‘Liberty Celebration’ July 4 at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
This Fourth of July, take in Liberty Celebration and salute the 247th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown offers a special lineup July 4 to mark the patriotic occasion.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., visitors can enjoy interpretive programs, artillery demonstrations and learn about the challenges that faced our nation’s founders, including those who signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as those for whom the new nation’s rights of freedom and liberty did not yet apply.
Schedule of events for July 4th at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
| LIBERTY CELEBRATION 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Location | Program |
| All Day | Main Theater & Museum Galleries | Liberty Experiences Catch “Liberty Fever” – the museum’s award-winning introductory film, shown throughout the day in the main theater and share your thoughts on liberty by adding them to the “Liberty Tree,” an interactive 17-foot sculptural tree, rooted in the museum galleries. |
| All Day | Continental Army Encampment | Battle of the Capes Discover the contributions of free and enslaved pilots during what is considered the most significant naval battle in American history. |
| 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Dyeing for the Cause Making and dyeing homespun textiles became both a necessity and a political statement of patriotism during the war. Learn about natural dyes and see what beautiful colors could be produced from available materials. |
| 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Cooking at the Quarters Discover what foods were prepared and eaten by enslaved people on a middling farm. What aspects of traditional West Central African cooking were they able to continue in Virginia, and how did they supplement their diets in their limited free time? |
| 10 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. | Education Center Classrooms B&C | The Road to Independence and Liberty in America Join guest historian J. Michael Moore as he explores the history of the American colonies from the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 until the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. |
| 11 a.m., 1, & 3:30 p.m. | Continental Army Encampment | Artillery Demonstration Be part of an 18th-century artillery crew and get your first lesson in the loading of an artillery piece. Then, cover your ears as the Continental Army crew fires a salute to our nation’s founders. |
| 11:15 a.m. & 2:45 p.m. | Gallery Entrance | Gallery Tour: America, 1776! Join historian J. Michael Moore as he takes museum guests through the exhibits that focus on the colonists’ reaction to King George’s taxes and proclamations that led to all thirteen colonies declaring independence on July 4, 1776. |
| 11:30 a.m. | Continental Army Encampment | Fifes and Drums of York Town Enjoy the martial music of the 18th century. |
| 12 p.m. | Main Theater | Meet John Rollison and his Descendant Actor James Cameron portrays 18th-century York County, Virginia resident John Rollison, a property-owning free man of color and his experiences during the American Revolution. Cameron breaks character to introduce Rollison’s 21st-century descendant Helen Casey-Rutland. Together they explore what it is like to come face-to-face with an ancestor through living-history character portrayal. |
| 12:30, 2:15 & 4 p.m. | Education Center | The Great American 4th of July Sing-along! Join in as the Cigar Box String Band performs songs from American history that everyone knows by heart. Played on the fiddle, banjo and bones! |
Continental Army encampment
Historical interpreters describe and depict daily routines of American soldiers, with demonstrations of musket and artillery firing, 18th-century surgical and medical practices, and the role of the quartermaster in managing troop supplies. In the artillery amphitheater, feel the thunder of a cannon blast as historical interpreters fire a salute to our nation’s founders during artillery demonstrations throughout the day, weather permitting.
Revolution-era farm life
Discover the variety of activities that would have been part of daily life on the farm for both middling farmers and enslaved people, including cooking, gardening, basket-weaving and pastimes.
Visitors can learn how families were fed during the disruption of the Revolutionary War. Special programs at the quarters for enslaved people will illustrate what foods were eaten and how they were prepared and preserved. (Food preparation is for demonstration purposes only.)
Special event funded in part by the York County Arts Commission and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Annual Fund.
Indoors and out, enjoy these liberty experiences:
- See a rare July 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence that was duplicated on a large scale to spread the word of liberty from town to town. The broadside is featured in an immersive gallery exhibit surrounded by signatures of this famous document’s signers.
- Catch “Liberty Fever” – the museum’s introductory film, shown throughout the day in the main theater.
- Take part in patriotic programming in outdoor re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.
- Enjoy one of six 30-minute indoor presentations on the events that led to the Declaration of Independence and the people inspired by its message.
- Share your thoughts on liberty by adding them to the “Liberty Tree,” an interactive 17-foot sculptural tree, rooted in the museum galleries.
For more July 4th Events in the area visit here
Admission
Residents of York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive complimentary admission with proof of residency.
“Liberty Celebration,” supported in part by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Annual Fund, is included with museum admission: $18 for adults, $9 for youth ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5. A value-priced combination ticket with Jamestown Settlement, a living-history museum of 17th-century Virginia, is $30 for adults and $15 for ages 6-12.
