Museums and Galleries in Exeter, NH: History, Craft and Contemporary Art

Exeter is a small town with an outsized amount of history packed into a walkable downtown. It was one of the four original townships of New Hampshire, it served as the state's capital during the American Revolution, and it is home to Phillips Exeter Academy. That history shows up in its museums, but the town also has a lively present-day art scene: a nonprofit craft gallery that has been running for six decades, a street-side building full of working studios, and an illustrator who makes and ships her work from a Water Street storefront. This guide covers the museums in Exeter NH and the galleries worth pairing with them on a day out.

Exeter at a glance

Exeter sits in Rockingham County on the Seacoast, at the point where the Exeter River becomes the tidal Squamscott River. The 2020 census counted 16,049 residents. The Abenaki name for the place, recorded as "M'Squamskook," is usually translated as "falls at the place of the salmon," and the falls are still the natural center of town.

John Wheelwright, a clergyman exiled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, bought the land and founded the town in 1638, naming it after Exeter in Devon, England. The next year, 35 freemen signed the Exeter Combination, a document setting up their own government. Exeter was later the county seat until 1997.

Front Street and Water Street hold most of the places in this guide, a few minutes' walk apart.

The Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern

The anchor of any museum day in Exeter is the campus long known as the American Independence Museum. It now operates under the name American Independence Center, and its old web address forwards to the new one. The campus covers about an acre at 1 Governors Lane and includes two historic buildings.

The Ladd-Gilman House was built in 1721 by Nathaniel Ladd and is a registered National Historic Landmark. It was the home of the Gilman family, merchants whose members played central roles in the founding of the country. Nicholas Gilman Sr. was the state treasurer during the Revolution, when the capital moved from Portsmouth to Exeter. His eldest son, John Taylor Gilman, read the Declaration of Independence to the people of Exeter in 1776 and later served as governor for 14 terms. Another son, Nicholas Gilman Jr., served in the Continental Army and signed the U.S. Constitution. Seven rooms of the house are open for tours.

The Folsom Tavern was built in 1775 by Colonel Samuel Folsom, at a time when Exeter was the capital. It was a center of political debate during the war, the New Hampshire chapter of the Society of the Cincinnati was formed there in 1783, and George Washington stopped there on November 4, 1789, during his tour of the states. The tavern was moved to the Ladd-Gilman property in 1929.

The museum's best-known object is a Dunlap Broadside, one of the rare first printings of the Declaration of Independence. It was found in the Ladd-Gilman House in 1985, and the museum opened in 1991 to share it. The museum's collection focuses on the Revolutionary era and on Exeter's role in forming the new nation.

Visiting tips. Tours are seasonal, so check the center's website before you go. Its homepage lists a tour information line and an email address for questions. The center has adopted "We Are One" as its motto for the years leading up to the nation's 250th anniversary, so programming around that theme is likely to continue.

Exeter Fine Crafts

Exeter Fine Crafts, at 61 Water Street, is a community-based nonprofit dedicated to keeping traditional arts and fine craft part of local culture. Its retail gallery is the heart of the organization, showing handmade work by craftspeople from northern New England, and the same building has classrooms where working makers teach.

The gallery has been around for 60 years. Its website says it is celebrating "sixty years of celebrating everyone who makes, learns and loves fine craft," which makes it one of the longest-running craft organizations on the Seacoast.

What makes it worth a stop:

• The work is handmade and regional. The gallery showcases northern New England artisans, and the site regularly spotlights individual makers, such as a potter who hand carves relief patterns into her pieces.
• You can learn, not just look. Classes in wheel throwing, hand building, felting, paper marbling and more are taught by working craftspeople in the Water Street studios, and the site notes that no experience is needed.
• It doubles as a gift shop. Because it is a retail gallery, it is an easy place to find a piece to take home that was actually made in the region.

Exeter Fine Crafts is a 501(c)(3), so purchases and class fees support its educational mission.

Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery

On the west side of downtown, Art Up Front Street at 120 Front Street combines a contemporary street-side gallery with five working artist studios. The gallery describes itself as about 2,000 square feet and "much larger than we look," and it offers free parking, which is worth knowing in a downtown where parking can be tight.

The work on view spans paintings, metal assemblage, illustration, mixed media, watercolor, gouache and prints, along with cards. Pieces range from large canvases for big walls to small works for tight spaces, and art on exhibit is for sale.

