New Exhibit Opening!

Join us, beginning July 7, to see our new exhibition: “Democracy 250: Making Each Vote Count.”

Beginning Tuesday, July 7, through the end of 2026

Tuesdays, 10 AM to 3 PM Thursdays, 10 AM to 3 PM Saturdays, 11 AM to 3 PM

About the Exhibition: Curated by Middletown’s Municipal Historian, Deborah Shapiro, this exhibition tells captivating stories of Middletown men and women. Coming from many backgrounds—including Native American, African American, and immigrant—these local heroes have championed the ideals of the American Revolution from 1776 to today: ideals of liberty and equality that the country continues to struggle to uphold.

The array of remarkable people who have called Middletown home, some well-known and others unsung, is astonishing. Some gained fame in their own lifetimes, like the War of 1812 hero Thomas Macdonough—the namesake of Macdonough School—and the Civil War hero Joseph K. F. Mansfield. But others, like members of the Beman family, free Black abolitionists and equal-rights advocates, and Mrs. Clara Palmer, a woman of color and Wangunk descendant who successfully fought employment discrimination in Middletown during World War II, are celebrated in this exhibition for their largely unrecognized contributions.

The inspiring stories in this exhibition remind us that the American Revolution was only a beginning. Subsequent generations of Americans from every walk of life—soldiers, suffragists, abolitionists, politicians, teachers, and many other ordinary heroes—have fought to extend and protect freedom for all Americans.