American Independence Museum

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A light blue, black, and white striped header image with the words American Independence Museum

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited the American Independence Museum in Exeter. This classic New England town is about a twenty to thirty minute drive south of Portsmouth on the border with Massachusetts. A charming museum with knowledgeable guides, a fun gift shop, and great branding, the American Independence Museum is a great stop for families who have walked the Freedom Trail through Boston NHP in Boston, Massachusetts; seen the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall NHP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; or toured Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia.

A long, yellow-painted, Georgian-style house on top of a green grassy hill framed by a large tree on the left.

The American Independence Museum was founded in 1991 with the help of the New Hampshire Chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati. This patriotic organization began in 1783 with the guidance of Prussian-American Major General Baron von Steuben. (His full legal name was Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben.) The Society of the Cincinnati, with chapters in the thirteen original states plus France, was originally comprised of officers in the American Revolutionary War and the line of eldest male descendents. While it has grown to encompass a wider range of applicants, the club remains exclusionary. The name “Cincinnati” is from Roman mythology, where the farmer Cincinnatus became the general of the army before retiring to his fields. George Washington was called the Cincinnatus of America.

A gray document in a maple case set against a wall. A stone in a wall carved with the words THE SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI IN NEW HAMPSHIRE A pathetic attempt at portrait of a red-headed or possibly blond man dressed in late 18th century clothing A black-and-white lithograph of the Roman general Cincinnatus standing in the field beside a plow, with the citizens of Rome to the right begging him to lead the army.

The museum owns two 18th century buildings. The Ladd-Gilman House acts as an exhibit space and gift shop. The house was built by Nicholas Ladd as a brick building in 1721, and a peep window on the side of the house reveals its original exterior. The house was owned by the Gilman family since 1747. Prominent family members born in the house included brother John Taylor Gilman, who became a New Hampshire governor, and Nicholas Gilman, Jr., a signer of the U.S. Constitution. Gilman was also on the Committee of Detail, which wrote drafts of the United States Constitution. He arrived late after the state refused to pay for his trip, so he was sponsored by another delegate, John Langdon, who would become a long-time governor of New Hampshire. The Society of the Cincinnati bought the building in 1902, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, leading up to the Bicentennial.

A green sign with the insignia of New Hampshire on top. The sign is titled LADD-GILMAN HOUSE and describes the history of the building. A three-and-a-half story, Georgian-style, yellow-painted clapboard house with American flag inspired banners hanging from the second floor winds and a cannon in the front. The building sits on top of a green grassy hill. Close-up of the yellow-painted clapboard side of a house. A peek-window reveals red brick underneath the clapboard. Above the window is a sign of the National Register of Historic Places The white face of a wooden tall clock with metal finials. The face is decorated with roses. The intricate metal face of a tall clock with the finials removed. An antique barometer in a wooden case. A firescreen embroidered with a white shield featuring a leg and a red-and-gold patterned background A wooden candle holder featuring a shield decorated with a black leg and attached to a yellow-painted wall. A pair of andirons with little Hessian soldiers retaining some of their red, yellow, and dark blue paint.

The other building owned by the museum is Folsom Tavern, across the lawn and downhill from the Ladd-Gilman House. Built by the Folsom family just before the start of the American Revolution in 1775, Colonel Samuel Folsom served in the Exeter Corps of Independent Cadets, while his brother, General Nathaniel Folsom, served as a major general in the New Hampshire militia and a delegate to the Continental Congress. Descendent Nathaniel Smith Folsom wrote a 29-page pamphlet about his family, named in part Descendents of the First John Folsom, and published it in 1876 during the celebration of the Centennial.

A fun fact about the tavern is that George Washington stopped there in 1781, although he did not sleep there. A later owner would run a restaurant called “Washington’s Lunch” out of the building. As is common for many older structures, Folsom Tavern is not on its original foundation, as it has been moved a few times to accommodate the widening of the road.

A brown, late Georgian-style clapboard building with multiple additions and set. A two-story, brown-painted, late Georgian-style clapboard building with yellow trim set nearly on the street. A window with small, square panes looking out to a small yard and the street. A canopy bed with red and gold paisley curtains

The set of guided tours, led by an experienced guide, gave new insights on the Revolutionary War from the perspective of New Hampshire residents. While the textbooks often privilege the views of colonists from Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, all thirteen colonies contributed to the war and founding a new country. This museum is especially rich in primary resources. It holds one of twenty-six remaining Dunlap Broadsides, “the first official printing of the Declaration of Independence”. The document was discovered in the attic during renovations in 1985. A replica of this original copy (try parsing that out slowly), is on display at the Ladd-Gilman House. Additionally, the museum displays early versions of the Constitution annotated by General Folsom.

A small wooden loom, about four inches by eight inches, with two plastic shaft frames, one red and one cyan A stone doorstop carved to look like a man winking with the number 1776 beneath the head. A family tree of the Gilman family, along with a diagram showing the expansion of the house. A white sign with black text explaining how the United States Constitution was written, and how Nicholas Gilman was involved. The first page of a draft of the United States Constitution, with annotations by Nicholas Gilman. The full draft and a final copy of the United States Constitution, seen in a wooden case with plexiglass sides.

The museum is open May through November on Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Cost of admission is $8 for adults; $6 for seniors, students, educators, and first responders; $4 for children ages 6 through 18, and free for children under 6, military and veterans, museum members, library pass holders, NEMA members (like me!), and time travelers (as promised by their website). Like many historic houses, the buildings are not wheelchair accessible and may prove difficult to navigate for people with mobility issues. Tours of Ladd-Gilman House are guided at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., with plenty of signage for a self-guided tour. Folsom Tavern is only open to guided tours at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. This experience is billed as their “immersive, sensory-friendly tour”, as the tavern has a space for relaxation, playing with historical toys, and reading children’s books on early American history. Overall, this is a great opportunity for local families to introduce children to the American Revolutionary War, and a chance for history buffs to view rare documents related to the founding of the United States.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 7/10

Accessibility: 8/10



Location: 1 Governors Ln, Exeter, NH 03833, USA