PORTSMOUTH— Strawbery Banke Museum welcomed educators from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, to Portsmouth on Saturday, Aug. 8, for Feast of Reason, an evening of history, conversation, and civic dialogue.

Inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s legendary dinner parties, the sold-out program brought together educators from two historic sites to consider how museums and historic places can help audiences engage with the ideas, debates, and contradictions of the American Revolution and explore their continued relevance today.

Steve Light, vice president of Education & Guest Experience at Monticello, and Brandon Dillard, director of Historic Interpretation & Audience Engagement, led the evening’s opening program in Strawbery Banke’s Lawrence J. Yerdon Visitors Center. Their conversation explored the relationship between history and civics and the responsibility of history organizations to create opportunities for thoughtful civic engagement.

“Collaborating with colleagues from Monticello gave us an extraordinary opportunity to connect the history preserved here in Portsmouth with the larger national story,” said Linnea Grim, president and CEO, Thomas W. Haas Endowed Chair of Strawbery Banke Museum. “As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, historic sites have an important role to play not only in sharing what happened in the past, but in creating space for people to wrestle with the ideas and questions that continue to shape our civic life.”

Following the program, guests gathered in Strawbery Banke’s circa 1766 William  Pitt Tavern for dinner catered by Liberty Lane Catering and facilitated small-group conversations. Participants discussed Revolutionary-era ideals, debates, and questions and considered how those themes continue to resonate nearly 250 years later.

The collaboration reflects Strawbery Banke Museum’s broader commitment to using its historic houses, collections, landscapes, and stories to connect local history with national conversations surrounding the United States Semiquincentennial.

About Strawbery Banke Museum

Strawbery Banke Museum, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a nearly 10-acre history museum in downtown Portsmouth, NH, interpreting over 350 years of history—from Indigenous peoples to the present day. The Museum features historic houses on their original sites, heirloom gardens, traditional crafts, and costumed roleplayers sharing stories of Puddle Dock residents. Strawbery Banke welcomes visitors, members, schoolchildren, and volunteers year-round for daily programs, exhibits, skating, and signature events.