Old Barracks Museum

What Old Barracks Museum does

The Old Barracks Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit historic site museum located at 101 Barrack Street in Trenton, New Jersey, operated by the Old Barracks Association since 1902. The museum preserves a French and Indian War-era military barracks constructed in 1758 — the only one of five original colonial barracks in New Jersey still standing and a designated National Historic Landmark. Its offerings center on four museum galleries, a short film, daily guided tours, and immersive living history programs staffed by period-clothed interpreters, supported by a collection of approximately 2,000 historical objects spanning fine art to militaria. The museum also runs physical and online exhibits, camp-ins, virtual field trips, an annual Battle of Trenton reenactment, and special events including Tavern Night and the Fall Lecture Series.

The museum serves four primary constituencies: K-12 school groups (12,000+ students annually from every New Jersey county), general public and heritage tourists, living history reenactors, and dedicated history enthusiasts/members. Its revenue model is diversified across six streams: per-visitor admission fees ($15 adult / $12 student-senior / free for military and under-5), a six-tier membership program ranging from $40 (Senior) to $1,000 (Washington's Company), gift shop sales, ticketed special events, tax-deductible donations/planned giving through the 1902 Society, and institutional grants from state, federal, and private foundation sources.

Business operations are lean (~20 staff plus a 15+ member Board of Trustees) and event-driven, with annual reenactments and Patriots Week serving as peak demand periods. Distribution is primarily physical walk-in visitation (Wednesday–Saturday, 10AM–5PM), supplemented by reserved school/group tours, virtual field trips, and a multi-channel marketing mix spanning the website, email newsletter, social media, community partnerships, and earned media. The museum is currently in a notable expansion phase, having secured a $1.5M state grant and an NEH Chairman's Grant ahead of the 2026 grand reopening timed to America's Semiquincentennial.

Name

Old Barracks Museum

Legal name

Old Barracks Association

Website

https://barracks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Old Barracks Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit historic site museum in Trenton, NJ, preserving a 1758 French and Indian War barracks. It serves K-12 students (12,000+ annually), heritage tourists, and history enthusiasts through living history programs, exhibits, tours, and special events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Museum Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Museums (71211), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), History Museums (THAJADAB), Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Historical museum services
• Living history programs
• Heritage education tours
• Revolutionary war exhibits
• Colonial preservation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Trenton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Visitors pay admission fees to tour the museum and experience exhibits, living history programs, and daily activities. Pricing tiers for adults, students/seniors, with free admission for military and young children.
2. Membership Program: Multi-tiered membership program (Ensign $60, Fifer & Drummer $80, Lieutenant $150, Surgeon $250, Colonel $500, Washington's Company $1000) providing free admission, discounts, and exclusive benefits to members
3. Donations and Grants: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. Received $1.5 million in funding for 250th anniversary commemorations. Accepts donations through direct contributions and endowment fund at Community Foundation of New Jersey.
4. Special Event Tickets and Sponsorships: Revenue from ticketed events like Tavern Night ($90 non-members, $75 members) and corporate sponsorships from Bronze, Supporting, and Tavern Keeper level sponsors
5. Gift Shop Sales: Museum shop offering historical merchandise, books, and souvenirs. Members receive 10-20% discounts on purchases
6. Library Memberships: Special membership tier for libraries offering passes valid for up to 4 visitors per use

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Old Barracks Museum preserves and interprets a 1758 French and Indian War military barracks in Trenton, NJ, offering visitors daily guided tours, four exhibit galleries, living history programs with period-costumed interpreters, and special events such as the Battle of Trenton reenactment and Tavern Night. It also delivers school and group educational tours, virtual field trips, and camp-ins, supplemented by a multi-tier membership program and a museum gift shop.

