The Museum Calendar

Treasures of the American Independence Museum
February 6 - April 24
1 - 4 p.m., Tu, Th, Sat PLUS Special Gallery Talks
Portsmouth Athenaeum Gallery
Free admission to Gallery Exhibit and to Gallery Talks

The unique collection of the American Independence Museum will be featured in the gallery at the Portsmouth Athenaeum located in Market Square. View the most historic treasures from our collection and see a few never before displayed! For reservations to the following programs, call 603-431-2538 x2.

February 17, 7 p.m. "New Hampshire and the Revolution", presented by Wendy Bergeron, AIM Curator. Research Library.

March 13, 11 a.m. "The Society of the Cincinnati: America's Oldest Veterans Organization", presented by Society and AIM Board Member Randall Hammond. Research Library.

April 7, 7 p.m. Gallery Tour, providing in-depth information on the "Treasures", presented by AIM Board Member Elizabeth Aykroyd and Douglas Aykroyd

April 17, 11 a.m. Gallery Tour as noted above, presented by Wendy Bergeron

For directions, visit www.portsmouthathenaeum.org

Folsom Friday Fun!
Friday, February 26, 2010
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
Ages 4+, accompanied by an adult
Supply fee: $2 per child

Families are invited to stop in at the Folsom Tavern during the last day of school vacation to create several old-fashioned crafts. Reservations not necessary; stop in anytime between 10 and 2 p.m. Adult must accompany children.

Remember the Ladies!
Wednesdays, March 10 & 31, 2010
7 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
For adults & students
Suggested donation: $5 pp

"Remember the Ladies". Abigail Adams wrote these words to her husband John in 1776 when he and other colonial leaders were writing the Declaration of Independence. During Women's History Month, we will "remember the ladies" with two events at Folsom Tavern.

March 10, 7 p.m.: Jessa Piaia will portray Susanna Rowson, author, actress, founder of a ladies' academy in 1797 who also happened to be the daughter of an unpopular Loyalist tax collector in Massachusetts!

March 31, 7 p.m.: Marcia Schmidt Blaine, Ph.D. will discuss "Runaway Wives: When Colonial Marriages Failed"

Sponsored in part by the New Hampshire Humanities Council.

Teatime at the Tavern
Saturday, April 10, 2010
10 a.m. or 1 p.m,; Each session lasts 90 minutes
Folsom Tavern
Children ages 6-11
$15 per person. A paying adult must accompany child

You and your favorite doll are cordially invited to the Folsom Tavern for a proper 18th century tea! We'll learn what life was life for Anna, Elizabeth, and Joanna Folsom, daughters of Col. Samuel Folsom who built the tavern back in 1775. Craft activity and refreshments included. Reservations required.

No refunds issued unless the event is cancelled by the American Independence Museum.

Online registrations using PayPal will be available at a later date; to register now call 772-2622 or email education@independencemuseum.org

Sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Hollis W. Merrick and the Inn by the Bandstand

The Midnight Ride! A benefit for the American Independence Museum
Saturday, April 17, 2010
6 - 10 p.m.
Folsom Tavern, 164 Water Street, Exeter, NH
$125 per person. Member price $100 pp

Help us celebrate Paul Revere's famous ride! Don your favorite Revolutionary-era costume or come in cocktail attire for a very special evening, to benefit the educational programs of the American Independence Museum.

Complimentary champagne toast, hearty hors d'oeuvres, and an auction of unique experiences, such as tickets to Saturday Night Live! It's the event EVERYONE will be talking about!

Lead Sponsorship by Provident Bank www.theprovidentbank.com

Volunteer Informational Meeting & Guide Training
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Ladd-Gilman House Library

Enjoy history and want to share your knowledge and enthusiasm with others? Become an AIM volunteer! Join us for an orientation session and learn about our many volunteer opportunities such as leading tours, teaching programs to visiting schools, marketing,or helping with a special event. Call for details. Can't make it to this meeting? Alternate arrangements can be made!

Comprehensive guide training and materials will be provided. Dates to be determined.

2010 Tour Season begins May 19!
10 a.m. - 4 p.m Wednesdays through Saturdays
Tours begin at the Ladd-Gilman House in the Museum Shop
Guided tours on the hour; self guided tours available all day; last guided tour begins at 3, last self-guided at 3:30
$5 adults, $3 students, free for museum members

We'll open for tours of the Ladd-Gilman House and the Folsom Tavern on Wednesday, May 19, but keep an eye on our web calendar as we'll be adding programs as information becomes available. Interesting in becoming an AIM member? Visit our Membership page

Conversations with the Authors
June 9 and September 29
7 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
$3 members; $5 non-members, payable at the door
Books will be available for purchase

Meet two authors whose work focuses on New Hampshire citizens who fought for our nation's freedom.

Wednesday, June 9, 7 p.m.: Ben Z. Rose, author of John Stark: Maverick General, introduces us to NH's brilliant renegade Revolutionary general who inspired the phrase "Live Free or Die" and whose battlefield strategies helped win America's freedom.

Wednesday, September 29, 7 p.m.: John P. Resch, Ph.D., author of Suffering Soldiers: Revolutionary War Veterans, Moral Sentiment, and Political Culture in the Early Republic, focuses on the men who served and their lives before and after the war.

Junior Roleplayer Workshop
July 7, 8, & 9th plus performances at American Ind
10 a.m. - 3p.m. plus festival 7/17
Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern
Children ages 10+
$100 members, $125 non-members

Young ladies who love acting will enjoy this three-day history camp as they take on the role of an 18th-century Exeter resident. Participants will learn proper speech, etiquette, and daily chores and amusements which they will share at the festival. Basic costume available.

