Museum of Old Newbury

Join the Museum of Old Newbury and the Custom House Maritime Museum for the kick-off event to a year-long exploration of Newburyport's role in the American Revolution. Join historian and author Alexander Cain for a captivating lecture exploring the roots of the American Revolution, focusing on Newburyport, the Merrimack Valley, and Essex County. Explore the 17th and...

Boston is occupied, Portsmouth blockaded. A wild rumor flies that Ipswich has been attacked by sea and her inhabitants killed. A British scouting party sneaks into Newburyport Harbor under the cover of night. In the face of constant threat, Newburyport’s harbor became a safe haven for vessels of all kinds on the eve of Revolution,...

Join us for a special Sunday afternoon tea party at the Museum of Old Newbury to explore a tea mystery. For generations, Newburyporters claimed to have been the first to protest onerous British tariffs by destroying tea imported from British India. Before Sam Adams's band dunked that tea in Boston harbor, as the Clipper City's claim goes, a sturdy shipwright sparked...

Explore the uncomfortable truth that, as Newburyport debated concepts of freedom and independence on the eve of Revolution, a significant number of Americans were not free. Thousands of African Americans were enslaved, up to 20% of the entire population of the colonies. In Newburyport, Black voices spoke up forcefully for their liberty and equality amid...

Curious about what Newbury(port) soldiers carried into battle? Join Joel Bohy, Revolutionary War weapons expert, for an exploration of the muskets, swords, and accouterments carried during the earliest days of the American Revolution, featuring notable items from the Museum of Old Newbury collection. The session concludes with a musket drill outside. Joel Bohy is the...

Join us for Newburyport’s Road to Revolution Part VI – Bunker Hill: Heroes and Cowards! In this closing lecture of the Newburyport’s Road to Revolution series, join historian and author Alexander Cain for an exploration of the first engagement in which Newbury(port) troops play a significant role, for good or ill. While some local commanders distinguished themselves,...

  The parade route is as follows: Congregate at lower Federal St and Water St, and march up Federal to High St. Turn right on High and proceed to Bartlet Mall. Loop the pond and march down State St to the Review Stand at Market Square. Musket volleys will fire at historically important locations. Floats...

Join Bethany Groff Dorau for a fascinating journey through history as we explore the Sawyer Hill Burying Ground. Discover the stories of the men and women who played a vital role in the Revolutionary War. Sawyer Hill Burying Ground has been the final resting place for many of the Newburys’ dearly departed since 1695. The three-acre cemetery’s oldest...