This year’s reading is our 15th and it takes on heightened significance in light of the 250th Anniversary of its signing. If you wish to participate in the reading, please arrive early to receive a part. We will strive to begin at 11:00, but we do expect more readers than usual, so kindly be prepared...
The Manchester-by-the-sea Museum and the new Revolution exhibit are open for free after the parade in honor of America's 250th birthday!
Bring your beach blankets and folding chairs to enjoy live orchestra music on Derby Wharf at the Salem Maritime National Historical Park for a grand celebration of our nation’s 250th Independence Day. Featuring live music, family fun, and fireworks launched over Salem Harbor, this is a quintessential celebration of the 4th of July. A full...
Join us for Newburyport's 9th annual community reading of Frederick Douglass's powerful speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" An in-person community reading of Frederick Douglass's impassioned 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” will take place on Sunday, July 5, at 10am. Lend your voice to this...
Join us for a talk on the arrival and first reading of the Declaration of Independence in Newburyport. Alex Cain will also speak in depth on the museum's recently acquired patriotic textile (pictured left), a rare 1833 copy of the Declaration and Jane Stuart's portrait of George Washington, both currently on loan to the museum. Alexander Cain graduated from Merrimack College in 1993 with a degree in economics and New England School of Law in 1996 with a juris doctorate in law. He is a well respected and highly sought-after speaker who frequently lectures on the military and social influences of April 19, 1775. Alex has worked with both major and local production companies as a consultant and advisor to ensure historical accuracy is properly maintained during the production process. He has published multiple research articles that have shed new light on the Battles of Lexington Concord, privateer operations during the Siege of Boston and the loyalist refugee experience during the American Revolution. Alex has also published two books – We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of the American Revolution and I See Nothing but the Horrors of a Civil War. PLEASE NOTE: The Custom House is a historic structure and is not handicap accessible. Most events take place on the second floor and there is no elevator in the building. 5:30 pm - reception | 6:30 pm lecture
The Battles of Lexington and Concord are well known as "the shot heard round the world" but have you ever heard of the Battle of Moore's Creek? Or the Revolutionary War connection between Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York and Dorchester Heights in Boston? Or the Mecklenburg Resolves? This talk by Professor Abby Chandler focuses...
Join Ghlee Woodworth for a walking tour focused on the memorials of Newburyport’s Black community and Revolutionary privateers. Wander through Newburyport’s historic Highland Cemetery with a special guide - noted author and historian Ghlee Woodworth, a 12th generation Newburyport native. During this special event, Woodworth will focus on the memorials of Newburyport’s once-thriving Black community...
Join Historic Beverly for a commemorative public reading of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Park, the very site where Beverly first heard the Declaration read aloud in 1776. On July 17, 1776, Colonel John Glover gathered his regiment on the parade ground that would later become Independence Park, where they were joined by Beverly...
Follow Newburyport's road to revolution through merchant mansions, taverns, privateering, shipmasters, and Market Square. Join noted author and historian Ghlee Woodworth for a walk from the 1808 Cushing House down State Street into the commercial and maritime heart of Newburyport. Hear how taverns, merchant mansions, privateering fortunes, shipmasters, and public spaces helped shape the city...
Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of NBPT's first reading of the Declaration of Independence, with readings, music, reenactors, and more When: Sunday, July 19, 2026; 1:45 p.m. procession, 2:00 p.m. program Where: Brown Square to Market Square, with a stop at FRS UU Church, followed by a waterfront observance and family-friendly activities. Includes: Community readings,...
Join Dr. Robert Allison as he discusses the challenges, opportunities, and the role of Essex County as America declared independence in 1776. Why did the American colonies declare Independence in 1776? What were the challenges, and what potential opportunities did they see? How did their thinking change from trying to preserve their long-cherished charter rights...
Join Historic Beverly for an engaging evening of theater and history with Abigail Adams: Love & Politics in the American Revolution, a compelling one-woman performance written and performed by acclaimed historical interpreter Laura Rocklyn. Set in the year 1788, the performance finds Abigail Adams newly returned from Europe alongside her husband, John Adams, following his diplomatic...
