Join us for an open house at the Museum of Old Newbury as part of Trails and Sails. See our two new exhibitions, Space, Light, and Ornament: Early Meetinghouses of Old Newbury and A Call to Arms: Newburyport Defends the Nation.

Space, Light, and Ornament focuses on Old Newbury’s early meetinghouses, which were essential to the civic and spiritual lives of the local community. A rare 18th century weathervane from Newburyport's First Religious Society is the centerpiece of this exhibition. The gilded rooster was made by Shem Drowne, the first maker of weathervanes in America, and sat atop the local meetinghouse for over 200 years.

A Call to Arms explores Newburyport's vital role in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The exhibit highlights the many ways in which soldiers and homefront citizens fought for causes they held dear during some of the most volatile times in the nation's history. The exhibition includes a death mask of William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist and Newburyport native. This exhibition is funded in part by a grant from Essex National Heritage.

A Call to Arms

Space, Light, and Ornament