Concord Museum Forum: Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Join Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson for a timely forum on his forthcoming book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters. As the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Larson offers a powerful reexamination of the ideas, debates, and military turning points that made independence possible. From Common Sense to the Declaration itself, and from […]

Concord Museum Forum: The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Concord Museum Forum: Annual Sally Lanagan Forum Join historian Zara Anishanslin and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston curator Erica Hirshler for a conversation about Dr. Anishanslin new book, The Painter’s Fire, which tells the gripping story of three revolutionary artists – Robert Edge Pine, Prince Demah, and Patience Wright – who used their creative talents […]

Transformed by Revolution at the Concord Museum

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Come see the Concord Museum's new special exhibit, Transformed by Revolution, on opening day! Transformed by Revolution is on display from October 3, 2025, to February 22, 2026. Explore how ideas about community and belonging changed during and after the American Revolution. Learn about the impact of Harvard University’s temporary relocation to Concord, the daily […]

Transformed by Revolution: Exhibition Opening

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

The second of three 250th special exhibitions at the Concord Museum, Transformed by Revolution will explore histories of community and belonging during and after the war, tracing shifting ideas about what it meant to be part of the new nation and who would be included in the story.  Featured objects and stories will explore the […]

Paul Revere’s Bike Ride for the Concord Museum

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

The Paul Revere’s Bike Ride for the Concord Museum will be held on Saturday, May 17th to mark the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution. Registered participants will enjoy a recreational ride through Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Bedford, and Carlisle. Starting at the Concord Museum, cyclists can choose to ride a 21.3- or […]

$50

Chemacheg Menuhki: Paddle Strong Opening Reception

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Co-curated with Brittney Peauwe Wunnepog Walley (Nipmuc), Chemacheg Menuhki: Paddle Strong is an exhibition that highlights regional Indigenous history and contemporary textile arts practices through a fiber basket woven by Brittney Peauwe Walley that highlights a little-known history of King Philip’s War. Join us for a talk with the artist, opportunity to visit Chemacheg Menuhki, […]

Free

Concord Museum: The 250th Midnight Ride Celebration

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Join us for a special event marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution at the 250th Midnight Ride Celebration. Enjoy an unforgettable night of festive food, entertainment, and dancing as we mark this historic milestone in style and honor Churchill and Janet Franklin. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Museum’s educational programs, helping […]

Claiming Sovereignty

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Elizabeth James-Perry, Aquinnah Wampanoag Culture Bearer and Artist, joins us for a conversation on the experiences of Native communities in the Massachusetts area during the American Revolution. As part of the new special exhibition Whose Revolution Elizabeth James-Perry created a Wampum choker that represents the kind of object an eighteenth-century Wampanoag soldier from eastern Massachusetts, […]

April School Vacation Week at the Concord Museum

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Join a conversation with Martha Washington, a silversmith demonstration, and a program with sailors from the USS Constitution. Monday, April 21 from 10:00 – 11:00 am: A Personal Conversation in Mrs. Washington’s Bedchamber Free with Museum Admission. Members Visit Free. Seating is limited and available on a first-come basis. Step back to 1784 and spend […]

Patriots’ Day at the Concord Museum

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Free admission (9:00 am – 5:00 pm), including access to the immersive April 19, 1775 galleries to see the original lantern from Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride and the new special exhibition Whose Revolution. A family-friendly encampment of Revolutionary Living History (10:00 am – 5:00 pm). Billerica Colonial Minutemen will drill with muskets, cook over […]

Free

1775: A Society on the Brink of War and Revolution

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

What challenges did New England society face in 1775, and how did they impact the outbreak of fighting in Concord and Lexington? The Concord Museum, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society, and the Massachusetts Historical Society invite you to a conference on April 10-11, 2025 on the theme “1775”. […]

$20

1775 Conference

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

The Concord Museum, the David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society, and the Massachusetts Historical Society will hold a conference in April 2025 on the theme “1775: A Society on the Brink of War and Revolution”. Held at the Concord Museum, the conference marks the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington […]

