The Beaufort History Museum on downtown Beaufort’s Craven Street is planning three large events commemorating the upcoming 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution that will excite historians of all ages.
The first of the events at the History Museum will be part of a City-wide commemoration of the Marquis de Lafayette’s return to the United States 50 years after the successful Revolution ended. Lafayette was a hero of the American Revolution and the last surviving Major General of that war. Many believe our fledgling country would not have won the Revolution without him.
In cooperation with the Historic Beaufort Foundation, the City of Beaufort, and other history-based organizations, the Museum will sponsor a celebratory dance on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 to be held at the historic Beaufort Arsenal building on downtown’s Craven Street. A reception is planned in the courtyard, and there will be a period dance instructor on hand to provide attendees guidance in dances of that era. The city will provide the lights and sound and close Craven Street for the event, which will be hosted from 5:30 – 8:00pm. The dance instructor will be available to assist and encourage guests to engage in period dances set to period music. Refreshments, sandwiches and desserts will be served along with beer, wine, and soft drinks available.
Tickets to the event are only $40 each, and attendance is limited to 150 people. Tickets are expected to sell out, and it’s wise to purchase them as soon as they become available.
Guests at the event will also be encouraged to visit the Museum and a newly renovated room adjacent to the Museum on the second floor of the Arsenal. In this room, the Museum will showcase a circulating Lafayette exhibit that will draw visitors from throughout South Carolina and beyond.
The second historic commemoration is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Beaufort History Museum has received a grant from the South Carolina 250th Anniversary Commission to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
To heighten local interest in the American Revolution, the Museum will host a reenactment on March 21-22, 2025. The reenactment will be conducted by Southern Campaign 1780 from Camden, S.C. and will feature period-dressed reenactors to serve as Revolutionary War facilitators. This reenactment will be aimed at public school students in collaboration with the school system, and will be a hands-on experience, including:
An 18th Century Medicine demonstration by Dr. Tray Dunaway, M.D., FACS, which will guide participants through the role of an 18th Century physician, highlighting period medical practices and the fight against historical epidemics.
A Cannon and Ballistics Program, in which Warrior Brigade Commander Tom Oblak (retired U.S. Army Infantry Officer) and historian Robert Ryals will lead an interactive session on Revolutionary War ballistics. Participants can handle a real cannon and musket (weather permitting) and test their aim with a “hand cannon.”
The event will take place over two days, with the first day for all local fourth-grade students, and the second day open to the general public.
The third event will begin in February 2026, when the Museum will host an immersive theater unlike any exhibit in its history.
Tensions ran high between Patriots and Loyalists in the years leading up to war, with the future of a young America at stake. With funds provided by the grant, an immersive theater will dramatically highlight these tensions to give viewers a better understanding of our legacy of freedom.
To build the theater and the production, the Museum has retained Monadnock Media Inc. of Hatfield, MA, a firm with a well-deserved reputation for creating powerful, provocative exhibits for museums all over the U.S.
This will be a permanent exhibit, but its opening will be celebrated by several gala events – some just for children, some just for adults, and some for whole families.
More information will be provided as events unfold and the dates draw nearer.
