FRANKLIN — An exhibit at the Ashbel Woodward Museum connects the different lives of two local Revolutionary War soldiers with the ideas circulating during the struggle for independence, including what organizers identify as an original 1776 copy of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Rebel Yankeys: Franklin and the American Revolution focuses on Lebbeus Quy and Jacob Kingsbury. The Last Green Valley’s program listing describes an exhibit using period voices and artifacts to explore the social and racial history of eighteenth-century Franklin. Eastern CT News has not inspected the objects or independently authenticated the pamphlet.
The town’s October Franklin Life newsletter says the 1776 copy is currently on display during regular museum opening hours. It also describes docent access for participants completing the town’s October walking challenge. The newsletter and program listing are organizer accounts of the exhibit, not independent authentication of the collection.
The Last Green Valley lists an October 31 repeat of the program from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum, 387 Route 32 in North Franklin. It classifies the program as an entry-fee event but does not state a price. Visitors should confirm admission and arrangements with the museum before traveling.
The town newsletter connects the museum with its 1,776 Steps to Heritage Walktober challenge, which begins on Giddings Park’s trails and ends at the Woodward Gardens. The program combines walking with local Revolutionary history; it is an existing October activity, not a newly announced opening.
Separately, the newsletter advertises a combined exhibit and hands-on tea program for reserved groups on Fridays and Saturdays, with a maximum of 24 participants and a listed cost of $8 per person. Those group-tour terms do not establish the admission price for the October 31 public program.
The newsletter lists October 31, November 14 and December 5 seasonal programs and describes December 5 as the end of the museum’s official 2026 open season. It anticipates a January pause and a weather-dependent return to regular hours in February 2027; visitors should confirm future arrangements rather than assume a guaranteed reopening.
This AI-written report was prepared from the town’s full October newsletter and The Last Green Valley’s original exhibit listing. Eastern CT News did not visit the museum or conduct an interview. Photo: an archive photograph of the exact Ashbel Woodward House, credited to the National Register of Historic Places via ConnecticutHistory.org; it does not show the current exhibit or the pamphlet.