Washington - For a ceremony in honor of a two-year, $85 million renovation of the Smithsonian Museum of American History, the White House has lent the last-known copy of the Gettysburg address written in Lincoln's hand to the museum; Friday morning, General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, intoned the familiar words: "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation..."

And the flag that hung before General Powell as he read was not any flag, but the original, 200-year-old star spangled banner which flew at Fort McHenry and appeared to Francis Scott Key as he penned what would become our national anthem. 

Old Glory is now housed in a chamber with an interactive display that provides a wealth of information about the great standard. For example, visitors may wonder, what happened to the piece that's missing? Curator Jeffrey Brodie has an answer: "This was a common practice in the 19th century, to snip away pieces and give them away to fellow defenders of Fort McHenry, or significant individuals, political figures -- that was a way to sort of share the flag and its history with other people."

Luckily we no longer have to tear it apart to take part in sharing such a sacred symbol. Once overlooked by some visitors as it hung near the museum entrance, the nearly 200-year-old flag is now the centerpiece of the reinvented museum. The flag gallery's carefully controlled climate will help preserve the fragile fabric that has deteriorated over time.

Brent Glass, the museum director, noted, "The American flag means different things to different people and over time it has taken a different meaning."

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who often speaks about the 1814 British attack on Baltimore's Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key penned "The Star-Spangled Banner," said he got teary seeing the new flag display. He spoke of the flag as if it were an old friend.

"My mom used to bring me down here as a little boy when she hung in the entrance to this museum," O'Malley said as he gazed at the 30-by-34 foot flag. "One could almost sit here for hours just staring at this magnificent icon of American triumph through great adversity."

At a rededication ceremony for the 44-year-old museum Wednesday, President George W. Bush (web|news|bio) urged all Americans to visit the museum, which he called a "fantastic place of learning."

"Ever since President James K. Polk laid the Smithsonian's cornerstone in 1847, it has been one of our nation's greatest centers of knowledge," Bush said.

Architects reorganized the central core of the museum to make it easier for visitors to navigate. They sliced through the five-story building to create a central skylit atrium and knocked down walls in what was once a dark entryway.

Six landmark objects - including an 1865 telescope from Vassar College, a statue of George Washington, and a "Dumbo" car from a 1960s Disneyland ride - now mark the wings of the three exhibit floors to help orient visitors to the themes that organize the galleries.

Many of the changes address a 2002 report that criticized the museum for its clutter, confusing layout and its less-than-inclusive presentation of history.

New artifact walls have been built into the museum's central core to showcase a rotating selection of the museum's 3 million objects - from a display on how Asian immigrants faced discrimination in the United States to a C-3PO costume from the "Star Wars" movies.

"This building is now rendered more spectacular than ever," said historian David McCullough, who is on the museum's advisory board. "At a time when so much else all around us is synthetic ... here is the treasure house of all historic American treasure houses of the real thing."

The museum's permanent exhibits will be renovated over time, and the popular exhibit of first ladies' gowns will reopen in December. Curators have already added President-elect Barack Obama (web|news|bio) to the museum's timeline of American presidents.

Favorite exhibits, such as Dorothy's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz," will again be on view. Other displays representing iconic moments in U.S. history include the Woolworth's lunch counter from Greensboro, N.C., where protesters staged a famous civil rights sit-in to oppose segregation, and Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves.

The renovation of the 44-year-old landmark was accomplished with $46 million in federal funds and $39 million in private donations. Before the overhaul, the museum had become one of the more tired-looking and outdated in the Smithsonian collection.

Part of the reopening ceremony included a naturalization ceremony for five new U.S. citizens.

Sami Malaeb, a history teacher who immigrated to Alexandria (web|news), Va., from Lebanon six years ago, said the ceremony was his first visit to the museum.

"I know my history for America," Malaeb said. "It's a great, great story."

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