NASHVILLE, TN—The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area is the recipient of an Award of Excellence for Declaring Independence: Then & Now. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 74th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.

Offered in collaboration with the American Antiquarian Society and community partners, Declaring Independence: Then & Now is a thought-provoking, public-performance piece depicting how residents within what is now the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area debated whether to declare independence from Great Britain in the spring and summer of 1776.

Performed in historic venues, each performance is uniquely tailored to the community in which it occurs, using a script researched by citizen-historians under the guidance of public historian Mary Fuhrer. Performances are followed by community conversation with a goal to deepen civic engagement. The project is made possible with support from the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.

This year, AASLH is proud to confer fifty national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. Presentation of the awards will be made at a special banquet during the 2019 AASLH Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA, on Friday, August 30. The banquet is supported by a generous contribution from the History Channel.

The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203, or go to aaslh.org.

The American Association for State and Local History is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all people. AASLH publishes books, technical publications, a quarterly magazine, and maintains numerous affinity communities and committees serving a broad range of constituents across the historical community. The association also sponsors an annual meeting, regional and national training in-person workshops, and online training.

Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area is coordinated by the Freedom’s Way Heritage Association, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works in partnership with the National Park Service to promote the regional identity of 45 communities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Freedom’s Way connects the people, places and communities of the Heritage Area through preservation, conservation and educational initiatives to protect and promote our shared resources and to encourage residents and visitors to explore our landscape, history and culture.

The American Antiquarian Society is a learned society and a national research library housing the largest and most accessible collection of printed materials from the colonial period through 1876 in what is now the United States, Canada, and the West Indies. The Society sponsors a broad range of programs for constituencies ranging from school children and their teachers through undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, creative and performing artists and writers, and the general public.