Area happenings Mark America’s 250th Birthday

By Laurie Pellichero

Happy Birthday America! To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a plethora of local events and happenings are planned leading up to the big day and after. While Philadelphia is known as the Birthplace of America, Princeton, Trenton, and Washington Crossing were instrumental in the “Ten Crucial Days” of the Revolution that gained the United States its freedom and secured its democracy.

While there will be lots of activities in Philadelphia — especially at Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center — as well as in New York and across the country, here is just a sampling of the many events planned in our area:

(Photo by Morven Museum & Garden)

Morven Museum & Garden

Located at 55 Stockton Street, Morven is a National Historic Landmark and was the home of Richard Stockton, a founding father and signer of the Declaration of Independence. An extensive month-by-month calendar of its 250th-related programs and exhibits is at morven.org/250. Special events include the Living History USA Weekend April 11-12, Fourth of July Festival on July 4, and Princeton 1776 Fest on October 3.

The “Five Independent Souls: The Signers from New Jersey” exhibition opens May 2, and “Voices in Print: New Jersey Black Women Printmakers Shaping the American Narrative” opens September 4. Programs, offered both in person and online, include the “Generation Declaration” speaker series, “Grand Homes & Gardens: Freedom at Home,” and “Signer’s Stories.”

Morven also features an original painting by Edward Savage, Congress Voting Independence, on loan from the National Gallery of Art, which shows the presentation of the Declaration to Congress.

“As we approach this extraordinary anniversary, Morven is proud to stand where American independence began — and to share these stories with new generations,” says Rhonda DeMascio, Morven executive director. “Our program partners are helping us bring history to life in inspiring and meaningful ways.”

A sketch from “Princeton’s Taverns: On the Road to Revolution,” opening in May. (Collection of the Historical Society of Princeton)

Historical Society of Princeton

The Historical Society of Princeton has a variety of exhibitions, programs, and community events planned to educate and reflect on the past, while looking toward the future. A full list of programming and registration information is at princetonhistory.org.

Highlights include “The Ingenious Mr. Hopkinson: A Life in Words & Musick” on April 29 at Morven Museum & Garden, the “Annual Meeting and Lewis B. Cuyler Lecture: Revolutionary Princeton” featuring historian Larry Kidder on May 4 at 7 p.m. at Updike Farmstead, 354 Quaker Road, and “Building Princeton: America250 Edition” on May 9 at 3 p.m. at Updike Farmstead.

Opening in May is “Princeton’s Taverns: On the Road to Revolution,” an outdoor exhibition in Dohm Alley on Nassau Street that will explore the role of taverns in the town’s early history.

America250 Walking Tours begin in May and focus on what happened in Princeton during the Revolution, and “Illustrated Lecture: The History Behind the Paintings” on June 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Updike Farmstead will examine some well-known paintings depicting key people and local events from the American Revolution.

“Princeton and the American Revolution,” a four-part series on Thursdays, September 10, 17, 24, and October 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Updike Farmstead, will focus on several Revolutionary War events, culminating in the Battle of Princeton.

Harriet by Elizabeth Catlett will be featured in a special exhibition at the Arts Council of Princeton.

Arts Council of Princeton

The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) is planning a 250th themed mural by artist Kirstan Fitzpatrick, to be painted at its rotating space on Spruce Street this summer.

The ACP is also planning an ART OF Revolution as a part its curated series of workshops. This ART OF invites participants to explore one of the most pivotal moments in American history at Princeton Battlefield State Park. Led by Will Krakow, site manager of the Park and the historic Thomas Clarke House, this guided experience brings visitors to the site of the Battle of Princeton and the “Ten Crucial Days” of the American Revolution.

The ACP has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for a 250th exhibition. On view August 29 through October 3, it will explore how American artists, both past and present, have shaped and reimagined American life through art. Curated by Judith K. Brodsky and Rhinold Ponder, the exhibition will center the work of artists across generations through intergenerational pairings.

For more information, events, and updates, visit artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Princeton Public Library

America250 events sponsored by Princeton Public Library include many author appearances such as Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner Anne Gordon-Reed on Jefferson on Race: A Reader, a collection of Thomas Jefferson’s writings on race, which she edited. The event is on April 23 at Nassau Presbyterian Church.

A concert, Freedom Rewind: A Rockin’ Tribute to America’s 250th, is on June 14 at either Hinds Plaza or Palmer Square. The band made up of talented local musicians presents rock and pop favorites from 1976 – the U.S. Bicentennial.

