‘Liberty Celebration’ Drums Up Patriotic Fun July 4 at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
This Fourth of July holiday, salute the 248th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence during Liberty Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
On July 4, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, 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.
Here are a list of the Special Event Demonstrations going on for July 4th!
| LIBERTY CELEBRATION 2024 SPECIAL EVENT DEMONSTRATIONS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Approximate Time | Location | Description |
| 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Open Hearth Cooking See what’s cooking in the kitchen as the farmers prepare a variety of 18th-century dishes on the hearth, using historical recipes from Virginia’s earliest cookbooks. |
| 9 a.m. – 12 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. – 2 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Freedom for All? Enslaved Peoples Foodways Discover what foods were prepared and eaten by enslaved people on a middling farm. What aspects of traditional West African cooking were they able to continue in Virginia, and how did they supplement their diets in their limited free time? |
| 10 a.m. | Encampment Drill Field | Marching Drill Learn to march, then grab a wooden musket and fall in line as you begin your military career as a Continental soldier. |
| 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. | Education Classrooms B & C | Around the War in 30 Minutes Learn about the key events, battles and the leaders of the American Revolution, from proclamation to the Constitution, in a 30-minute presentation. |
| 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Education Classrooms D & E | A More Perfect Union Join us for a special art program (bring an old T-shirt to upcycle into art!) to examine our identity, understanding and relationship with the American Revolutionary era, learn about various constitutions throughout history and contemplate the work that is still to do to create a more perfect union for everyone. Learn more about this Civic Season event. |
| 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. | Continental Army Encampment | Artillery Demonstrations 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. (Weather permitting) |
| 11:30 a.m. | Continental Army Encampment | Fife and Drums of York Town Enjoy the martial music of the 18th century. |
| 12 & 4 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Militia Muster Do your civic duty! Join with other citizens and train to be part of the Virginia militia. |
| 12:30, 2:30 & 3:30 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. |
| 2 p.m. | Towne Bank Pavilion | Espionage With an army out-manned and out-supplied, how did Washington use espionage to win the Revolutionary War? |
Whether exploring the indoor galleries or outdoor living history, visitors can enjoy these Fourth of July experiences:
- Catch “Liberty Fever” – the museum’s award-winning introductory film, shown throughout the day in the main theater.
- Discover the powerful stories behind the Declaration of Independence in an immersive gallery exhibit surrounded by signatures of this historic document’s signers.
- Join in the “Great American 4th of July Sing-along” led by the Cigar Box String Band, playing songs from American history that everyone knows by heart at 12:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Enjoy songs played on the fiddle, banjo and bones.
- From artillery firings to cloth-dyeing demonstrations, take part in patriotic programming with historical interpreters in outdoor re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.
- Enjoy a performance by The Fifes and Drums of York Town at 11:30 a.m.
- Share your thoughts on liberty by adding them to the “Liberty Tree,” an interactive feature on a 17-foot sculptural tree, rooted in the museum galleries.
A full schedule of activities is available at jyfmuseums.org/
Living-History Experiences
Visitors can discover daily life for 18th-century soldiers and citizens caught up in the American Revolution in life-size re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.
At the Continental Army encampment, historical interpreters describe and depict daily routines and diverse roles of American soldiers, with demonstrations of flintlock musket and artillery firing, 18th-century surgical and medical practices, and the role of the quartermaster in managing troop supplies. Visitors can join an 18th-century artillery crew and then feel the thunder of a cannon blast as historical interpreters fire a salute to our nation’s founders during demonstrations at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., weather permitting.
At the re-created Revolution-era farm from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., visitors can learn how farmers during the Revolution became more self-sufficient by growing and processing flax, cotton and wool for homespun cloth, and how natural dyes were produced from available materials. Historical interpreters also will prepare a variety of 18th-century dishes, using historical recipes from Virginia’s earliest cookbooks, as well as foods of enslaved people and cultural influences on period dishes, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Civic Season Activities
As part of Civic Season, a national community engagement initiative through July 4, a variety of family friendly activities will be held at 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. to explore the founding documents, take part in art-making sessions and share perspectives on the meaning of individual liberty.
Admission to Liberty Celebration
“Liberty Celebration,” funded in part by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Annual Fund, is included with museum admission: $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and under. A value-priced combination ticket with Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia, is $34.00 for adults and $17.00 for ages 6-12. Residents of York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive complimentary admission with proof of residency. Tickets are available 
online or in person at both museums.
About the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown & Fourth of July in Historic Yorktown
A partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and located on 200 Water Street near the Colonial Parkway in Yorktown, tells the story of the nation’s founding, capturing the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today. The museum shop and café are open during museum hours.
Parking at the museum is free for museum visitors. On July 4, the Yorktown Trolley will offer free shuttle service to Historic Yorktown for its Fourth of July Celebrations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about “Liberty Celebration,” visit jyfmuseums.org/
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