With school nearly back in session, the American Independence Museum is busying itself for visits with school groups from across the state. Available programs are geared toward students from K- 12, and several spots are still available.
“Our school programs are great because they bring students into an environment that makes history seem very real,” said Abigail Pietrantonio, education manager. “They can see where some of the leaders of Exeter lived during the Revolution and sit in a room that once welcomed George Washington. This is a perfect setting for hands-on learning.”
2018 -2019 school year programs include Letters to a Young Nation (grades K-2), Roots of Revolution – Patriot or Loyalist? (grades 5+), Students as Tour Guides (grades 8-12), and Colonial Living Days (grades 1-12).
The cost for these programs are per student and vary between $5 and $8. All programs are between 60 and 90 minutes long and accommodate a maximum of 50 participants.
“We want to be a resource for teachers and schools,” said Pietrantonio. “Our programming can be customized to complement what is taught in the classroom with the added bonus of being in an 18th century environment.”
Home to a world-class collection of 3,000 historic artifacts, the museum welcomes more than 5,000 visitors annually and distinguishes itself with educational school programs and events that make history fun and relevant.
To book a school group, or learn more about the American Independence Museum, visit www.independencemuseum.org. Pietrantonio may be reached at [email protected].
As part of Exeter’s Ring in the Season events, the American Independence Museum (AIM) in Exeter will celebrate the holidays from 5 pm to 8 pm on Friday, December 1 with its annual Holiday Celebration, presented by The Provident Bank.
At the event, visitors can toast the holidays with light refreshments, create Colonial holiday gifts, enjoy seasonal music, and visit their pop-up gift shop. The event will also feature a silent auction with numerous items up for bid, including a vacation and brewery tour package at Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.
Folsom Tavern will be open for public tours Friday and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm with refreshments available at Folsom Tavern from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm on Saturday for purchase for those watching the town’s Holiday Parade.
On Sunday, December 3, the tavern will be open from 1 pm to 5 pm as part of Womenade of Greater Squamscott’s Exeter Area Holiday Home Tour with tickets available through Womenade.
“This is the first year we’re taking full advantage of the Town of Exeter’s wonderful ‘Ring in the Season’ events that take place November 30 to December 3,” said Museum Executive Director Emma Bray. “We are looking forward to an exciting weekend.”
In addition to their annual holiday celebration on Friday, this is the first year the museum will serve refreshments during the holiday parade on Saturday and participate in Womenade’s Holiday Home Tour on Sunday.
Bray also expressed excitement that their Folsom Tavern is professionally decorated for the holidays this year.
“Our friends at The Willow across the street are decorating the tavern with financial support from The Provident Bank enabling us to host an expanded year-end celebration,” she added. “2017 was a wonderful year for us, so this is a fitting end to our season.”
Admission to Friday’s event is free for members, $5 for non-members, and $3 for non-member children.
Recently, Service Credit Union renewed their longstanding partnership with the American Independence Museum with an investment of $5,000 to support its Traveling Trunk program, which delivers an experiential learning opportunity into the classroom. As a result of Service Credit Union’s support, school districts throughout New Hampshire will have access to the program at no cost for the remainder of the 17/18 school year.
Museum Executive Director Emma Bray referred to Service Credit Union’s support as “a huge boost.”
“This is an incredible opportunity for us to extend learning outside our museum walls and engage students in the subject of history,” she said. “We are so thankful for Service Credit Union’s partnership.”
In electing to sponsor the Traveling Trunk program, David Van Rossum, President/CEO of Service Credit Union, said he believes in the larger vision of the museum, which is to encourage civic engagement in all citizens.
“This is an important program that will get students thinking about American history, the factors that led to the Revolutionary War, why it happened,” he said. “The biggest thing is that it will encourage discussion among students and a deeper understanding of what our freedoms mean today.”
As for the educational rationale behind the program, Bray said it reflects the 4 ‘Cs’ of 21st century learning, which are collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity.
“These are the skills that are required in today’s world—and the subject of history can help develop them in today’s students,” she said
In the trunk, students will be able to access more than 70 high-quality replica items, while teachers will be guided by a curriculum designed by the museum.
“The objective behind the program is to encourage research, judgments on the accuracy and reliability of sources, and a deeper awareness of multiple perspectives,” added Bray. “History is a lot more than memorizing dates.”
In addition to educating 5th through 8th grade students—although the curriculum can be modified to suit younger persons—the program also provides free family passes to the museum.
“We want to actively engage the whole family—and what better way to do that then to get them here for a tour?” noted Bray, who said both organizations share a core value.
“We both believe in serving our communities—and that belief drives us both,” she added. “We are very excited and thankful at this opportunity to educate students and families on the importance of Revolutionary history and its relevance to today.”
Currently, the Traveling Trunk program is at Little Harbour School in Portsmouth.
At the next talk in the American Independence Museum’s Educational Lecture Series, presented by People’s United Bank, the Declaration of Independence will take center stage as UNH Professor James Farrell will re-examine this seminal document.
“Professor Farrell will look at the Declaration of Independence as a rhetorical argument that made a point to a specific audience at that time,” said museum Executive Director Emma Bray. “It really made the case against the King of England.”
Titled “Re-Reading the Declaration of Independence: America’s Sacred Document as a Rhetorical Argument,” the lecture will take place from 7 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, September 6 at Folsom Tavern in downtown Exeter.
