The Alice Austen House will commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence with The Great Chain, an exhibition exploring the Austen family’s role in the Revolutionary War. The exhibition will feature the temporary return of two rare links from the Great Hudson River Chain—an iron barrier forged to protect the Hudson River from British naval forces during the Revolution—which were once owned by Alice Austen herself. Through historic artifacts, photographs, and public programming, the exhibition will connect visitors to a remarkable story of industry, and cultural legacy rooted in Staten Island. This commemorative exhibition opens in June 2026, when visitors will also have the opportunity to explore the museum’s concurrent exhibition, Radical Botany.