Fraunces Tavern was a witness to history throughout the Revolutionary War Era. Among the many historic events that took place there, Fraunces Tavern served as a meeting place for the Sons of Liberty, a site for trials that were part of a process that led to the emancipation of thousands of Black Loyalists, and the setting for Washington’s farewell to his officers. Two hundred fifty years later, Fraunces Tavern Museum will honor this history with a new special exhibition: Path to Liberty: The Emergence of a Nation. Commemorating the United States Semiquincentennial, Path to Liberty will be a chronological, multi-year exhibition telling the history of the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783, with a distinctive focus on what occurred in New York State and the surrounding areas.

 “Path to Liberty,” Craig Hamilton Weaver, co-chairman of the SRNY Museum & Art Committee, observes “will be all the more exceptional because the visitor will learn about the conflict in a unique setting where Revolutionary War events actually happened. Indeed, the roof of Fraunces Tavern, Manhattan’s oldest building, was hit by a cannonball during the Revolutionary War.”

Opening to the public on April 22, 2025, the first segment of the exhibition will focus on the years 1775 to 1776. Personal letters, artifacts, and works of art from the Museum’s permanent collection will paint a picture of the Revolutionary War’s early defining moments, such as the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Declaration of Independence. This first segment will have a particular focus on the Battle for New York, including the Battle of Long Island, the Battle of Harlem Heights, and the Battle of White Plains.

Through Path to Liberty, visitors to Fraunces Tavern Museum will be able to learn the stories of everyday people fighting for their beliefs. A letter from Nathan Hale to his brother Enoch, his last known letter before the British hanged Hale as a spy, will offer visitors perspective into a man willing to give his life for his country. Mrs. Murray Entertaining the British Officers, thereby Saving General Putnam’s Army, 1776 by John Ward Dunsmore, will demonstrate to visitors the role of a New York woman in helping to win the Revolution. A letter from quartermaster Sidney Berry to his wife after the Battle of Trenton, providing a transition into the next stage of the exhibition, will allow visitors insight into how soldiers communicated home.

Treasures from throughout the Museum’s 8,000-piece collection will be featured in the multi-year exhibition. This includes a number of recently conserved pieces, such as a John Mackie Falconer painting of the house in which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Henry Hintermeister painting Retreat to Victory, depicting Washington supervising the evacuation of troops from Brooklyn following the Battle of Long Island. The exhibition will also feature three-dimensional objects, such as a piece of the original wrought iron fence placed around Bowling Green, where a statue of King George III was toppled following a reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Path to Liberty: The Emergence of a Nation begins Fraunces Tavern Museum’s Liberty 250 celebrations, a series of 250th-related programming and events, including a lecture series coinciding with key events featured in the exhibition.

Painting conservation for Path to Liberty: The Emergence of a Nation has been supported by an Americana Corner Preserving America Grant and a Greater Hudson Heritage Network Conservation Treatment Grant.

SEE THE EXHIBITION: Included in regular admission price. Become a Museum Member and visit this exhibition for free!

PRESS: Download the press release here.