Morven Museum & Garden will turn back the clock 250 years Saturday, Oct. 3, with Princeton 1776 Fest, an afternoon of Revolutionary-era demonstrations, music, activities and historical interpretation.
The event, scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. at Morven, 55 Stockton St., is presented in partnership with the Princeton Battlefield Society, Historical Society of Princeton and Princeton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Costumed soldiers, townspeople and historical figures will interact with visitors throughout the grounds, offering a glimpse of everyday life in Princeton during the American Revolution.
Visitors can play colonial lawn games, join soldiers singing tavern songs and meet interpreters portraying figures including Benjamin Franklin and Dr. Benjamin Rush, who served as surgeon general of the Continental Army.
Craft and cidermaking demonstrations, historic costumes and displays of period medical tools and apothecary supplies will also be featured.
Community organizations offering activities and displays include the Historical Society of Princeton, League of Women Voters of the Greater Princeton Area, Old Barracks Museum, Princeton Public Library, Rockingham State Historic Site, Sand Hill Historical Association, Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and West Windsor Historical Society.
The Princeton Battlefield Society will unveil a large diorama depicting the Battle of Princeton, George Washington’s January 1777 victory during the Revolutionary War. The Princeton DAR chapter will also present an exhibition examining the lives of Black soldiers who fought in New Jersey during the Revolution.
Live music will be performed throughout the afternoon by the Ragtime Relics, featuring American folk and bluegrass music, and John Burkhalter of the Practitioners of Musick, performing 18th- and 19th-century music.
Visitors are invited to bring blankets or chairs for the lawn. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from McCaffrey’s Food Markets, while Triumph Brewing Company will offer Ironbound Cider and Triumph ’76 Ale, a beer created for the event.
Morven’s museum will also be open from noon to 3 p.m. with half-price admission for Princeton 1776 Fest ticket holders. The museum is presenting “Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey,” an exhibition featuring more than 100 objects connected with the five New Jersey signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Advance admission to Princeton 1776 Fest is $10, with tickets costing $15 at the door. Admission is free for children 12 and younger and active-duty military members and veterans with identification.
In case of rain, the festival will be held Sunday, Oct. 4, from noon to 3 p.m. For more information or tickets, go to morven.org/events/princeton-1776-fest.
