Augusta’s First Amendment Museum reopens with new interactive exhibits

AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - After a two-year closure for renovations and exhibit installations, the First Amendment Museum has officially reopened its doors to the public.

Located inside the historic Gannett House on State Street, the building was once home to Maine publishing magnate Guy P. Gannett and his wife, Anne, a prominent leader in the state’s women’s suffrage movement. In 2015, Gannett’s granddaughters, Genie Gannett and Terry Gannett Hopkins, launched the museum to preserve that legacy and educate the public on fundamental constitutional freedoms.

Following the extensive renovation project, the restored first floor now features five brand-new permanent exhibits, each dedicated to one of the rights protected under the First Amendment.

“The exhibits in the First Amendment Museum cover each of the five freedoms in the First Amendment,” said Alison Sucy, executive director of the First Amendment Museum. “So there’s one exhibit for each of them: for religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.”

Among the museum’s newest additions is a hands-on interactive display in the Freedom of the Press gallery. Visitors step into the role of a journalist working under an authoritarian government without constitutional press protections.

“You can choose a story, a headline, a sub-headline, and a photo, and see from those choices how well you do with the government that may not like everything you write,” Sucy said. “And see if your safety is at risk after you do it. So it’s a quick exercise, but it really brings home the importance of freedom of the press.”

Museum leaders say interactive learning is critical at a time when national civic awareness remains low. Recent surveys from the Annenberg Public Policy Center indicate that fewer than 10% of Americans can correctly name all five First Amendment rights unprompted.

Sucy emphasized that the nonpartisan museum aims to serve as a starting point for deeper civic understanding and everyday conversation.

“We believe that all Americans should practice, preserve, and protect their First Amendment freedoms,” Sucy said. “And to do that, they need to know about what they are. They need to understand them.”

The First Amendment Museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Saturday visits available for reserved group tours. Guided and self-guided tours remain free for the rest of 2026.