Product overview

The Old Barracks Museum operates as a single historic site museum offering a unified visitor experience centered on preserving and interpreting colonial American and Revolutionary War history at a building constructed in 1758. The core offering consists of four museum galleries, a short film, daily guided tours, and living history programs, supported by approximately 2,000 collection objects spanning fine art to militaria. The product portfolio includes physical experiences (in-person exhibits, school/group tours, virtual field trips, camp-ins, Battle of Trenton reenactment, Tavern Night events, and Fall Lecture Series) combined with digital offerings (online exhibits, virtual field trips) and membership/donation programs (tiered memberships from $40-$1,000, planned giving through the 1902 Society). All components share the common mission of interpretive education and preservation of New Jersey's Revolutionary War heritage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Museum Admission Walk-in admission to the 1758 barracks museum offering four galleries, a short film, guided tours, and living history programs; priced at $15 adults, $12 students/seniors, and free for active military and children under 5.
• School and Group Tours
• Camp-Ins
• Battle of Trenton Reenactment
• Tavern Night
• Fall Lecture Series
• Children's Harvest Day
• Museum Membership Program
• Library Memberships
• Museum Shop
• Living History Programming
• In-Person Exhibits

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 students educated annually from every county in New Jersey
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting and minor.

• National Park ServicemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency supporting preservation efforts at the National Historic Landmark site.
• Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New JerseysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical society supporting preservation of Revolutionary War era sites and history.
• Sons of the Revolution in the State of New JerseysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization dedicated to preserving Revolutionary War history and supporting related historical sites.
• Dughi, Hewit, & Domalewski, P.C.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze sponsor for Tavern Night 2026 event.
• Saul Ewing, LLPminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze sponsor for Tavern Night 2026 event.
• Mercer County Culture & Heritage CommissionsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting sponsor for Tavern Night 2026; local government partner for cultural heritage initiatives.
• RevolutionNJsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerState program for 250th anniversary commemorations; collaborated with Old Barracks for FIFA World Cup Fan Fest outreach.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Morristown National Historical Park: A National Park Service site in New Jersey interpreting Revolutionary War history at Washington's 1779-80 winter encampment. Directly comparable as a New Jersey-based Revolutionary War historical site with educational programming and living history components.
• Fraunces Tavern Museum: A New York City museum in a 1719 tavern building focused on Revolutionary War history, including the room where Washington bid farewell to his officers. Highly comparable as a small, single-site 18th-century-history museum with similar programming and donor model.
• Museum of the American Revolution: A standalone museum in Philadelphia dedicated entirely to the Revolutionary War. Comparable in mission (interpreting Revolutionary War history), audience (school groups and tourists), and educational programming, though larger and more recently built.
• Old State House (Boston): Operated by Revolutionary Spaces in Boston, this 1713 building is a comparable colonial-era government structure repurposed as a Revolutionary War-focused museum with living history and educational programming.
• Washington's Crossing National Historical Park: NPS site in Pennsylvania and New Jersey commemorating Washington's December 25, 1776 crossing and the Battle of Trenton—the same campaign the Old Barracks anchors. Highly comparable in topic, geography, and audience.

Broad incumbents

• National Constitution Center: Philadelphia-based museum on Independence Mall focused on the U.S. Constitution and founding-era history. Comparable audience of school groups and history tourists, with substantially larger facilities and a broader constitutional-history focus.
• Independence National Historical Park: Philadelphia-based NPS complex including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the dominant regional destination for Revolutionary War tourism. Comparable audience and topic, but operates at substantially larger scale with federal funding.
• Colonial Williamsburg: The largest living history museum in the U.S., interpreting 18th-century colonial Virginia. Comparable in living history programming and educational mission, but a much larger, multi-building destination with a vastly larger operating budget.

Emerging players

• Historic Deerfield: A early-American historic village and museum in Massachusetts featuring period-interpreted houses and collection objects. Comparable in mission, immersive interpretation, and small-institution operating model, but focused on a slightly earlier period and rural setting.

Regional players

• Valley Forge National Historical Park: Pennsylvania-based NPS site commemorating the Continental Army's 1777-78 winter encampment. Comparable as a Revolutionary War heritage site with educational programming, but federally operated and located in a different Mid-Atlantic submarket.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/old-barracks-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Old Barracks Museum