The 2026 series will end on Sunday, July 12 at 1:30 PM at the Westford Museum (2 Boston Road), located within the original 1794 Westford Academy building. Enjoy an engaging performance hosted by the Westford Historical Society, followed by spirited period music provided by the Prescott Battalion Fife and Drum Corps.

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