Exeter, NH

Local Events

Reenactments, heritage festivals, and living history programs — experience the Revolution where it happened.

Upcoming This Year

Jul

FestivalFeatured

American Independence Festival

American Independence Museum, 1 Governors Lane, Exeter, NH

Exeter's premier annual Revolutionary War heritage celebration held at the American Independence Museum (Ladd-Gilman House). The festival features live music, colonial craft demonstrations, Revolutionary War reenactors and encampments, musket and cannon firing demonstrations, readings of the Declaration of Independence, children's activities, and access to the museum's rare original Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence. The event commemorates Exeter's pivotal role as New Hampshire's revolutionary capital.

Ticketed event; prices varyTypically held on a Saturday in mid-July; check the American Independence Museum website for exact date each yearMore info →

Jun

Ceremony

New Hampshire Ratification Day Commemoration

American Independence Museum, 1 Governors Lane, Exeter, NH

A ceremony and educational program commemorating June 21, 1788, the date New Hampshire became the ninth and decisive state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, putting the document into effect and establishing the new national government. Held at or in conjunction with the American Independence Museum, the observance highlights Exeter's role as the site where this world-changing vote took place and features remarks by historians, readings from the ratification debates, and related exhibits.

Free or included with museum admissionObserved on or near June 21; contact the American Independence Museum to confirm whether a formal program is scheduled each year

Jun

Guided Tour

Gilman Garrison House Colonial Life Programs

Gilman Garrison House, 12 Water Street, Exeter, NH

Historic New England opens the Gilman Garrison House — a rare 17th-century fortified log garrison expanded in the 18th century by the prominent Gilman family — for seasonal guided tours and special living history programs. Interpreters discuss colonial frontier life, the Gilman family's role in New Hampshire's revolutionary politics (Peter Gilman served in the Provincial Congress), and the architectural evolution from defensive garrison to Georgian gentleman's residence. The site offers a tangible connection to Exeter's pre-revolutionary and revolutionary era.

Admission fee; free for Historic New England membersTypically open for tours June through mid-October; schedule varies by year. Contact Historic New England to confirm dates.More info →

Jul

Exhibition

Dunlap Broadside Exhibition

American Independence Museum, 1 Governors Lane, Exeter, NH

Each year around Independence Day, the American Independence Museum puts on special public display one of the approximately 26 surviving original Dunlap Broadsides — the first printed copies of the Declaration of Independence, produced the night of July 4, 1776. The museum's copy is one of the rarest documents in American history, and its exhibition is accompanied by guided interpretation and educational programming about New Hampshire's role in the founding of the nation.

Included with museum admissionTypically displayed around the July 4th period and during the American Independence Festival; contact the museum for exact viewing datesMore info →

Date

TBD

Guided Tour

Exeter Historical Society Heritage Walks and Lectures

Exeter Historical Society, 47 Front Street, Exeter, NH

The Exeter Historical Society hosts a series of seasonal walking tours and evening lectures exploring the town's rich colonial and Revolutionary War history. Topics have included Exeter as the wartime capital, the flight of Royal Governor John Wentworth, the role of the Provincial Congress, Josiah Bartlett's contributions to independence, and the architectural heritage of the town's 18th-century buildings. Walking tours visit key downtown sites including the Squamscott River waterfront, historic meetinghouse locations, and the Gilman Garrison House area.

Free or small donation; some events may have a feeLectures and tours scheduled throughout spring and fall; contact the Exeter Historical Society for the current season's scheduleMore info →