Eyewitness to Revolution Forum and Book Launch

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Join us for the book launch of the Concord Museum’s publication Eyewitness to Revolution: The American Revolution Collection at the Concord Museum. Written by David Wood, the book tells the story of the Revolution through the Museum’s unparalleled collection of objects related to the early days of the American Revolution. David will be joined in […]

Whose Revolution: Special Exhibition Opening Day

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

The first of three 250th special exhibitions at the Concord Museum, Whose Revolution will highlight the competing and contradictory meanings of revolution during the period leading up to the war. Through maps, documents, furniture, and other objects, this exhibition will explore the gradual shifts that led to broader support for independence. It will examine the […]

Open House and Reception for the 250th Student Art Show

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

High school students from across the Commonwealth are creating artwork inspired by the “one if by land, two if by sea” lantern at the Concord Museum as a symbol of the American Revolution and our nation’s continuing aspiration towards liberty and justice for all. All are welcome to a community open house to see the […]

Free

Concord Museum: “Whose Revolution” Special Exhibition Opening Day

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Whose Revolution: Special Exhibition Opening Day March 28, 2025 The first of three 250th special exhibitions at the Concord Museum, Whose Revolution will highlight the competing and contradictory meanings of revolution during the period leading up to the war. Through maps, documents, furniture, and other objects, this exhibition will explore the gradual shifts that led […]

Concord250 Lantern Lighting Ceremony

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Join us for a ceremonial lighting of the Concord250 Lantern, a 10-foot-tall commemorative lantern inspired by the historic signal light of April 19, 1775 housed today in the Concord Museum. The community lighting will take place on the grounds of the Museum where together we will light the way toward liberty and justice for all. […]

Affectionate Friends and Humble Servants: Martha Washington and Mercy Otis Warren in Conversation

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Set in the late 18th century, this forum presents a fictional dialogue featuring Martha Washington (portrayed by Sandy Spector), the First Lady, and Mercy Otis Warren (portrayed by Michele Gabrielson), a prominent playwright and activist. In a cozy parlor setting, they discuss their friendship, their respective roles during the revolutionary era, and the challenges they […]

$10

Concord250 Lantern Lighting Ceremony

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Join us for a ceremonial lighting of the Concord250 Lantern, a 10-foot-tall commemorative lantern inspired by the historic signal light of April 19, 1775 housed today in the Concord Museum. The community lighting will take place on the grounds of the Museum where together we will light the way toward liberty and justice for all. […]

Free

Akhil Amar on The US Constitution

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Akhil Amar, preeminent legal scholar and author of The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840, joins us at the Concord Museum for a timely conversation on the US Constitution, exploring the formative decades after its ratification and its resonance today.

Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents that Forged the Republic

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Renowned presidential historian and Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky, joins us for a conversation on John Adams’ five year-battle to defend the presidency. 1797 wasn’t too different from 2024, with pandemics, battles over immigration and citizenship, legislation to limit free speech, foreign interference in national […]

How to Become Famous with Cass Sunstein

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

What makes someone who becomes famous, famous? Harvard law professor, public intellectual, and bestselling author Cass Sunstein offers clear and surprising answers in his new book How To Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be. Using modern data analysis techniques to show the role of accident and serendipity in […]

1774 and All That: Reflections on a Long Year of Revolution

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

Named a best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, one of the most acclaimed and original colonial historians of our time, Mary Beth Norton, shares her landmark text 1774: The Long Year of Revolution chronicling the changes that occurred from December 1773 to April 1775—from the Boston Tea Party to the Battles […]

Free Admission on Patriots’ Day

Concord Museum 53 Cambridge Turnpike, Concord, MA, United States

The Concord Museum will offer free admission for visitors to visit the immersive April 19, 1775 gallery to see one of the original “One if by land, two if by sea” lanterns hung in the North Church as a signal on the night of Paul Revere's famous midnight ride.