upcoming EVENTS
All events are at the CHMM unless otherwise noted. Please check below for details.
PLEASE NOTE: The Custom House is a historic structure and is not handicap accessible. Most events take place on the second floor and there is no elevator in the building.
Interested in having your event at the Custom House? Schedule a free consultation
Saturdays | June 27 - September 5 | 9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Revolutionary Summer Saturdays
Revolutionary Summer Saturdays are back for the third year! Join us for free outdoor and indoor programming for kids ages 3 and up.
Nautical crafts, lawn games, a 20 foot inflatable pirate ship slide, giant bubbles, face painting, scavenger hunts, and more!
Sponsored in part by Newburyport Bank and the Arakelian Foundation.
Stay tuned for more information on Community Partners.
Please note: there will be no kids program on July 4th.
Thursdays | July 9, 16, 23 & August 13, 20, 27 | 5 pm
Port Preserved: How Newburyport was Saved from the Federal Bulldozer - A walking tour with John Macone
In the 1960s, Newburyport’s downtown was in crisis. After years of decay, economic depression and abandonment, a radical change was needed to revive the struggling city. Urban renewal – demolishing the old downtown and replacing it with a sprawling shopping center and spacious gas stations – was seen as the answer. Why didn’t it happen?
This walking tour tells the remarkable and inspiring story of how Newburyporters fought against the bulldozing of their historic downtown and saved it for future generations to cherish. The tour is presented by John Macone, former editor of the Newburyport Daily News and the editor and contributing writer of the book “Port in Progress,” a 2007 publication that chronicles Newburyport’s redevelopment.
Tours leave from the Custom House Maritime Museum at 25 Water Street in Newburyport. Rain dates are the following Friday.
Sundays | July 5 - September 6 | 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Music on the Promenade
Presented by the Custom House Maritime Museum, and in partnership with the Firehouse Center for the Arts, this free summer music series on the museum’s lawn begins July 5th and continues every Sunday from 4–6 p.m. through the end of August. Local musician John Tavano has assembled an outstanding lineup of musicians performing a wide range of genres, from “Songs of the Sea” and “Latin Jazz” to “Steel Drums” and contemporary favorites.
Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy music on the back lawn of the museum, just steps from the Merrimack River.
July 5: Stellwagen Acoustic Duo
July 12: Jack Garvey and Buzzard Bay Buccaneers
July 19: Bossa Jazz Trio: Bossa Nova and jazz blend
July 26: Chuck Walker Trio
August 2: EJO Wrecking Crew
August 9: Steel drums - Zach Field Studio
August 16: Grove Street
August 23: Ocaroline - Traditional 17th-century Irish music
August 30: Mark Young Acoustic Duo
September 6: Singer/Songwriter Ella Faria
Sunday, July 19 | 2 pm @ Market Square, Newburyport
Reading of the Declaration of Independence
July 19th marks the anniversary of the Declaration's arrival in Newburyport, where it was read to the public in Market Square. Join the Custom House, the Museum of Old Newbury, and other community partners for a public commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Newburyport's first reading of the Declaration of Independence, centered on a community reading in Market Square at 2 p.m., with music, reenactors, family-friendly activities, a waterfront salute by three historic vessels, and more.
Reading takes place at 2 pm in Market Square. Activities throughout the downtown take place from 10 am - 5 pm.
Includes: A community reading of the Declaration of Independence, Revolutionary soldiers, sailors, and colonial-era townspeople, ceremonial music and salutes, the arrival of the Schooner Ardelle, the Schooner Isabella, and the Pinnace Virginia, a replica of Maine's oldest ship, privateers on board, public access to all three vessels until 5:30 p.m., and activities for families. Sponsored in part by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
Sunday, July 19 | 6:30 pm | CHMM Back Lawn
Members: 250th Anniversary Celebration on the Waterfront
Museum Members: DECLARATION DAY concludes with an unforgettable evening on the waterfront. Enjoy exclusive access to 3 historic vessels, plus evening access to the Revolutionary Wars exhibits and artifacts. This is the last chance to enjoy the rare 1833 Declaration of Independence on loan from a private collector.
The Celebration includes festive 250th activities, live music from Bossa Jazz Trio and The Portermen, delicious food from Kefi Catering and a special dessert. Tickets are $30 for individuals and $50 for couples.
Presented by the Custom House Maritime Museum and the Museum of Old Newbury. Open to Members of each of the non-profits listed.
Thursday, July 30th | 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Rybacki Award Ceremony
To honor the memory of Admiral Richard I. Rybacki and his dedication to public and community service, the Rybacki family established the Admiral Richard I. Rybacki Award, to be presented annually to the crew member of Station Merrimack River who best exemplifies the spirit of respect, honor, and devotion to duty both in service to the Coast Guard and to the community in which they serve.
Friday, August 7 | 5:30 - reception, 6:30 - lecture
August First Friday - Charting the Voyages of Heirlooms: The Hunt for Relics of my Newburyport Seafaring Ancestors
NEXT IN THE FIRST FRIDAY LECTURE SERIES: Charting the Voyages of Heirlooms: The Hunt for Relics of my Newburyport Seafaring Ancestors presented by Dr. Timothy Kendall
Some of the objects in the Era of the Clipper Ships exhibition were donated by the speaker, a member of the Collections Committee of the CHMM. His maternal grandmother and her siblings were grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Newburyport sea captains William Graves, Sr. (1785-1851) and Jr. (1811-1877) and great nieces and nephews of three others.
As a child in the 1950’s, Tim would visit his Newburyport relatives and observe in their homes relics of these dimly remembered old sailors and their voyages. As he grew older, and as the old folks passed on, some of these things were inherited by descendants and went to new and faraway places, and, in the process, many disappeared. A very few he inherited himself.
Around 2005, Tim learned that the Graves family shipping records had miraculously survived. Tim (now in his eighties), has made it a project not only to try to reconstruct the lives of these men, their wives and families, but also to try to find and record some of their lost treasures by reaching out to distant cousins. His detective work has sometimes led to some wonderful discoveries, which he will describe. He had once thought of leaving his own family’s heirlooms to his children and grandchildren, but knowing that they would only again get scattered, he (and they) thought it best to keep them together and to donate them all to the CHMM, hoping that this might inspire others with similar things to do the same.
Pictured: Mary Pike Graves, wife of Capt. William Graves, Jr. - 1848
Thursday, Sept. 17 | 6:00 pm @ Ipswich Country Club
Seafaring Soiree Gala
The Custom House Maritime Museum's third fundraising gala returns this year, this time at the Ipswich Country Club. More information about auction items and ticketing coming soon.
The Masters Raffle is back! Purchase raffle tickets below to win coveted tickets to the Masters Golf Tournament.
Year-long programs brought to you, in part, by
