Programs & Events
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Architectural Walking Tours: Newburyport’s Fashionable Old Houses
Join us for walking tours of Newburyport’s architectural styles from the 18th and 19th centuries as found near the Museum of Old Newbury.
Architectural styles, like clothing, come into fashion for functional, aesthetic, economic and social reasons. Over time homeowners renovate, enhance, and adapt to reflect changing times and fashions.
Ramble Through the Revolution: Old Hill Burying Ground
Meet Revolutionary heroes, merchants, captains, and curious characters among Old Hill's remarkable stones and family tombs.
Oak Hill Cemetery: Artists, Painters, and Ancient Trees
Join author and historian Ghlee Woodworth for a tour of Oak Hill Cemetery to learn about various artists, painters, and some ancient trees!
Ablaze! A Fiery Walking History of Newburyport's Famous Conflagrations
Join Ghlee Woodworth for a walk through the history of the fires, famous and infamous, that shaped downtown Newburyport!
Cocktails in the Colonies: America's 250th Birthday at the Pearson Tavern
Come party with us at the Pearson Tavern, sip on cocktails, and enjoy a night to remember! This event is a fundraiser for the Museum!
Celebrate America’s 250th birthday in a house that was already old when independence was declared. This exclusive Museum of Old Newbury members-only evening at the privately owned Pearson Tavern brings together colonial cocktails, hearty food, live music, firelight, tavern tales, and a lively performance of An Evening at Pearson’s Tavern, featuring Jeremiah Pearson, local patriots, and a young Lord Timothy Dexter.
Newburyport’s Revolution: From High Street to the Waterfront
A walking tour starting from the 1808 Cushing House down State Street into the heart of Newburyport while learning about the Revolution.
Building the Community: Meet the Men and Women Who Saved Newburyport
Join author and historian Ghlee Woodworth for a tour of Oak Hill Cemetery, focusing on those who worked hard to sustain the community.
Down-along & The Ridge: High Street Tales Walking Tour
Walking tour of High Street, starting from 1808 Cushing House, discussing stories of local figures and the lives and homes they shaped.
Join noted author and historian Ghlee Woodworth for a walk through the contrasting worlds of Newburyport's waterfront neighborhoods, once known as "Down-along," and the prosperous heights of "The Ridge." Hear stories of merchants, inventors, and author, sea captains, civic leaders, and the homes and institutions they shaped. This tour explores how geography, work, wealth, and architecture created distinct communities within one city.
Minuteman, Masons, & Manuscripts: A Members-Only Revolutionary Sojourn
Step inside the Revolution for a day of rare manuscripts, private museum access, Masonic history, battlefield interpretation, and extraordinary archival treasures.
Museum of Old Newbury members only.
Newburyport 250 Declaration of Independence Day: The Die Is Cast
A public commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Newburyport's first reading of the Declaration of Independence, with readings, music, reenactors, family-friendly activities, a waterfront salute by two schooners, and more.
Newburyport’s Revolution: From High Street to the Waterfront
Follow Newburyport's road to revolution through merchant mansions, taverns, privateering, shipmasters, and Market Square.
Chasing Liberty: Black Newburyporters and Privateers in Highland Cemetery
Join Ghlee Woodworth for a walking tour focused on the memorials of Newburyport’s Black community and Revolutionary privateers.
Reading Frederick Douglass Together -July 5 - Newburyport
Join us for Newburyport's 9th annual community reading of Frederick Douglass's powerful speech, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"
An in-person community reading of Frederick Douglass's impassioned 1852 speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” will take place on Sunday, July 5, at 10am. Lend your voice to this powerful participatory event.
Ramble Through the Revolution: Old Hill Burying Ground
Meet Revolutionary heroes, merchants, captains, and curious characters among Old Hill's remarkable stones and family tombs.
47th Annual Old Newbury Garden Tour, June 13 & 14, 2026
Enjoy two days of exclusive access to stunning gardens in greater Newburyport and Amesbury.
The Museum of Old Newbury invites you to enjoy this year's Garden Tour on Saturday and Sunday, June 13 & 14, 2026 from 10am -4pm. This year's theme is 250 Years of Growth, an homage to the originality and innovation of American gardens, and our featured gardens in particular.
