Hear more Community Spotlight listings at 15 and 45 past nearly every hour at 97.9 WHAV. To submit news of events, fundraising appeals and other announcements, click on the image. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Haverhill Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
The Haverhill Cultural Treasures, a group representing the city’s historic sites and museums, kicks off a “Months of Museums” next month with chances to win a gift.
Beginning Saturday, June 20, the historic 1697 Duston-Dustin Garrison House launches the celebration, in concert with the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, with colonial militia reenactments. It continues Tuesday, June 23, at Whittier Birthplace; Saturday, June 27, Museum of Printing; Sunday, June 28, Tattersall Farm; Saturday, July 11, Haverhill Firefighting Museum; Sunday, July 12, Hand Tub House; Wednesday, July 22, to Sunday, July 26, Buttonwoods Museum; and, throughout the month, selfie views of Winnekenni Castle.
Each treasure will be distributing their museum card and an envelope for visitors to collect cards. Those who collect all seven cards, include a selfie photograph at Winnekenni Castle, can receive a gift from the Cultural Treasures.
There will be readings of the Declaration of Independence throughout the city, with the first during Duston-Dustin Garrison House’s kickoff.
The Duston-Dustin Garrison House’s free 2026 Muster takes place Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 665 Hilldale Ave. It features colonial militia reenactments presented by Benjamin Church’s Company of Massachusetts, displays of early American artifacts from America’s Stonehenge, demonstrations by colonial craftspeople, exhibits of period items and historical displays and tours of the Garrison House.
Whittier Birthplace, where poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier was born, hosts Historic New England Curator of Collections Erica Lome for a lecture Tuesday, June 23, 6 p.m., in the Gus Reusch Welcome Center, 305 Whittier Road. Lome’s lecture, “Heirlooms of Tomorrow: Colonial Revival Furniture, 1890-1945” is part of Whittier Birthplace’s summer program series on the historic preservation movement.
Museum of Printing’s “Printing Created America” takes place Saturday, June 27, from 1-2 p.m., at 15 Thornton Ave. Using a replica of an English Common Press, courtesy of Gary Gregory, proprietor of the Printing Office of Edes & Gill, demonstrates how the printing press helped create America. Organizers explain it was the most lethal weapon of the American Revolution and not the musket or the cannon. Frank Romano tells the story. Registration is required here.
“Meet the Farmer” is free and planned for Sunday, June 28, from noon to 2 p.m., at Tattersall Farm, 542 N. Broadway. Tattersall’s resident farmer, Mark Cottrell, introduces his flock of sheep and answers questions, while educator trustee, Jeff Burton, discusses farming during the revolutionary years and the history of Tattersall Farm.
Visitors have a free opportunity to learn about “Haverhill’s Fire Society,” the earliest organized firefighters in Haverhill, and view artifacts Saturday, July 11, from noon to 4 p.m., at Haverhill Firefighting Museum, 75 Kenoza Ave.
An approximately one-hour tour of historic Rocks Village takes place Sunday, July 12, beginning at 1 p.m., starting at the Hand Tub House, 1 River Road, Haverhill, and continuing three to four stops. Tours focus on industry, houses and families in the village in the time frame of 1776 and beyond. Further information will include villagers who served in the Revolutionary War and who are buried in nearby Greenwood Cemetery. The tour ends at the Toll House Museum, which includes history of the people and industry of the village, including the bridge, throughout the ages. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.
“Stitching History Together: Reproduction Gown Event” takes place Wednesday, July 22, to Sunday, July 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Buttonwoods Museum, 240 Water St. A demonstration will reproduce an 18th-century gown, worn by Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams, America’s second president.