The appeal here is the mix of finished work and working studios. Check the gallery's site for current exhibits and open days before you make a special trip.

Art by Alyssa on Water Street

Art by Alyssa is the studio and showroom of illustrator Alyssa Watters, at 154 Water Street. The work is bright, illustrated and very much rooted in New England, and it shows up on paintings, prints, cards, calendars, coasters, trivets, tea towels, ornaments and other gifts.

The studio's site explains that everything is created and shipped from the downtown Exeter space, and that the products are sold wholesale to shops across the country. Visiting the storefront lets you see the original paintings alongside the printed goods.

Phillips Exeter Academy and its landmark library

Phillips Exeter Academy is a large part of the town's identity. It was founded in 1781 by John and Elizabeth Phillips and is the sixth-oldest boarding school in the United States. The Gilman family donated much of the land the campus stands on, which ties the academy back to the Ladd-Gilman House.

The academy's library is an architectural landmark in its own right. Designed by Louis Kahn and opened in 1971, it is the largest secondary school library in the world, with 160,000 volumes over nine levels. In 1997 it received the Twenty-five Year Award from the American Institute of Architects, which honors buildings of lasting significance. Kahn organized it in three concentric square rings, with a central atrium whose huge circular openings reveal the book stacks floor by floor.

This is a working school, not a public museum, so be respectful of campus life, and check the academy's own visitor information before planning to go inside any building. Even from the outside, the brick library is worth seeing if you care about architecture.

A suggested museum walk

Here is an easy half-day plan that keeps the walking short:

1. Start at the American Independence Center on Governors Lane for the Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern. Allow the most time here.

2. Walk to Water Street for Exeter Fine Crafts at number 61, then continue along the street to Art by Alyssa at 154.

3. Head west on Front Street to Art Up Front Street at 120 Front Street for contemporary work and open studios.

4. Finish with a look at the academy campus, including the exterior of the Kahn library.

If you want to add a meal, our Exeter restaurants guide covers downtown dining.

Planning tips for a September visit

• Check open days. Small galleries and seasonal museums keep limited schedules, and hours change. Confirm on each website the week you go.
• Walk, don't drive between stops. Downtown is compact. Park once and explore on foot.
• Think about gifts. Both Exeter Fine Crafts and Art by Alyssa are good places to find locally made gifts, and early fall is a sensible time to get ahead of the holidays.
• Respect the campus. Phillips Exeter is a school in session in September. Keep visits low-key.

FAQ

What museums are in Exeter, NH?

The main history museum is the campus long known as the American Independence Museum, now the American Independence Center, which includes the Ladd-Gilman House and the Folsom Tavern. Exeter also has nonprofit and independent galleries, including Exeter Fine Crafts and Art Up Front Street.

What is the Dunlap Broadside in Exeter?

It is a rare first printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was found in the Ladd-Gilman House in 1985 and is the centerpiece of the museum's collection.

Did George Washington visit Exeter?

Yes. He stopped at the Folsom Tavern on November 4, 1789, during his tour of the states.

Can you visit the Phillips Exeter Academy library?

It is part of a working school. Check the academy's visitor information before planning a visit inside. The exterior is easy to see from campus walkways.

Is Exeter walkable?

Yes. The museums and galleries in this guide are clustered downtown along Front Street, Water Street and Governors Lane.

Sources

• Exeter, New Hampshire, Wikipedia (2020 population, founding, Exeter Combination, county seat, Abenaki name): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter,_New_Hampshire
• American Independence Museum, Wikipedia (Ladd-Gilman House, Folsom Tavern, Dunlap Broadside, Washington visit): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Independence_Museum
• American Independence Center, official site (current name, address, "We Are One" motto): https://www.aicnh.org/
• Exeter Fine Crafts, official site (nonprofit mission, 60 years, classes, address): https://www.exeterfinecrafts.org/
• Art Up Front Street Studios and Gallery, official site (five studios, 2,000 square feet, media, free parking): https://www.artupfrontstreet.com/
• Art by Alyssa, official site (Water Street studio, products, wholesale): https://alyssawatters.com/
• Phillips Exeter Academy, Wikipedia (founding, sixth-oldest boarding school, Gilman land): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Exeter_Academy
• Phillips Exeter Academy Library, Wikipedia (Louis Kahn, 1971, 160,000 volumes, AIA award): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phillips_Exeter_Academy_Library