About
The Andrew Jackson Cottage and US Rangers Museum in Carrickfergus is a fascinating dual heritage attraction that brings together two remarkable stories of American connection with the north Antrim coast — the emigrant ancestors of the seventh President of the United States, and the elite American soldiers who trained for the liberation of Europe from the very same shoreline during the Second World War.
The cottage at Boneybefore recalls the family home of Andrew Jackson's parents, Hugh and Elizabeth Jackson, who emigrated from Carrickfergus to South Carolina in 1765. Their son Andrew, born in 1767 on the American frontier, became one of the most consequential figures in American history — frontiersman, general, hero of the Battle of New Orleans (1815), and 7th President of the United States (1829–1837). His fiery character, populist politics, and complex legacy as both a champion of ordinary Americans and the architect of Indian Removal are all explored in the exhibition, which also traces the wider story of Ulster emigration to America and its impact on the early United States. Many of the 'Scots-Irish' emigrants who left Ulster in the eighteenth century — perhaps 200,000 people — played significant roles in the founding and development of the American nation, and Andrew Jackson is the most famous of them.
The adjacent US Rangers Museum commemorates a quite different but equally important American connection. In January 1942, following America's entry into the Second World War after Pearl Harbor, the first US Army ground troops to arrive in the European Theatre of Operations landed at Carrickfergus — a fact of enormous symbolic importance. Among those who subsequently trained on the Antrim coast were the US Army Rangers, an elite unit modelled on the British Commandos, who trained at Carrickfergus and the surrounding countryside in preparation for the invasion of North Africa and ultimately Europe. The Rangers' training here, their combat record, and their place in the development of American special forces are the subject of the museum's second gallery.
The site is managed by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and presents both stories accessibly and engagingly, providing a rich context for the town of Carrickfergus, which also contains one of the finest Norman castles in Ireland.
Categories:
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
💡 Visitor Tips
- After the museum, walk to Carrickfergus Castle — one of the finest Norman castles in Ireland — which is freely accessible and on the seafront just 5 minutes away.
- Travel by train from Belfast on the Larne line for a scenic journey along Belfast Lough — Carrickfergus station is a 15-minute walk from the cottage.
- The museum is small but packs in two remarkable stories — allow a full hour to read all the interpretation and appreciate the cottage setting.
- If you are interested in presidential ancestry, Strabane (Gray's Printing Press, where Woodrow Wilson's grandfather trained) and Cullybackey (Chester Arthur's ancestral home) are within day-trip range.
- Combine with a day on the Antrim coast — Carrickfergus is the natural start of the scenic drive north to Ballygally, Carnlough, Glenariff and the Giant's Causeway.
- The museum is free of charge — a donation to support the local council's heritage work is always appreciated.
- American visitors with Ulster-Scots ancestry will find the museum particularly moving — the connection between this quiet Antrim town and the presidency is genuinely remarkable.
Highlights
The Andrew Jackson Ancestral Home
The reconstructed thatched cottage at Boneybefore evokes the humble origins of the family that produced one of America's most colourful presidents. Andrew Jackson's parents, Hugh and Elizabeth (née Hutchinson) Jackson, left this area of County Antrim for South Carolina in 1765, carrying the Presbyterian faith and the fierce independent character of the Ulster-Scots with them to the American frontier.
Their son Andrew, born two years after their arrival in America, absorbed these qualities completely.
The cottage represents the beginning of a remarkable American journey — from County Antrim tenant farmer to President of the United States in three generations.
Andrew Jackson — Old Hickory
The museum traces the extraordinary career of Andrew Jackson (1767–1845), 7th President of the United States (1829–1837).
Known as 'Old Hickory' for his toughness, Jackson was a frontier lawyer, land speculator, planter, duelist, and general who became a national hero at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815 — the last major engagement of the War of 1812. His two terms as president transformed American democracy with a populist vision that championed ordinary white male voters against the Eastern elite, though his legacy is also inseparable from the forced removal of Native American nations — the Trail of Tears.
The museum presents all aspects of this complex figure.
The Ulster-Scots Diaspora
The wider story of Ulster-Scots (or Scots-Irish) emigration to America is an essential context for understanding Andrew Jackson's origins and influence. Between approximately 1717 and 1775, perhaps 200,000 Presbyterians from Ulster — most of them descended from Scottish settlers brought to Ireland in the Plantation era — emigrated to colonial America, settling predominantly on the Appalachian frontier from Pennsylvania to the Carolinas.
Their descendants disproportionately shaped American character, politics and religion: multiple American presidents claimed Ulster-Scots ancestry, and their influence on American folk music, frontier culture and evangelical Protestantism is pervasive.
The museum places Jackson in this broader story of transatlantic migration.
The US Rangers — America's First Special Forces
On 26 January 1942 — just weeks after Pearl Harbor — American troops landed at Carrickfergus in what was the first US Army ground deployment in the European Theatre of the Second World War. Among those subsequently trained in the Carrickfergus area were the 1st Ranger Battalion, an elite unit modelled on the British Commandos and trained for the most demanding and dangerous missions.
The Rangers undertook amphibious assault training on the Antrim coast before deploying to North Africa and then to the Italian campaign.
The museum documents their formation, training, operations and the role they played in developing the tradition of American special forces that continues to this day.
Collections
The museum's collections centre on the story of Andrew Jackson's Ulster-Scots family background and the heritage of Scots-Irish emigration to America, alongside the wartime story of the US Rangers who trained in the Carrickfergus area in 1942.
Objects, photographs, documents and audio-visual interpretation bring both stories to life. The collections also address the wider context of Ulster-American connections, including the John Paul Jones engagement of 1778 and the presidential ancestry theme.
The reconstructed cottage provides the physical focus for the Jackson story, while the Rangers gallery houses military equipment, photographs and personal testimonies from the WWII period.
Andrew Jackson — From Boneybefore to the White House
Gallery tracing the Jackson family's Carrickfergus roots, Andrew Jackson's American career, and the story of Ulster-Scots emigration and its impact on American history.
The US Rangers Museum
Gallery dedicated to the 1st Ranger Battalion's training and deployment from Carrickfergus in 1942–43, and the broader story of America's first special forces.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.