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...
This lecture, presented by historian Alexander Cain, examines the often-overlooked experiences of American Loyalists from New England, including those from Essex County, during the Revolutionary War. It examines how unwavering loyalty to the Crown led to the loss of homes, freedom, and security for numerous families. Drawing on original petitions and firsthand accounts, the presentation...
Celebrate the spirit of independence with Abigail Adams: Liberty and Legacy at the historic Rocky Hill Meeting House! In this engaging performance, local actor Sheryl Faye brings to life one of America’s most influential women—a revolutionary, mother, and advocate for women’s rights. Set in the eighteenth-century Rocky Hill Meeting House, this program explores Adams’s intelligence, courage, and her...
John Glover is justly the most famous and celebrated of Marblehead’s hundreds of Revolutionary servicemen due to his capable and resolute leadership of his intrepid and unflinching Continental Army regiment during the war’s first year and a half, through December 1776, while he was a Colonel. Although the numbers of his soldiers were somewhat in...
Captain Nicholson Broughton earned honor as the first commodore of the United States Navy. But he first gained fame as captain of the even more famous schooner Hannah, the “first” official privateer vessel sent out from Marblehead / Beverly waters under a commission from George Washington in service of his Continental Army, on September 2,...
Join Captain Michael Rutstein as he covers the events leading up to the famous battle between the armed American schooner Hannah and HMS Nautilus in October 1775. He will walk us step by step through the engagement and wrap up with the repercussions of this event and its impact on the course of the Revolution...
Many men from Marblehead fought in the American Revolution. Most were part of the 14th Continental, known as Glover’s regiment. There were also captains and sailors in Washington’s crucial privateer fleet. Rebels who fought back in other ways, such as serving on Committees and attending the early Continental Congress, were also part of the story....
Through the remarkable story of Abraham Solomon of Glover’s Marblehead Regiment, Rabbi David Meyer illuminates the often-overlooked role of Jews in the American Revolution and their early struggle for religious liberty and civic equality. Blending history, humor, and heartfelt storytelling, he reveals how Jewish patriots helped shape a nation founded on freedom. This presentation invites the...
This presentation will focus on General Glover’s post-Revolutionary years, when he restarted his business operations and purchased a farm in 1781, the year he remarried after his wife died in 1778 in the middle of the war, and a year before he retired from his eight long years of service. Updates about the state of...