In early June, the exhibit “Revolutionary Lives: Living the American Experiment Then and Now” will be on view, and in July through September “Landscapes and Landmarks: America at 250,” a juried photography exhibit featuring images from the Princeton Photography Club, will be in the second floor Reading Room.

A screening of 1776: The Musical is in July, and the Annual Summer Reading Soiree will feature a historical fiction book about Abigail Adams.

For details and updates, visit princetonlibrary.org.

Princeton Battlefield Society

The Princeton Battlefield Society kicked off New Jersey’s Semiquincentennial celebrations with the 249th reenactment of the Battle of Princeton on January 4 and will refight the 250th as part of special late December commemorations with the 250th Crossing of the Delaware, the Battles of Trenton, and the Battle of Princeton, all right after Christmas. On January 3, 2027, they will have a wreath laying ceremony on the actual 250th anniversary of the battle.

On the battlefield itself, at 500 Mercer Road, there are projects underway to commemorate the 250th. The Princeton Battlefield Society will continue, in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and American Battlefield Trust (ABT), to restore the Trace Road, the route Washington took from Quaker Road into town to surprise the British. It ran behind Thomas Clarke’s house, past the now golf course (then a farm owned by the Stocktons), and came out behind Nassau Hall. They have also restored the Memorial Colonnades. And, in conjunction with the DEP and ABT, they are replanting the orchard that stood in front of William Clarke’s House in the battle. William was Thomas’ older brother. The orchard was the first point of contact in the battle for the two armies.

For more on events, lectures, programs, and tours planned by the Princeton Battlefield Society, visit pbs1777.org.

Dunlap broadside Declaration. (Courtesy of Princeton University Library)

Princeton University Library

Princeton University Library (PUL) is hosting two exhibitions commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. Visitors to Firestone Library’s Milberg Gallery will step into the world of Revolutionary Princeton with the opening of “Nursery of Rebellion: Princeton and the American Revolution” on April 15. This exhibition, on view through July 12, will offer the chance to see the library’s original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

PUL will also open a second Revolution-themed exhibition in its Mudd Manuscript Library Gallery in May, which will delve deeper into the campus and student experience of the war. “The nation’s Semiquincentennial has provided Princeton University Library the opportunity to showcase its deep holdings and connections to the American Revolution with two exhibitions,” said Wind Cowles, acting head of exhibitions. “We’re proud to offer the public a chance to see these treasures up close with the library being only one of a handful of locations where visitors can see original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.”

“Nursery of Rebellion” will draw on an array of PUL’s manuscript and rare book collections to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of U.S. independence and the Battle of Princeton. Princeton University’s treasures from the Revolutionary era will be showcased alongside documents and artifacts that reveal local experiences of the American Revolution on campus and in the surrounding communities.

On display for the entire exhibition will be an original manuscript of the Declaration of Independence — the “Dunlap Broadsides” are the true originals of the Declaration, differing from the one ratified on July 4, 1776 — and one of only 13 remaining original copies of the U.S. Constitution.

Correspondence between George Washington and James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, as well as other husbands and wives, family members, friends, militiamen, and students will also be on display.

In “Real and Remembered: Princetonians Caught Between Study and Revolution” at Mudd Library in May, archivists highlight how Princeton became a center of revolutionary thought and youthful activism following the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765. According to the library, the exhibition will highlight student voices as they protested British policies by wearing homespun clothing, wrote fiery Commencement orations, and famously burned tea in 1774. The exhibition will be on view through April 2027. For more, visit library.princeton.edu.

New Jersey State Museum

The New Jersey State Museum in Trenton is presenting “Spirit of ’76: The Bicentennial,” on view through February 2027. The exhibition explores the many ways governments, businesses, and citizens reflected upon and marked the 200th anniversary of the nation’s independence. According to the museum, during the turmoil of the early 1970s, officials looked to the Bicentennial as an opportunity for Americans to forget their differences and rally together around pride and patriotism for their shared country. The exhibition showcases an assortment of rarely seen artifacts and artworks produced 50 years ago for the event. Visit statemuseumnj.gov for more information.

A reenactment at Washington Crossing State Park in Titusville. (Photo courtesy of Washington Crossing Park Association of New Jersey)

Both Sides of the River

The Friends of Washington Crossing Park in Pennsylvania and Washington Crossing Park Association of New Jersey are developing many new experiences to usher in the Semiquincentennial and beyond. Visit washingtoncrossingpark.org and wcpa-nj.com for details, including the week-long opening celebration of the new Museum and Visitors Center on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River in Titusville.

