AUGUSTA— For two years, the stately home at 184 State St. has been closed to all but just a very few staff members planning extensive new exhibits and renovations.

On Thursday, that all changes when the First Amendment Museum, the only one of its kind in the country, opens its doors once again in its official grand reopening.

“It’s really just to get the word out that, yes, this museum is open, it’s fully functioning. We’re here. We have plans for the future, and we want (people) to know about it and be involved,” Alison Sucy, museum executive director, said.

The museum, located next to the State House in the 1911 home formerly owned by Maine media magnate Guy P. Gannett, closed in 2024 so the aging house could be renovated and new interactive exhibits could be created.

Gannett’s granddaughters Genie Gannett and Terry Gannett Hopkins launched the museum because they wanted to honor the history of the press. The Gannett Publishing Co., founded by Guy Gannett and his father, William, owned the Portland Press Herald, Waterville Sentinel, The Portland (Maine) Sunday Telegram, The Portland Evening Express and the Daily Kennebec Journal in addition to a few radio and TV stations.

“All five of our freedoms are tied together,” Genie Gannett said Wednesday. “To really feel the impact of what having those five freedoms working together is, we thought that needed a bigger voice.”

Across the home’s first floor are exhibits dedicated to each First Amendment right: freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly and petition.

As guests walk into the museum, they may be greeted by Remi, the friendly live-in cat who has called the museum home for years, before they move on to a large exhibit about freedom of speech shaped like an open book.

Embedded in the pages are 10 drawers with examples of art, literature, comedy or music that were banned or objected to that guests can open and read about.

Gannett said she and her sister were inspired to start the museum in part due to what they observed as a decline in civic education in schools.

“We felt there was a need to talk about civic engagement, the First Amendment as the cornerstone of democracy and why it is important to both practice, preserve and protect it,” Gannett said.

The exhibit about freedom of the press is covered in old copies of newspaper front pages for notable events throughout history, with copies draped over the top to appear like papers coming off a printing press. The display features an interactive game where players can pretend to write a news article in a country where the government controls the press to see if their work would be permitted by the government.

The room also features an old copy of Comfort Magazine, the magazine founded by William H. Gannett, and an original copy of the last edition of the Apple Daily, a pro-democracy Hong Kong newspaper that was shut down by the Chinese government, which was anonymously sent to the museum by someone who wanted it preserved.

Other exhibits include projection screens about the right to assembly, a display about the steps developing a petition and getting signatures, old typewriters donated to the museum and a room where Anne Gannett, Guy’s wife, once hosted a suffrage tea to discuss women’s rights, a cause she was deeply involved with. Now, the dining room is a space to hold discussions, small group events and answer questions after tours.

The museum’s plans for more renovation and development are still ongoing, said Sucy, who started at the museum in June.

Eventually, museum officials hope to expand the museum to the home’s second floor and continue upgrades to the first floor. From the 1970s to 2010, the house was home to state offices and wasn’t maintained as a historic home. As a result, the bulk of renovations involved removing office building features.

A garage on the property earned a spot on the list of most endangered historic places in Maine in 2025 and is also slated for repairs, including an elevator to transport guests from the lower adjacent parking lot.

The museum worked with Maine-based company Perch Design Studio to design the new exhibits, which were funded by a $249,000 grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.

Admission to the museum will be free for the remainder of the year and cost a small fee starting next year. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The grand opening is set for 4-6 p.m. Thursday.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the spelling of Alison Sucy’s name in a caption.