The Charleston Museum, located at 360 Meeting Street in downtown Charleston, invites residents and visitors to celebrate Independence Week through special America250 programs, family activities, guided tours and rare Revolutionary-era artifacts on display throughout the week of July 4th.
The Museum's nationally significant exhibition, Ringleaders of Rebellion: Charleston in Revolt, 1775-1783, provides a unique opportunity to explore Charleston's pivotal role in the American Revolution through artifacts, documents and personal stories from the era.
"Charleston was at the center of the struggle for American independence, and as America's First Museum, there is no better place to commemorate our nation's founding and the 250th anniversary of independence," said Carl Borick, Director of The Charleston Museum. “Whether you join us downtown at the Museum for the ‘Ringleaders of Rebellion’ exhibit, Kid Tours or Hands on History, or step back in time at the Heyward Washington House, visitors can experience the stories of the American Revolution where so much of that history unfolded.”
Special Independence Week programming includes:
- Kid Tours: Ringleaders of Rebellion – Interactive tours designed to introduce young visitors to Charleston's Revolutionary history (July 1, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m., free with museum admission).
- Rebels and Redcoats – A hands-on history program for adults exploring the experiences of soldiers and civilians during the American Revolution (July 1, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., tickets available here).
- Independence Celebration Family Fun Event at the Heyward-Washington House – Family-friendly activities and demonstrations commemorating the nation's founding (July 3, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., free with admission).
- Independence Day – The Charleston Museum and its historic houses will be open on July 4, welcoming visitors to explore Charleston's Revolutionary past. Explore the home of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and take the Revolutionary War audio tour (July 4, all day, last audio tour 4:15 p.m.).
- Family Revolutionary Sunday: Declaration – An interactive family program focused on the Declaration of Independence and its enduring significance. Revolutionary Sundays include a class or guided tour and a craft or activity. (July 5, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., free with museum admission).
Among the exhibition highlights currently on view are a rare Charleston printing of the Declaration of Independence, the HMS Bristol logbook documenting British military operations in Charleston Harbor, and the celebrated eighteenth-century Robe à la Française associated with Eliza Lucas Pinckney, one of South Carolina's most influential colonial figures.
For a complete schedule of Independence Week events and ticket information, visit CharlestonMuseum.org.