D.C. gala reopens museum of history

WASHINGTON - George and Martha Washington, Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz," and other costumed characters greeted thousands of visitors yesterday as the National Museum of American History reopened after a two-year, $85 million renovation.

Colin Powell, former secretary of state and retired Army general, read Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to a crowd of at least 200 people on the museum's steps before the doors opened.

"It is the 19th of November, 1863," Powell said after the blare of horns announced the start of the famous speech. "Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Powell's Army uniform hangs in the museum's gallery of military history.

The museum opens "a new era of education and inspiration," said Wayne Clough, Smithsonian secretary. "We aspire to tell the story of America and of Americans to ourselves and to the world."

The Children's Chorus of Washington sang the national anthem, the crowd waved small American flags, and many wore red, white, and blue top hats as the museum opened a three-day festival. Last night and tonight, historical images will be projected onto the building's facade.

Inside, visitors found favorite exhibits including a gallery devoted to the American presidency, where President-elect Barack Obama's picture was already added to a timeline of presidents.

Several people gathered around to take pictures.

"He's already on here! It's exciting," said Amelia Castelli, 26, who was visiting from Miami.