On Saturday, June 13 at 2:00 PM, the Ashby Historical Society will host Declaring Independence: Then & Now at the Ashby Congregational Church (21 New Ipswich Road) off the historic town common. Experience a thought-provoking performance in an intimate setting that invites reflection on independence, community, and shared responsibility.

Declaring Independence: Then & Now brings to life the Declaration of Independence as a forum for civic dialogue and engagement through a forty-minute performance and ensuing moderated community conversation. The script, written by public historian Mary B. Fuhrer, utilizes primary source material researched by citizen historians to reveal how individuals within Massachusetts towns debated and responded to the question of independence in the spring and summer of 1776, followed by an annotated reading of the Declaration itself.

In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, 15 community-hosted performances are scheduled across the Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area during the spring and summer of 2026. Find a performance near you!

Declaring Independence: Then & Now is supported, in part, by the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati