Memorial Day weekend: free exhibit honoring veterans and patriots

PORTSMOUTH — Stay out of the rain and visit Service Credit Union's Portsmouth museum this Memorial Day weekend for an exhibit honoring our veterans and patriots. A Purple Heart awarded by George Washington, a Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence, two original drafts of the U.S. Constitution, a Congressional Medal of Honor and other historical and military artifacts are all available for public viewing free of charge for 12 days at Portsmouth’s Service Credit Union Museum, at 3003 Lafayette Road.

The “Timeless Treasures” exhibit hosted by Service Credit Union with the American Independence Museum and Veterans Count is open to the public daily.

Schedule is: every day until May 29, scheduled tours from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. If you cannot make it for a tour, it is still free and open to the public any day 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m.

The Congressional Medal of Honor awarded by Franklin D. Roosevelt to Harl Pease, namesake of Pease Air Force Base and a Purple Heart awarded to area resident and Vietnam Veteran William Schuler are also on display together.

“This is the first time that these historical documents and prestigious military awards will be together in one place for free,” said Lori Holmes assistant vice president of marketing for Service Credit Union at a local press viewing on Friday. She also said the climate controlled, safe and secure museum was built as an event space with the “community in mind” and that the credit union has hired Portsmouth Police to guard the museum “24/7” while the artifacts are on display.

Until now, the American Independence Museum could only show the esteemed documents on rare occasions because, “we don’t have climate control at the museum given that they are 18th century buildings,” said Allison Fields, the museum’s board of governor’s president.

The American Independence Museum officials hope people will visit the “Timeless Treasures” exhibit and then visit the downtown Exeter museum that features two historical buildings: the Ladd-Gilman House (c.1721) and the Folsom Tavern (c.1775) in addition to a rich collection of artifacts and archives that celebrate our nation’s struggle for independence.

Fields noted that only 26 copies of The Declaration of Independence remain in existence. 

The credit union contracted Doug Dimes of D.R Dimes & Company, a renowned American furniture maker, located in Northwood to build tiger maple and cherry wood cases and cabinets for all of the artifacts on display. Dimes said the Constitution’s case was modeled in a federal style to match the time period during which the constitution was adopted.

“Doug’s sensitivity to creating these beautiful pieces to highlight these artifacts is just phenomenal,” said Fields. 

For more information about the exhibit, visit servicecu.org/history.