New Hampton Historical Society presents ‘Redcoats & Rebels’ Oct. 20

NEW HAMPTON — New Hampshire often gets overlooked in the narrative of the American Revolution, overshadowed by its noisy neighbor to the south. The New Hampton Historical Society will present the program, "Redcoats & Rebels: New Hampshire and the American Revolution," on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 7 p.m., at the Gordon-Nash Library, at 69 Main Street in New Hampton, to discuss the topic.

Nowadays, few people know about Paul Revere’s first ride, which was to Portsmouth in December 1774 to warn the patriots that the British were coming to reinforce Fort William and Mary, five months before the Redcoats marched on Concord and Lexington. Nor do they know that two-thirds of the troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill were from New Hampshire. Most people are also unaware that New Hampshire’s Provincial Congress adopted the first state constitution in January 1776, making no mention of royal authority and essentially declaring independence from Great Britain six months before anyone else. And this is just the beginning of New Hampshire’s revolutionary story.

A staff member at the New Hampshire Historical Society, presenter Mary Adams, has always loved surrounding herself with history. She has developed a number of programs for the historical society, presented the Granite State Stories in 2023 and 2024, and narrates many of the society’s video productions. In addition to her work at the New Hampshire Historical Society, Adams serves as operations manager for the Pursuit of History Weekends, where she coordinates specially curated experiences aimed at inspiring broader public engagement with history.

This program is made possible by New Hampshire Humanities and is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, visit newhamptonhistory.org.