On Saturday, June 26 the American Independence Museum will host an outdoor community event, Our Waterways, exploring the waterways that have drawn people to the Exeter area for thousands of years.

Through presentations and hands-on activities, attendees will discover how different uses such as fishing, water power, and transportation transcend cultures and have different impacts on the waterways.

“Visitors will recreate rivers and dams to see how obstructing the river not only creates falls, but limits fish migration,” said Sarah Jaworski, American Independence Museum Program Manager. Make and take craft kits will also be provided.

The program runs from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m on the lawn at Folsom Tavern. Formal family-friendly presentations will occur at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. From 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., Denise and Paul Pouliot of the Indigenous New Hampshire Collaborative Collective will share the importance of waterways in the daily life of the Pennacook-Abenaki People.

This will be followed from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. by a presentation by the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum.

“Waterways are an interwoven link to the history, art and traditions of Native people, past and present. This brief discussion will share some insights into canoes and wampum beads, as they relate to Native people and the Waterways of the Northeast,” said Andrew Bullock, Executive Director of Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum.

The entire program takes place outside on the grounds of the American Independence Museum. The cost is $10 a family (up to four individuals) and $5 for an individual. Members attend free.

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.