That's remarkably good news and a surprising turn for this important project that has been delayed too long by disputes over where best to build. In Valley Forge, the project's advocates faced a long, hard slog. At least, it wasn't as bad as the Continental Army's 1777-78 winter encampment.

An organized legal opposition was dug in over plans to build on a privately owned, 78-acre tract near Route 422 in Lower Providence Township, Montgomery County. Even if the tide could have been turned eventually, delay was just as much the enemy.

Having failed to reach agreement on the preferred site by the visitor center in Valley Forge National Historical Park, the museum was in danger of languishing despite strong backing from philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest.

By sounding a wise retreat, Lenfest and the top honcho he recruited in November - distinguished scholar and former National Endowment for the Humanities chief Bruce Cole - have improved vastly the odds for victory.

National Park Service officials objected to the Lower Providence site. Now they've even paved the way for building at a downtown location, by agreeing to a land swap with the old Independence Park visitor center property at Third and Chestnut Streets. The biggest remaining challenges for the museum proponents will be to get the design right and raise the funds to build.

For Philadelphia's historic district and its millions of yearly visitors, the announcement last week should have lifted spirits like a July Fourth fireworks extravaganza.

The city gets to host a state-of-the-art museum with a unique focus: the seven-year military struggle for American independence.

Adding yet another major-league historic attraction downtown, far from creating a glut, means Philadelphia will have more to offer overnight-stay visitors. Indeed, the Revolution Center (ARC) - along with the planned transformation of the Franklin Court underground museum - will further cement the city's historic tourism brand.

Of course, there's no getting around the disappointment felt by Montgomery County tourism and Lower Providence officials. If the museum had been built as their neighbor, the region stood to benefit handsomely from an influx of Revolutionary War buffs.

In the proposed land swap, however, there's at least a victory for anti-sprawl efforts as well as historic preservation. By incorporating the ARC site into Valley Forge Park in a deal worked out with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, the land where Gen. George Washington's troops were sheltered will be spared from McMansions marching over its rolling fields.