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Tour Information: (603) 772-2622
Thursday – Saturday: 10 am to 4 pm

Tag: history museum

Family Camp Out

Bring your tent and sleeping bag as you prepare to spend a night under the stars on the grounds of the American Independence Museum. You will prepare a snack, play games popular in Colonial America, sing 18th century songs around the fire while creating a take home craft and more!

Saturday, July 24th at 7 p.m. – Sunday, July 25th at 9 a.m.

Limited to 30 individuals. Includes snacks and light breakfast.

Cost per person: $20 non-members, $15 members

Cost for a group of four: $75 non-members, $55 members

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.

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American Independence Museum hosts Patriot’s Day Membership Drive

April 19th, also known as Patriot’s Day, commemorates the encounters at Lexington and Concord that traditionally mark the start of the American Revolution. Almost 250 years later, Patriot’s Day is the driving force behind the American Independence Museum’s first annual membership drive. Staff hope the date will serve as a reminder to current and future members to prepare for the upcoming season and support the museum.

“Shifting all membership renewals and sign-ups to one date will make it easier for visitors to keep track of their renewal cycle,” said Emma Stratton, executive director.

This April date will ensure that memberships are valid for the entire 2021 season which runs from May-November. Current plans for the 2021 season include new digital programs, a modified American Independence Festival in July, Folsom Tavern tours beginning May 15, and events to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Ladd- Gilman House and the 30th anniversary of the American Independence Museum.

A new membership level for individuals will also be introduced. This new level will provide the holder with free admission to tours and the Independence Festival. Students and educators will get a bonus of access to new educational digital resources and programs.

“With all the new content we’ve been creating in the digital realm the museum wanted to continue creating these resources for educators. I hope that this special access will continue to provide classroom resources,” said Sabina Ion, Content and Marketing Manager.

For those looking to support the museum at a higher level or wishing to receive member benefits for more people, the museum also offers Dual, Family, and Advocate membership levels.

To join or to renew memberships, https://www.independencemuseum.org/membership

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.

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

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://www.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.

Mini Camp: Spies and Loyalists

Patriot, loyalists, neutral or something else? It wasn’t always easy to know what side to be on. Wrestle with the tricky decision of deciding your stance. Uncover hidden identities, secret lives, and traitorous deals. Become a spy in Washington’s famous Culper Spy Ring.

Cost for 1 week: $55 non-members, $45 members

Cost for all 4 weeks: $195 non-members, $170 members
Includes a reproduction Badge of Military Merit like the ones Revolutionary War heroes received!

Mini Camp: Camp Life

What was life like for enlisted men (and women) and their families who often followed them? Was a patriot camp much different than a loyalist camp? What was the role of women and children at camp? What was camp life like for people of color? Dress in colonial clothes, learn to muster, and cook over an open campfire.

Cost for 1 week: $55 non-members, $45 members

Cost for all 4 weeks: $195 non-members, $170 members
Includes a reproduction Badge of Military Merit like the ones Revolutionary War heroes received!

Mini Camp: Working in the 18th Century

Working in the 18th century. Sailor, merchants, farmers, shopkeepers and tavern keepers are just a few of the jobs of colonial Exeter you will discover. What jobs were available to women? Did children help out with the family business? Try your hand at a colonial trade or two, sell goods to your neighbors and barter and trade at the market, all while wearing colonial clothing. 

Cost for 1 week: $55 non-members, $45 members

Cost for all 4 weeks: $195 non-members, $170 members
Includes a reproduction Badge of Military Merit like the ones Revolutionary War heroes received!

Mini Camp: Not a soldier? Everyday people

Not a soldier? Everyday people, laborers, farmers, housewives, and even children all were deeply affected by the war and contributed to the cause. Dress in colonial clothing and carry out daily chores (hauling water and wood, tending the garden, cooking, etc.). Prepare a colonial snack.

Cost for 1 week: $55 non-members, $45 members

Cost for all 4 weeks: $195 non-members, $170 members
Includes a reproduction Badge of Military Merit like the ones Revolutionary War heroes received!

Tavern Talk: Uprooted

Uprooted is a 30-minute documentary based on interviews collected during New Hampshire Humanities’ Fences & Neighbors initiative on immigration. It tells the story of five refugees who escaped from war-torn countries to resettle in New Hampshire. The film explores what it means to be a refugee and how it feels to make a new life in a strange place, often without English language skills, family, a job, or community contacts. The film leaves us pondering questions of belonging and citizenship. What does it mean to be an American? Once a refugee, are you destined always to be a refugee? What are our responsibilities toward one another?

More information
Presented by Sara Withers as part of New Hampshire Humanities to Go program.

This Tavern Talk will include an introduction to the film, a screening, and a guided discussion afterwards.

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Registration is Open for Traveling Trunk

Educating thousands of K-12 students from across the nation since its inception in 2016, the American Independence Museum’s free Traveling Trunk program is open for 2022 registration.

Developed with initial seed funding from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the program uses revolutionary history to explore themes relevant today.

Shipped in a trunk, the program contains 70+ high quality reproduction items and colonial history curriculum materials that may be utilized by teachers for students of varying ages.

“We can customize the program, too, to suit individual needs,” said Museum Executive Director Emma Stratton, who said museum staff is currently exploring ways to ‘digitize’ aspects of the program.

“We are developing interactive digital programs and events that will remove barriers — physical or financial — for people of all ages,” she added. “Digital engagement and inclusivity is a big focus for the museum, as we look to the future.”

To learn more about the Traveling Trunk, which may be shipped anywhere in the United States, click here.

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.

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New staff underscore commitment to innovation at American Independence Museum

Two women on a Zoom call

It may be the offseason for the American Independence Museum, but that does not mean staff are “off,” according to Executive Director Emma Stratton, who cited two recent new hires as proof.

“Like many organizations, our operations shifted dramatically from in-person to digital engagement last year, which has created new staffing opportunities,” she said.

These new opportunities include program assistant and content and marketing manager, roles that will be filled by Emma Scheinmann and Sabina Ion, respectively.

“I am thrilled to have Sabina and Emma join our team,” said Stratton. “Both possess a strong museum background, exceptional skills and demonstrated success in their areas of expertise.”

Each expressing enthusiasm at joining the current staff at the Museum, Scheinmann and Ion said they plan to proverbially “hit the ground running.”

“I am excited to rework all education and public engagements to be mission and collections driven and to show the public value of museums,” noted Scheinmann.

A trained archaeologist who “[loves] digging into the past,” Ion said she looks forward to enhancing and developing the Museum’s content strategy.

“I will promote and showcase all the wonderful programming the team has been creating and the fascinating items in the Museum collection,” she said.

Noting she received a Master of Arts in Museum Education from Tufts University in May 2020, Scheinmann added, “I see myself as a facilitator for learning with the Museum as my toolbox.”

In looking ahead to the 2021 season, which begins on May 1, Stratton cited digital engagement as an increasingly important focus of the Museum’s education and public programs.

“As the Museum celebrates its 30th anniversary, we are renewing our focus on civic engagement, too,” she added. “This mission will be reflected in our work, and we look forward to sharing more with the public this year.”

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.

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