Living History - American Independence Museum

2021 American Independence Festival: July 3-24

by jen | Jun 22, 2021 | Family Friendly, Festival, For Adults, For Kids, Living History, Programming, Tours

Saturday, July 3 will kick off the 31st American Independence Festival, a modified in-person event that will run through July 24 on the grounds of the American Independence Museum.

Presented by New Hampshire State Council of the Arts with additional support from Kennebunk Savings, Newburyport Bank, and RiverWoods Exeter, the Festival will feature a traditional artisan working village, entertainment, reenactments with military drills, and more.

The theme of this year’s Festival is diversity and inclusivity, which underscore that ‘liberty and freedom for all’ has not been experienced in the same way for many in the nation to this day.

“While the Festival celebrates American independence, it also provides a forum for discussion and reflection. We hope it can serve to bring people of all backgrounds and ages together,” noted Executive Director Emma Stratton.

This year’s in-person Festival will be held Saturday July 10, 17 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Highlights include a concert by Theo Martey & The Akwaaba Ensemble on July 10, a British and French military reenactment on July 17, and a Family Camp Out on July 24.

“For this year’s Festival, we are offering something for everyone with our variety of events and features. We hope everyone will discover something they connect with or learn from,” added Emma Scheinmann, Program Assistant and Festival Coordinator.

This year’s Festival also marks the 300th anniversary of the Ladd-Gilman House, which served as the state treasury during the American Revolutionary War. One of the state’s first brick houses, but clapboarded three decades later, the home was birthplace to Nicholas Gilman, Jr., a signer of the United States Constitution and U.S. senator.

Built in 1775 by Samuel Folsom, Folsom Tavern is also located on the grounds of the museum. Site to the founding of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire in 1783, Folsom Tavern was visited by George Washington in 1789.

“The Society owns the buildings and collection today, so the museum reveals so much about our past and its connection to the present,” noted Stratton. “The Festival will be a terrific time to get a sense for all this history.”

Taking place July 3- 24, the 2021 American Independence Festival will feature entertainment, historic military reenactments, traditional artisan working village, and more. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 4 to 18, and free to museum members. Virtual series, online community readings, and additional programming will go live throughout the festival. To learn more, or for a full schedule of events, visit independencemuseum.org.

About the American Independence Museum
The American Independence Museum is a history museum in Exeter, NH that features a collection of 3,000 historic artifacts that shed light on the American Revolution. Many of our programs touch on civics and the fight for independence, while we incorporate inclusivity and diversity into the experiences we create on-site and in digital formats. We feature a variety of things to do for people of all ages, including festivals, an historic tavern, guided tours and our annual American Independence Festival.

Service Credit Union invests $5,000 in support for Traveling Trunk program

by jen | May 13, 2021 | For Kids, Free, Living History

Recently, Service Credit Union renewed their long standing partnership with the American Independence Museum with an investment of $5,000 to support its Traveling Trunk program. This program delivers experiential learning opportunities into the classroom. Expected to travel more than 17,000 miles in 2022, school districts throughout the United States will continue to have access to the program at no cost.

Minnesota, California, and Pennsylvania are just some of the stops for next year’s Traveling Trunk program, which uses 70+ high quality replica items and colonial history curriculum to engage students of varying ages.

“The trunk gave students a new perspective as to what life was like for the colonists. Students explored clothing replicas from the 1700s. Also, students reenacted the signing of the Declaration of Independence with other artifacts from the trunk. Thank you for making our American Revolution Unit more engaging!” said Hannah Evans, a middle school Social Studies teacher from New Oxford, Pennsylvania who received the trunk in 2020.

The investment marks the fifth year Service Credit Union has financially contributed to the program.

“The credit union has enjoyed being a part of the more than 19,000 miles this exhibit traveled last year, and is excited to continue supporting the traveling trunk this year as it supplies interactive and unique learning opportunities to classrooms near and far.” said Wendy Beswick, VP of Marketing at Service Credit Union

In addition to continued financial support from Service Credit Union, the Traveling Trunk program was made possible with initial seed funding from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.

To learn more about the Traveling Trunk program, or to book it for your classroom or library, visit independencemuseum.org.

About Service Credit Union
Service Credit Union is dedicated to providing a banking experience that improves members’ lives, as well as the communities in which they live. SCU serves members all over the world, including in-person service at 50 branch locations in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, North Dakota and Germany. For more information, visit https://servicecu.org.

About the American Independence Museum
The American Independence Museum is a history museum in Exeter, NH that features a collection of 3,000 historic artifacts that shed light on the American Revolution. Many of our programs touch on civics and the fight for independence, while we incorporate inclusivity and diversity into the experiences we create on-site and in digital formats. We feature a variety of things to do for people of all ages, including festivals, an historic tavern, guided tours and our annual American Independence Festival.

Mini Camps tell stories of the American Revolution “Beyond the Battlefield”

by jen | Apr 1, 2021 | For Kids, Living History, Programming

Welcoming campers back to the American Independence Museum for the first time in two years, the museum is pleased to offer Thursday Mini-Camps for children ages 8-12.

Mini-Camp sessions will run Thursdays in July from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the museum’s historic Folsom Tavern. During each session, campers will explore new stories of the people who lived during the American Revolution.

“We will dive into the stories of people who shaped our nation, including stories of those often left out of the history books,” said Program Manager Sarah Jaworski.

In addition to experiencing a soldier’s perspective on the American Revolution, campers will see how everyday people, women, people of color, and children were affected and contributed to the patriotic cause. Over the course of the summer, campers will get to dress in historic 18th-century clothing, try their hand at colonial crafts, see what revolutionary camp life was like, and even become a spy.

New Hampshire COVID guidelines for camps will be followed and registration is limited. Families can enlist in one, two, three, or all four sessions.

Jaworksi noted, “We are thrilled to host in-person camp again this summer.”

Visit https://independencemuseum.org/thursday-mini-camps/ to learn more about each camp session and register online. Families can enlist in one, two, three, or all four sessions.

About the American Independence Museum
The American Independence Museum is a history museum in Exeter, NH that features a collection of 3,000 historic artifacts that shed light on the American Revolution. Many of our programs touch on civics and the fight for independence, while we incorporate inclusivity and diversity into the experiences we create on-site and in digital formats. We feature a variety of things to do for people of all ages, including festivals, an historic tavern, guided tours and our annual American Independence Festival.