At the American Independence Museum in Exeter, September may be its busiest month with programs for all ages.
Beer for History
Craft beer will take center stage on Thursday, September 20 with Neighborhood Beer Co. at the first of four events in Beer for History, presented by Hoefle Phoenix Gormley & Roberts, P.A. Attorneys at Law. Featuring games, entertainment, light snacks, Lexie’s Burger Bus, and more, each Beer for History takes place at Folsom Tavern, a restored historic tavern built in 1775 that once welcomed George Washington for “a collation.”
Revolutionary Story Time!
Presented by Exeter Hospital, the next Revolutionary Story Time! takes place on Thursday, September 6. Designed for children, ages 3 to 5, the program is free and encourages families “to stay and play” afterwards in the tavern and on museum grounds, which is comprised of one landscaped, grassy acre.
Tavern Talk
On Thursday, September 27, the museum will host “The American Precedents: Examining George Washington’s Precedents in the Modern Presidency,” presented by People’s United Bank. At this evening talk, Saint Anselm College students Sarah Hummel (2019) and Matthew Solomon (2020) will discuss the exhibit they designed at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, entitled “The American Precedents.”
Genealogy Workshop
Held in partnership with New England Historic Genealogical Society and sponsored by the William W. Treat Foundation, the third genealogy workshop series takes place on Saturday, September 22. In this workshop, “Migration Patterns in America,” attendees will learn about the dominant “push-pull” forces for migration, major colonial migration routes and more. The role of the railroads in migration will receive special attention.
About the American Independence Museum
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.
Active military and veterans are among some of the most ardent supporters of the American Independence Museum, which features in its collection numerous items of particular interest to them.
Among these items, Curator Rachel Passannante said their military commissions tend to elicit the strongest responses.
“These commissions are essentially contracts men signed to enlist in a local army,” she said. “They are interesting artifacts and bring the Revolutionary War to life in a sense.”
While one commission on display features a name that is no longer legible, the other two provide a clear snapshot into the lives of two 18th men, Darius Willey of NH and William Lithgow, Esq. of Massachusetts.
Willey was mustered into the standard colony-run militia regiment while Lithgow entered into the Continental Army, the latter of which Passannante said was a much more prestigious group.
“The Continental Army was the first army formed by the Continental Congress,” she said. “It included men from all the colonies.”
Another interesting anecdote is the fact both men were members of Society of the Cincinnati, which was founded after the Revolutionary War by men who fought in it. As one of the nation’s oldest veteran’s organization,, the New Hampshire constituent society was founded at the museum’s Folsom Tavern in 1783.
“The Society owns a portion of our collection and the buildings on the property, so the story behind these commissions continues in a sense to this day,” said museum Executive Director Emma Bray.
In 2018, Bray said these commissions and others on display in its 3,000+ item collection may be viewed by veterans, active military and their families without an admission fee, courtesy of Chinburg Properties.
“The story of our nation’s military begins to a very real extent right here in this region of New England,” she said. “We are very grateful at the chance to invite those who continue to fight for our freedom to witness items in our collection that tell the story of the men and women who initially forged that freedom.”
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.
the American Independence Museum hosted its latest Lunch & Learn, entitled “Global Perspectives on the Revolution: The Exhibit Up-Close,” which took visitors on a global journey.
“The American Revolution was not just an isolated event in North America,” said Rachel Passannante, collections and visitor services manager. “It had worldwide implications.”
Presented in partnership with People’s United Bank as is the entire lecture series, the Lunch & Learn reflected the museum’s 2018 theme, termed “Global Perspectives on the Revolutionary War.” During this latest lecture, visitors had the opportunity to view this year’s special exhibit in the Ladd-Gilman House.
In conducting much of the research behind the exhibit, Passannante said she was excited to learn more about “the tangled web” of nations that took an interest in the Revolution. Some of these nations included France, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, Denmark, Spain and Russia. Even what is known as the Netherlands had a vested interest in the war.
“The Dutch were one of the few visible supporters of America’s fight for independence,” she said. “Known as the United Provinces at the time, they were the first to recognize America as a nation in 1776. They openly traded with America and sent thousands of ships carrying a variety of goods from their trading post on St. Eustatius in the West Indies.”
In helping frame the Revolution and its entire collection with a global context, Executive Director Emma Bray said the museum is able to demonstrate history’s relevance to discussions today.
“There is a context for everything we do as people and a nation,” she said. “Many of today’s themes–political or trade, for instance–have their roots in history that extend well beyond colonial history into Greece and further back than that…If we can better understand history, we can better understand ourselves today.”
The museum’s Lecture Series, which includes evening Tavern Talks and afternoon Lunch & Learns, is presented in partnership with People’s United Bank. Tavern Talks are additionally supported by a Humanities-To-Go grant from the NH Humanities Council.
The series is held in Folsom Tavern, 164 Water Street, Exeter, NH and is free and open to the public.
Founded in 1991, the American Independence Museum welcomes more than 5,500 visitors annually and distinguishes itself with educational school programs and events that make history fun and relevant.
Educating visitors of all ages is one of the most important objectives at the American Independence Museum and one that recently received a major boost with a $10,000 grant from the Fullwood Foundation.
The grant award will enable the museum to purchase and incorporate mechanical physical interactives into three of its eight exhibit rooms. Part of the funds may also be used to purchase tactile, hands-on reproduction objects.
According to museum Executive Director Emma Bray, the grant provides an opportunity for the museum to follow in the footsteps of similarly focused cultural institutions.
“Hands-on learning is not a catch-phrase,” she explained. “It’s how kids and many adults learn best, and we need to build spaces in our museum to allow for that. We are so thankful that the Fullwood Foundation shares our vision and has made such a critically important investment at such a perfect time for us.”
Bray said now is a particularly important time, because the museum is in the middle of a 5-year strategic plan with a focus on elevating its program offerings and enter new educational areas.
“The museum has a role in promoting 21st Century Learning Skills,” she said. “We can be relevant in today’s world, but we need the right tools. This grant puts them right in our hands.”
The timeline for the grant is approximately 9 months, which coincides with the museum’s opening for the 2019 season. Expressing excitement at the grant’s potential to affect its education objectives, Bray said there is also “a global theme” at play.
“We want to serve as a hub for downtown Exeter where people can gather, relax and feel at home here,” she said. “The more we can transform both the space inside our walls and outside them, the better it is for the profile of this vibrant town.”
She cited collaborations as instrumental to this vision.
“We do not work alone, which makes the partnerships we have with grant funders, corporate partners and individual donors so important,” she said. “We hope others will see Fullwood Foundation’s support of our operations and also want to invest in our mission to preserve our shared colonial history.”
Founded in 1991, the American Independence Museum welcomes more than 5,500 visitors annually and distinguishes itself with educational school programs and events that make history fun and relevant.
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].
