Supporting scholarship and promoting popular understanding of the American Revolution is central to the work of the American Revolution Institute. The Institute welcomes distinguished scholars and authors to share their insights and discuss their latest research with the public at Anderson House through lectures, author's talks and panel discussions. The Institute also hosts a variety of other historical programs throughout the year, including our Lunch Bite object talks, battlefield tours, special Anderson House tour programs and other events. Many of the events we offer are free.
February 2025
Lunch Bite—The Orderly Book of Edmund Bancroft from September-December 1775
The Institute’s library director, Thomas Lannon, discusses the orderly book of Edmund Bancroft. Initially a non-commissioned officer in Col. William Prescott’s Regiment from May-December 1775, Edmund Bancroft was likely a participant at the Battle of Bunker Hill before becoming an ensign in the Seventh Continental Infantry in 1776. He eventually became a first lieutenant in the Fifteenth Massachusetts Regiment before dying in service. Although his orderly book was not kept during a period of concentrated military action, Bancroft made record…
Find out more »March 2025
Author’s Talk—Threshold to Valley Forge: The Six Days of the Gulph Mills Encampment
Between December 12–19, 1777, Gen. George Washington and his Continental Army encamped in the towering hills of Gulph Mills, Pennsylvania, fifteen miles from Philadelphia. Known as the threshold to Valley Forge, the Gulph Mills Encampment is often forgotten or minimized, falling between the more famous military engagements of the Philadelphia Campaign and the well-known experience of the army at Valley Forge. Yet, the Gulph Mills Encampment was a pivotal microcosm of the Revolutionary War and the issues that confronted the…
Find out more »Special Opening Reception — Revolutionary Beginnings: War and Remembrance in the First Year of America’s Fight for Independence
Join us for a reception celebrating the opening our new exhibition, Revolutionary Beginnings: War and Remembrance in the First Year of America's Fight for Independence. The War for American Independence began on April 19, 1775 — 250 years ago this spring — with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. These initial engagements gave way to the Patriots’ Siege of Boston, a nearly year-long effort to drive the British from the city. But the fighting during the first year…
Find out more »Lecture—The Cutting Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in the American Revolution
Historian Wayne E. Lee of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill discusses Indigenous warfare before and during the American Revolution. Throughout the Revolution, Indigenous warriors sought to surprise their targets, and the size of the target varied with the size of the attacking force. A small war party might "cut off" individuals getting water or wood or out hunting, while a larger party might attempt to attack a whole town. Once revealed by its attack, the invading war party…
Find out more »Art in Bloom DC 2025
Get Tickets Now Art in Bloom DC returns to Anderson House for a fifth time on March 20-23! This popular event fills our historic headquarters with more than thirty floral arrangements inspired by the art and architecture of Anderson House. Art in Bloom provides a unique opportunity in the nation’s capital to stroll through the museum at your own pace, viewing interpretations of specific artworks, furnishings and architectural details rendered in a floral medium by some of Washington’s most creative…
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