40 Acres and the American Revolution

The Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum presents “Forty Acres & The American Revolution; Stories of Independence & Servitude.” A public talk, it features three leading scholars.

• Friederike Baer, a historian of 18th-century Hessian soldiers,
• Marge Bruchac, a scholar of local Indigenous histories, and
• Charmaine Nelson, director of the Slavery North project at the University of Massachusetts.

Together, these scholars expand the narrative of the American Revolution and the many folks who lived and worked at Forty Acres during the Revolutionary Era. They include enslaved, indentured and free persons. The talks will be held in the Museum’s Corn Barn on Sunday, June 29th at 2 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Forty Acres & The American Revolution

The accompanying exhibit, Forty Acres & The American Revolution; Stories of Independence & Servitude, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the American revolution. it shares new research on the lives and labor rooted in Hadley, Mass., through the Revolutionary Era.

This exhibit connects those that were enslaved or indentured at Forty Acres to Fort Ticonderoga, the Green Mountain Boys, the Scottish Highlands, Prussia and beyond, widening our view of the Revolutionary battlefield. The exhibit is free, and open to the public Saturday to Wednesday 1p.m.-4 p.m. through October 2025.

Porter-Phelps-Huntington Foundation

The Porter- Phelps-Huntington Foundation shares the heritage and life-stories of the place known as ‘Forty Acres and its Skirts.’ The Foundation interprets the diverse histories that contribute to who we are today, and who we can be in the future.

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Learn more Revolutionary history in this complete guide to Revolutionary War Sites in New England. Brought to you by the New England Historical Society. Click here to order your copy in paperback, here to order an ebook.