Patriots Week
December 26 – 29, 2024
The Old Barracks Museum is open for tours December 26-29 from 10 AM – 5 PM.
Patriots Week is a celebration of Trenton’s revolutionary role in America’s history!
The full schedule will be available on patriotsweek.com
Below are the events hosted by the Old Barracks Museum
Friday, December 27
Museum open 10 AM – 5 PM
Admission – $10 adults, $8 students and seniors; free for children 5 and under and Active Duty Military
7 PM: Colonial Ball at the Masonic Temple across the street from the Old Barracks Museum
The Colonial Ball is your chance to mingle with the soldiers of the Battle of Trenton and learn their favorite dance steps! You’ll be whisked away into the past as you learn the dance steps from Sue Dupre while John Burkhalter, Timothy O’Connor, and Ridley and Anne Enslow perform music. Refreshments will be served. Advanced tickets required. Purchase Tickets Here
Saturday, December 28
Museum open 10 AM – 5 PM
Admission – $5 per person with unlimited reentry throughout the day; free for children 5 and under and Active Duty Military
11 AM: First Battle of Trenton Reenactment at the Battle of Trenton Monument
Meet at the Old Barracks Museum to see the troops rally before they march to the Battle of Trenton Monument at the top of Warren and Broad Streets. Experience the excitement of the Battle of Trenton live! Following the all-night crossing and nine-mile march from McKonkey’s Ferry with a sleet storm at their backs, Washington’s little army of 2,400 men and 18 cannons arrived in Trenton around 8 AM on the morning of December 26th, 1776. Generals Washington and Greene surrounded the northern part of town while General Sullivan struck the town along what is now West State Street, cutting off escape to the south over the Assunpink Creek. After a running street fight lasting little more than an hour, Hessian Colonel Rall and more than 90 of his men were dead and 900 of his 1,500-man garrison surrendered to Washington. The morning reenactment represents the fighting along King St. (today’s Warren St.) and the surrender of part of the Hessian garrison near today’s Mill Hill Park. This event is free to the public. Follow troops back to the Old Barracks Museum for “The Spoils of Victory” and a musket demonstration.
Following the First Battle Reenactment: “The Spoils of Victory” Follow the victorious Continental soldiers back to the Old Barracks Museum after the Battle to see them strip equipment, gear and souvenirs from captured Hessian soldiers, before crossing the Delaware back to Pennsylvania. Included in $5 admission.
12 PM: Puppet Show: The Trouble with Trenton at Warren Street Plaza
A mini historical look at some amazing American history presented with marionettes and rod puppets – and lots of help from the audience! The show includes live music, large puppets and props, and plenty of “revolting” action. Free.
2 PM: “Puppet Show: The Trouble with Trenton at Warren Street Plaza”
3 PM: Second Battle of Trenton Reenactment at Mill Hill Park
Having abandoned Trenton shortly after the battle on December 26, Washington re-crossed the Delaware River with a much larger army later in the week upon learning the British had not re-occupied Trenton. On the morning of January 2, 1777, he dispatched a small brigade up what is now Rt. 206 to reconnoiter toward Princeton. They were met by a very strong column of British, Hessians, and Highlanders under General Cornwallis and driven back along a bitterly contested, afternoon-long retreat into Trenton proper. The Second Battle of Trenton (or the Battle of the Assunpink) is reenacted in Mill Hill Park at 3 PM – witness the action live! Free.
