HEAR YE, HEAR YE!

The American Independence Museum, located at One Governors Lane in Exeter, opens Wednesday, May 16th for the 2012 season. Museum hours are 10 am to 4 pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays until October 27.  Guided tours will be offered at 10 am, 12 pm and 2 pm. The admission fee is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for students; children under 6 and members of the museum pay no admission fee.   Visitors may also take a self-guided tour, following a specially designed booklet.  This option will allow visitors to proceed at their own rate and focus on items of particular personal interest.  Admission rates remain the same, and the times are flexible; the last tour tickets will be sold at 3 pm.(Continued below)

The tour of the Ladd-Gilman House (c 1721) offers visitors an opportunity to understand the founding of our nation through the roles of one state, one town, and one family. The house was home to a governor, a signer of the U.S. Constitution as well as the site of state treasury during the American Revolution.  The Folsom Tavern (c 1775) opened to the public last July following its relocation and extensive restoration.  Originally located at the intersection of Front and Water Streets, the tavern was a hotbed of political discussion in the days leading up to the Revolution.

Museum collections include an original Purple Heart, awarded by George Washington to soldiers demonstrating extraordinary bravery, American furnishings, ceramics, silver, textiles and military ephemera.  Exhibits also highlight the Society of the Cincinnati, the nation’s oldest veteran’ society.

Undoubtedly the most important items in the collection are two rare drafts of the U.S. Constitution and a Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence, one of only 26 remaining copies known to exist. These historic and valuable documents are on display only during the American Independence Festival, held this year on July 16, 2011, however high quality reproductions may be viewed by visitors to the Ladd-Gilman House.

Visitors may also wish to consider becoming members of the museum.  Members are entitled to free admission to the museum as well as free or reduced admission to special events, festivals and programs.  Visit www.independencemuseum.org or call 603-772-2622 for information on becoming a member and about the museum’s calendar of events.