Newburyport's Road to Independence IV: The Revolutionary Homefront: New England Families and Women’s Lives in Turmoil
The Revolutionary Homefront: New England Families and Women’s Lives in Turmoil. This talk highlights New England women on the home front whose lives were suddenly or violently disrupted and who wrote about it.
A Revolutionary Tavern Night: Newburyport Toasts, Tunes, and Tales!
Songs, stories, theatrics, and an epic "crankie" panorama bring Newburyport’s Revolutionary taverns to life. Come raise a glass with us!
Revolutionary Privateers at Sea Symposium: Newburyport and the Wider World
Join experts from around the world for a one-day symposium on Revolutionary War privateers and Newburyport’s Atlantic impact!
Exclusive: 'In Search of Phillis Wheatley Peters' Director Talk & Screening
Explore the story of Phillis Wheatley Peters—her genius, her defiance, and the love that stood with her against extraordinary odds.
Newburyport's Road to Independence III: Loyalists, Prisoners, and the Homefront
Step into wartime Newburyport with Alex Cain as loyalists face persecution, prices soar, and fear hangs heavy as we move to independence.
Newburyport's Road to Independence, Part II: QUÉBEC 1775-1776: The Last Siege
Join us for the Canadian perspective on the Arnold Expedition and the last siege of Québec in 1775-1776.
Newburyport's Road to Independence, Part I: The Long, Dark Winter of 1776
Historian Alexander Cain returns to Newburyport to explore one of the most tense and transformative moments in American history.
Solstice in the Cemetery: Night Walk Through Oak Hill
Grab a flashlight and journey through time on a guided stroll around Oak Hill Cemetery on the longest night of the year!
Annual Garrison event to feature Globe columnist Renée Graham
The Friends of William Lloyd Garrison will host a conversation with Boston Globe columnist
Renée Graham entitled “To Resist is to Exist” on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.
Free and open to the public.
Holiday Party for Members - Enjoy Music, Punch, & Good Cheer on December 7!
Join your fellow members of the Museum of Old Newbury for a special evening in the decorated1808 Cushing House and c.1810 Carriage House.
Holidays at the Cushing House - 2025
An annual tradition! Come enjoy the 1808 Cushing House decorated for the season by local garden clubs and volunteers.
Holidays at the Cushing House - 2025
An annual tradition! Come enjoy the 1808 Cushing House decorated for the season by local garden clubs and volunteers.
Secure the Shadow: Spirit & Post-mortem Photography in the 19th Century
This All Hallows Day, explore post-mortem & spirit photography in the 19th century and beyond —plus dark beer, wine & cider donut tasting.
Memento Mori Tour: Oddities from Old Newbury on All Hallows Day
Step into the shadows on All Hallows Day—bones, hair jewelry & shipwreck relics await at MOON. Special tours at 11, 1 & 3.
Seasonal Saturdays!
New starting the fall of 2025, the Museum will be open most Saturdays (weather permitting). From 11:00am - 4:00pm (last tour at 3:00pm).
Architectural Walking Tours: Newburyport’s Fashionable Old Houses
Join us for walking tours of Newburyport’s architectural styles from the 18th and 19th centuries as found near the Cushing House.
The 1775 Quebec Expedition from Newburyport: Following Their Footsteps
Join Jack Santos as he recounts the stories of Newburyport’s patriots on this daring expedition through the wilderness!
Commemoration of the 1775 Quebec Expedition
September 19-21, 2025
Follow the footsteps of Revolutionary soldiers, research your Revolutionary roots, and tour historic sites
and burying grounds, join a voyage on the Merrimack River, and much more!
It's a Weekend Graves (Family) Digging Party!
We have thousands of letters from the Graves family from 1880-1940 to process. The hardest working interns around need your help!
The Miniature Painter Revealed: Amalia Kussner and the Gilded Age
Join us for a lecture by Kathleen Langone on Gilded Age miniaturist Amalia Kussner and her ties to Newburyport's Laura Coombs Hills!
New Acquisitions for Old Newbury: 2025 Member Reception and Annual Meeting
Join us for a celebration of the past year at the Museum of Old Newbury and be the first to "meet" new additions to the collection!