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Sure, you can learn about the American Revolution in history books. Or you can experience it in real life—in the actual place where history was made—during this upcoming exhibit at Fraunces Tavern Museum in Lower Manhattan.
The museum is set to debut “Path to Liberty: The Emergence of a Nation” in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. The exhibit opens on April 22, 2025 inside Fraunces Tavern, a historic building that served as a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty, hosted Washington's farewell to his officers and even was hit by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War.
RECOMMENDED: 45 giant screens will light up the east side of Manhattan in this larger-than-life installation
As part of the nation's semiquincentennial (a.k.a. 250th) celebrations, Fraunces' exhibition will offer a chronological, multi-year experience telling the history of the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783, with a distinctive focus on what occurred in New York State and the surrounding areas.
The first segment of the exhibition will focus on the years 1775 to 1776. Personal letters, artifacts and works of art from the museum's permanent collection will paint a picture of the Revolutionary War's early defining moments, such as the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Declaration of Independence. This first segment will have a particular focus on the Battle for New York, including the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Harlem Heights and the Battle of White Plains.
The exhibition seeks to underscore how everyday people fought for their beliefs. For example, there's a letter from Nathan Hale to his brother, his last known letter before the British hanged Hale as a spy, which will offer visitors perspective into a man willing to give his life for his country. Through artwork, visitors will also learn about how a woman named Mrs. Murray entertained British officers, helping to General Putnam's Army. Another letter, this one from quartermaster Sidney Berry to his wife after the Battle of Trenton, delves into how soldiers communicated home.
A few other featured treasures include: A John Mackie Falconer painting of the house in which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; the Henry Hintermeister painting Retreat to Victory, depicting Washington supervising the evacuation of troops from Brooklyn following the Battle of Long Island; and a piece of the original wrought iron fence placed around Bowling Green, where a statue of King George III was toppled following a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
"Path to Liberty will be all the more exceptional because the visitor will learn about the conflict in a unique setting where Revolutionary War events actually happened. Indeed, the roof of Fraunces Tavern, Manhattan's oldest building, was hit by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War," Craig Hamilton Weaver, co-chairman of the Sons of the Revolution Museum & Art Committee, said.
Keep an eye out for more 250th-related programming and events, at Fraunces Tavern Museum, including a lecture series coinciding with key events featured in the exhibition. For more 250th events, also bookmark "Path of Liberty: That Which Unites Us," an art exhibition on Manhattan's East Side, which will explore America's history, progress, challenges, and successes. It's also set to debut this spring.
Fraunces Tavern, at 54 Pearl Street, was constructed in 1719 and restored back to its original appearance in the early 1990s. There's a restaurant on the ground floor and the museum on the upper level. The building is owned by Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, Inc. (SRNY).