“It should also be noted that this lecture topic connects to the museum’s own collection, which includes an original copy of the first official printing of the Declaration of Independence known as a Dunlap Broadside,” she added.
Bray credited the partnership with People’s United Bank as instrumental to the success of the series as a whole.
“These events engage the community, educate and inspire,” she said. “People’s United Bank shares in our vision and participates in these talks. It’s a true community collaboration.”
Remaining talks include: “When Shipping Was King: The Piscataqua Region in Colonial America” on September 21; “Secrets of the American Independence Museum: Collection Close-Up” on November 7; and “Your Most Important Role in a Democracy: Thinking for Yourself” on November 16.
Due to limited space, email[email protected]to pre-register for a seat.
This past spring, the American Independence Museum in Exeter offered its first program for preschool age children with Revolutionary Story Time.
Housed in the museum’s 1775 Folsom Tavern, the program has recently been expanded to include 90 additional minutes of playtime, crafts, colonial games, and opportunities to try on colonial outfits. Previous to playtime, a costumed re-enactor will tell stories and possibly sing colonial-inspired music.
“We want kids and their parents and caregivers to have fun and enjoy our beautiful property in downtown Exeter,” said the museum’s Victoria Su. “At the same time, kids will learn a little bit of history—learning and literacy can be fun.”
The next Revolutionary Story Time is scheduled for Thursday, September 7 from 9:30 am to 12 pm. Noting the museum is committed to educating visitors of all ages, Executive Director Emma Bray thanked Exeter Hospital for their support of the inaugural series.
“We are very appreciative that Exeter Hospital saw the potential of this program to promote the health and well-being of the community,” she said. “We will continue to look for ways to make our campus as accessible and family-friendly as possible.”
In addition to September 7, others scheduled dates for Revolutionary Story Time include October 5 and November 2.
Reservations are suggested for this program while donations are encouraged, as all proceeds will benefit the museum. Due to the historic nature of the tavern, strollers are not allowed.
For more information, or to register for Revolutionary Story Time, email[email protected].
Reprinted from Seacoast Media Online – August 2, 2017
EXETER — Gov. Chris Sununu was given a “welcome home” at the American Independence Museum on Wednesday afternoon, as the museum was once the governor’s mansion in the late 1700s when John Taylor Gilman held the esteemed position.
Sununu and members of the Executive Council received a personal tour of the museum and its grounds from Executive Director Emma Bray. The tour followed a breakfast meeting at the Hampton Beach Pavilion where the American Independence Museum and Society of the Cincinnati of New Hampshire were given proclamations of service from the state. The Society of the Cincinnati of New Hampshire, a nonprofit organization, founded the museum in 1991.
The state proclamation commended the American Independence Museum for “unwavering dedication to sharing New Hampshire’s heritage.”
“We’re really excited to have them all here,” said Bray, who has been the museum’s director since March. “Obviously not only as a small museum to host them, but one that has such a direct connection to the New Hampshire government, to governors, to how our state was founded. That’s such a strong connection. A lot of our mission is connecting the past to the present and that’s exactly what we’re doing for the governor and the Executive Council today, which is wonderful.”
Sununu and the Executive Council paid close attention to the Dunlap Broadside, one of the first-ever published copies of the Declaration of Independence in custody of the museum.
Bray shared the significance of the Gilman family and their deep connection to Granite State government. Sununu and Executive Council members ducked their heads in small doorways passing through each room housing colonial artifacts and documents.
To end the tour, Bray brought the group down to the Folsom Tavern. The museum will host ‘A Beer for History’ events in the tavern beginning this month, with a different local brewer showcased each time.
Sununu, a Newfields resident, said he’d been to the museum before with his children.
“I love it,” he said. “I’m a history nut.” Sununu noted his favorite historical figure is Paul Revere.
“The fact that George Washington ate here, the fact that these buildings are so well-cared for,” he said. “It’s still in incredible shape. You learn about the Treasury, you learn about the people, you can see the actual signatures of these individuals. In New Hampshire, you can really see it, touch it, feel it. In other parts of the country you hear about this stuff and see pictures in books, but here you can physically touch it. To be like, ‘This could very well be the table Washington was eating at,’ and you’re standing right next to it.”
Sununu said destinations of interest in the state like the American Independence Museum are something his administration is trying to highlight.
“We really try to put an emphasis on cultural resources,” Sununu said. “We’ve put our cultural and natural resources together. I’m a big believer in the term we use ‘the creative economy.’ It’s everything from artisans to our natural resources to the culture and rich history we have, and selling that. That’s our asset. That’s one of the things that makes New Hampshire so special. By going out and promoting it and selling it and letting people know things like this are right here in our backyard, it’s just a way to drive tourism, drive dollars into the economy and make an appreciation for what makes the ‘live free or die’ state so special.”
District 3 Executive Councilor Russell Prescott said it was his proposition to bring the traveling summer Executive Council meeting to the American Independence Museum.
“I’m honored to be here,” Prescott said. “It’s a chance to focus on the uniqueness of Exeter.” Prescott, who is a museum ambassador himself, grew up in Exeter, he said.
Prescott thanked Bray for her organization of the tour and taking the time to show the governor and Executive Council members the crucial state resource that is the museum.