The Old Barracks Museum in Trenton. (Photo courtesy of Old Barracks Museum)

Old Barracks Museum

The Old Barracks Museum on Barrack Street in Trenton has received $1.5 million in funding to support preparations and programming for its 250th anniversary commemorations, which include an America 250 celebration on July 4. This investment will help ensure that Trenton’s rich Revolutionary War history is preserved, enhanced, and shared with visitors from across the state and nation.

The Old Barracks Museum is undergoing an extensive restoration, due to be completed in March, including both interior and exterior improvements. This marks the first restoration of its kind in over 30 years. This will allow the museum to reopen to the public with all-new exhibits that focus on the Semiquincentennial, the preservation of the building, and more.

The museum notes that the Old Barracks played a pivotal role during the American Revolution and remains a cornerstone of Trenton’s historic identity.

For more information about the Old Barracks Museum and its upcoming programs, visit barracks.org.

Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes features three commemorative wines. (Photo courtesy of Unionville Vineyards)

Unionville Vineyards

Unionville Vineyards, 9 Rocktown Road, Ringoes, is offering monthly talks and presentations from local and regional historians about multiple topics related to the Colonial era and the American Revolution. Topics will explore the people, places, and events that shaped the region.

They will also host a Great American Cookout on July 4 from 12 to 6 p.m., and they are now featuring the Washington Collection, three new wines including Victory White, Battlefield Blush, and Revolutionary Red. For details, visit unionvillevineyards.com.

Michener Art Museum

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pa., will introduce new perspectives on a related event that also occurred in 1776: the crossing of the Delaware River by George Washington and his troops on Christmas night to surprise Hessian soldiers stationed at Trenton, marking a major turning point in the American Revolution. The German American artist Emanuel Leutze (1816-1868) exhibited his vision of this scene in New York in 1851, and it was eventually published as a popular engraving and donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to an 1851 issue of the Bulletin of the American Art-Union, Leutze’s painting, “gives body and substance to our ideas; and hereafter, when we think of Washington, in connection with the passage of the Delaware, the image in our minds will be complete and glowing.” According to the museum, Leutze’s heroic celebration of Washington’s leadership and military might, painted nearly a century after the depicted event occurred, became an iconic example of American history painting. Modern and contemporary artists have provided new perspectives on this larger-than-life-size work, reexamining the conditions and accounts of the 1776 crossing and considering the peoples, perspectives, and histories that are not represented within Leutze’s composition.

The Crossing: Picturing the American Revolution, on view June 27 through January 10, 2027 will feature works by local, national, and international artists Edward Hicks, William Francis Taylor, Charles W. Hargens, Robert Beck, vanessa german, Ai Weiwei, and others that offer new conceptions of this historic event and expand viewers’ understanding of history painting. Visit michenerartmuseum.org.

Howard Hicks (1780-1849), Washington at the Delaware. (From the collection of the Mercer Museum of the Bucks County Historical Society)

Mercer County

Mercer County has launched a website, Mercer250, that highlights Mercer County’s role in the American Revolution and provides visitors with a comprehensive guide to historical sites and events.
“When the Patriot cause was at its lowest, and the hope of liberty seemed to hang by a thread, it was here in Mercer County that General Washington and his troops began to turn the tide with their historic victories during the Ten Crucial Days,” said County Executive Dan Benson. “This history is core to who we are, and whether you’re a Mercer resident, coming from a neighboring county, or visiting from out-of-state, we hope that you’ll take the time to explore the Capital County’s role in the founding of our nation.”

The Mercer250 website hosts a comprehensive calendar of Revolution-themed events around the county, from historical reenactments, to festivals, lectures, and guided tours. The site also features an interactive map of historical sites and activities throughout the county, with more to be added as celebrations for the Semiquincentennial continue. Visitors can also dive further into the history of the era by reading about the people, events, and stories of the times. Go to 250.mercercountynj.gov.

Experience Princeton

Robin Lapidus, executive director of Experience Princeton, notes that Experience Princeton and the Princeton Heritage Tourism Committee have established the website experienceprinceton.org/princeton250 to celebrate the anniversary. The many Princeton events with community partners include special historic tours, lectures, programs, exhibits, and more.

“As we enter our Semiquincentennial year, we are reminded of how pivotal our town was in the nation’s founding and how relevant that legacy feels today,” says Michelle Pirone Lambros, Princeton Council president and Experience Princeton board member. “Princeton wasn’t merely near the events that shaped history; it was where history was made.”