed a section of the exhibit featuring replicas and representations, including an 1893 painting by Charles Weisgerber depicting the creation of the first American flag. “We felt it was important to bring out objects directly associated with the Revolutionary War, but also to show how Pennsylvanians chose to remember and imagine that time,” Miner said.

Throughout the interview, Miner emphasized the museum’s role in making history accessible while preserving it, giving listeners a closer look at the stories behind the objects and the significance of Pennsylvania in the nation’s founding.