Reservations required

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati

Muster Day!
Saturday, July 10, 2010, plus muster at the Americ
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
Ages 7 - 11
$40 members, $50 non-members

We Want You! General George Washington is coming to Exeter for the American Independence Festival and trained troops are needed to escort him. Prepare for his visit by participating in Muster Day! Learn about the life of a Revolutionary War soldier, how to march and drill. Sign an Oath of Allegiance to the Patriot cause with a quill pen and make military decorations.

Reservations necessary.

20th annual American Independence Festival
Saturday, July 17
10 am - 5 pm
American Independence Museum, downtown Exeter, Swasey Parkway
$7 admission for events on museum grounds AND Swasey Parkway: ages 10+, under 10 free. Free for Museum Members
Suggested donation for Swasey Parkway events only: $3 per person

On July 16, 1776, twenty-two year old John Taylor Gilman read the Declaration of Independence to the townspeople of Exeter. Help us celebrate America's freedom with our popular festival--now in its 20th year! Join the crowd escorting George Washington down Water Street, see the horseback delivery of the Declaration and listen to the public reading of the Declaration, (complete with hecklers!)chat with historic role-players, step to the stirring music of the Lincoln Fife and Drum and delight in the maneuvers and cannon firings of militias. Visit the traditional New Hampshire artisans village, view our original Dunlap Broadside and early drafts of the U.S. Constitution and see encampments and a battle re-enactment on Swasey Parkway. Enjoy plenty of food, music, sidewalk sales, crafts and children's activities, then stay for the town's evening fireworks and live band! Visit the Exeter Town Hall for more arts and crafts sponsored by the Exeter Area Greater Federation of Women's Club.

Sponsored in part by the NH State Council on the Arts and Ocean Bank.

Purple Heart Day
Saturday, August 7, 2010
10am - 4pm; last tour offered at 3pm
The Ladd-Gilman House and the Folsom Tavern
Free admission for all military veterans and active duty personnel

General George Washington issued an order on August 7, 1782, allowing those soldiers who proved themselves in honor to sew a "purple heart" onto their uniform. Official records show that only three Purple Hearts were issued by Washington. On exhibit will be a Purple Heart found in Deerfield, NH and donated to the American Independence Museum by Society of the Cincinnati member William L. Willey. Also on display will be a World War II Purple Heart which was awarded to J. Phillip Webber and donated to AIM.

NEW! Colonial Garden Camp
August 9 - 13, 2010
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
For ages 7 - 11; reservations necessary
$200 members, $225 non-members

A colonist's garden provided food, but also medicines, teas, and gifts. Join us for our new camp as we explore herbs, flowers, vegetables, remedies, and crafts. Campers will experience cooking, planting,crafts and field trips.

Reservations necessary

Sponsored by the NH Humanities Council

Conversation with the Author: John P. Resch, Ph.D.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
7 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
$3 members, $5 non-members, payable at the door

UNH-Manchester Professor John Resch joins us to discuss his book Suffering Soldiers: Revolutionary War Veterans, Moral Sentiment, and Political Culture in the Early Republic.

Autumn Field Trip
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Leave Exeter at 8:30 a.m.; return by 4:30 p.m.
Price to be determined

Interested in joining our annual excursion to locations of historic significance? We're planning a trip to Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Massachusetts, birthplace of two U.S. presidents and home to four generations of the influential family. Trip fee (to be determined) includes transportation, admission fees and guided tour, lunch, and an introductory talk by AIM Curator Wendy Bergeron.

If you are interested, please contact Julie at 772-2622 or email jtiebout@independencemuseum.org. Paid reservations will be required by September 17.

NEW! Clues from the Past
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
7 p.m.
Folsom Tavern
$3 members, $5 non-members

In 2005, the team from Independent Archaeological Associates conducted a dig on museum grounds prior to the relocation of the Folsom Tavern. More than 1000 items were found including glass, ceramics, and nails, revealing that people were living at the location as far back as the late 1600s. Learn from Ellen Marlatt, principal of IAA, what the process entailed and see some of the artifacts that gave us clues to the past!

October is Archaeology Month!

Closing Day
Saturday, October 30, 2010
10am - 4pm; last guided tour offered at 3 p.m.; last self-guided tour at 3:30 p.m.
Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern
$5 adults, $3 students, members free

Thank you for another wonderful season!

Breakfast with George Washington
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Seatings at 10:00 or 11:00 a.m.; sessions approx. 90 minutes with tour
Folsom Tavern
For families
$10 adults, $8 children ages 4+; under 4 free (members receive $2 pp discount)

President George Washington visited the Folsom Tavern on November 4, 1789 and he'll return to join us for a very special breakfast. Admission price includes food, children's craft, and a child-friendly tour on the hour of the American Independence Museum, offered on the hour.

Reservations necessary

Online registration with PayPal will be available soon; to register now, please call 772-2622 or email education@independencemuseum.org

Candlelight Christmas
Thursday, December 2
5 - 7 pm
Folsom Tavern
$8 for members, $10 non-members

The Folsom Tavern will glow by candlelight with festive holiday decorations in each room. Visitors will enjoy punch, tasty Christmas delights and music by the New England Irish Harp Orchestra. To listen to music or learn about the orchestra, visit www.reaganta.com

A Child's Christmas
Saturday, December 4, 2010
10 or 11 am, 1 or 2 pm; each session last approximately 2 hours
Folsom Tavern
Ages 6 - 11; paying adult must accompany child
$20 per person; reservations necessary

Celebrate the holiday season with your favorite doll! We'll make crafts, listen to stories, play games, decorate cookies and the Folsom Family's tree and end with caroling and tasty treats!

Online registrations using PayPal will be available at a later date; please call 772-2622 if you would like to register now or email education@independencemuseum.org

Sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Hollis W. Merrick