KEENE, NH — The Historical Society of Cheshire County is proud to announce Beyond the Battlefield: Cheshire County in the Revolutionary Period, a major exhibit opening on April 15, 2026, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American Independence. The exhibit will explore a range of Revolutionary-era experiences in the Monadnock Region — soldiers who marched to Bunker Hill, neighbors who refused loyalty oaths,  women who stood their ground in the face of hardship, and enslaved men who fought for a freedom they had not yet been granted.

Anchored by the Association Test of 1776 — New Hampshire’s demand that residents publicly declare their loyalty to the Patriot cause — the exhibit uses this historic document as a lens through which to examine the real lives of Cheshire County people during one of the most consequential periods in American history. Who signed it? Who refused? And who was never asked?

“Cheshire County’s experience with the American Revolution was not a simple story of unified patriotic fervor. It was a story of neighbors who disagreed, families divided, and individuals facing impossible choices about loyalty, conscience, and survival. Beyond the Battlefield brings those real people back to life — not as symbols, but as the complex individuals they were.”

— Jennifer Carroll, Executive Director, Historical Society of Cheshire County

The exhibit features life-size silhouette figures representing a diverse cast of documented Cheshire County residents, including Colonel Enoch Hale of Rindge, who served as both a military commander and High Sheriff of Cheshire County; Tobias Cutler, an enslaved man who earned his freedom by enlisting with Colonel George Reid’s 2nd New Hampshire Regiment; Abigail Hale, the frontier widow managing her farm alone while the men of her community were away at war; and Samuel King of Chesterfield, who twice refused to sign the Association Test and led his town’s controversial vote to secede from New Hampshire and join Vermont.

The Monadnock Region in the 1770s was still considered the frontier of New England, its communities recently settled compared to the long-established towns along the seacoast.  The exhibit examines how this frontier context shaped the region’s response to the Revolution — and how the post-war years brought their own upheaval, including Cheshire County’s central role in the Vermont Controversy of 1781–1782, which drew responses from President George Washington and the Continental Congress.

An interactive component will allow visitors to take a card representing a real Cheshire County resident and decide for themselves whether they would have signed the Association Test — and why. The exhibit is designed to engage both Revolutionary War enthusiasts and visitors new to the topic, sparking conversations about loyalty, community, and the meaning of independence.

Beyond the Battlefield opens with a reception on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 4 pm to 6 pm and remains free to the public, during regular business hours, through July at the Historical Society’s Putnam exhibit gallery, 246 Main Street, Keene, NH.  

The exhibit is underwritten by Fenton Family Dealerships and the Putnam Foundation with additional support from Mascoma Bank, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Ingram Construction, Harrisville Designs, and Douglas Toys.  Community partners include Mt. Caesar Union Library and the city of Keene’s Monadnock 250 organizers.

About the Historical Society of Cheshire County

The Historical Society of Cheshire County is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of Cheshire County, New Hampshire. Located at 246 Main Street in Keene, the Society maintains archives, artifacts, and programs that connect residents and visitors to the region’s rich past. For more information, visit www.hsccnh.org.

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