America 250
On July 4, 2026, the nation will celebrate the 250th year of its independence from colonial rule, an act that created the first successful large-scale republic founded on the concept of popular consent—a truly revolutionary idea.
But Colonists did not wake up on July 4, 1776, and suddenly decide to revolt against British rule. Dissension had been growing for decades and the soon-to-be-declared nation had seen violent riots, destruction of property, British military occupation and armed conflict long before the Declaration was read out before a jubilant crowd in Philadelphia.
Massachusetts was arguably the most seditious of the 13 colonies, protesting British troop presence in Boston and taxes imposed by a punitive Parliament. The sentiment quickly spread to Western Massachusetts, particularly to the Berkshires, where organized civil disobedience was taking place by 1774.
In Sheffield a committee meeting at Colonel John Ashley’s house drafted the Sheffield Declaration in 1774 using language that presaged the Declaration of Independence by more than a year. Its Lockean phrases—"Mankind in a state of nature are equal, free and independent of each other and have a right to the undisturbed enjoyment of their lives, their liberty and property”—were later enshrined by Thomas Jefferson as our “unalienable rights” in the national Declaration of Independence.
So it is with pride that this state looks back at its early defiance and prepares to spend a festive year celebrating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding. And just as the state was early to the table for the revolutionary movement, so too is it early in beginning observances of the infelicitously named semiquincentennial.
Stockbridge will begin its observance of the anniversary year with “A Day in Revolutionary Stockbridge” Saturday, January 24th. Stretching along Main Street from the town offices to the Mission House, activities will include a quartermaster’s tent displaying the kinds of things the army requisitioned from townspeople, a presentation on 18th-century foraging and food by a local historian and an exhibit of 18th-century artifacts from the collections of the Stockbridge Library Museum & Archives and Bidwell House.
Visitors to the library can also chat with reenactors on the library lawn and visit with “Theodore Sedgwick,” the lawyer who represented Mumbet, the Ashley house slave who, inspired by the “freedom talk” she heard in the Colonel’s parlor, petitioned the court for her freedom.
Gregg Duffek and JoAnn Schedler, Mohican veterans will discuss Native Americans’ contributions to the Revolution and other special programming will include a visit from Knox’s Noble Train of Artillery at noon, featuring costumed educators from Fort Ticonderoga and a non-firing reproduction cannon drawn on a sled by two oxen.
Check the event website for the latest programs and schedule information.
The heroic tale of Henry Knox, a 25-year-old Boston bookseller who engineered the transport of 60 tons of British ordnance captured from Fort Ticonderoga through 300 miles of forests, swamps and rivers to Boston to force the British to evacuate the city in 1776, will be central to western Massachusetts’ winter recounting of its Revolutionary past.
Knox’s journey took three months and came through the Berkshires in January 1776 using oxen, horse-drawn sledges and manpower. The Knox Trail celebration—a Parade of Recognition—started on January 10th in Great Barrington, the very day that Knox arrived in the Berkshires 250 years ago.
The reenactors will continue the journey in the months to come, passing through 33 towns in the Commonwealth with connections to the trail and ending in Dorchester Heights on March 17th, the anniversary of the British evacuating the city. Parades similar to Great Barrington’s will take place in seven hub cities along the Knox Trail, each about a week apart.
On the local front, the historic Bidwell House Museum, the Monterey Historical Society and the Monterey Library planned a series of events commemorating Knox’s historic effort.
The Monterey Library has opened its exhibit about Knox and the celebration of his achievement continues with lectures in January and February, starting January 22, with Ye Trodden Path, Finding the Knox Trail in Sandisfield and Otis by Tom Ragusa followed on January 29th by The Knox Trail ‘War Road through the South Berkshires by Bernard Drew and ending February 28th, with The Knox Trail – Hillsdale to Great Barrington with Gary Leveille. All three talks are at the library at 7PM.
A panel discussion planned for Sunday, January 17th, was postponed due to the weather and its rescheduled date will be posted on the Bidwell House website.
Plans for the summer months are still evolving in Berkshire County but include Fourth of July parades throughout the county. Expect major celebrations, especially in towns like Pittsfield, which hosts a traditional parade each year on July 4th, and other towns such as Williamstown where the Declaration of Independence is read annually.
Also in commemoration of America's 250th, the Norman Rockwell Museum will present Visions of a Nation: 250 Years from Revolution to Rockwell from June 6th to October 26th and Tanglewood, known for its traditional July 4th weekend extravaganza, is again celebrating America's 250th anniversary with special concerts on July 3rd and 4th featuring James Taylor and fireworks.
Connecticut was also considered a "hotbed" of revolutionary fervor, deeply involved in the resistance against British policies, with its leaders and citizens actively defying royal authority.
The Friends of the Canaan History Center will hold their gala event February 21st at the Colonial Theater and are featuring a Founding Fathers’ Tipple Table replete with a reproduction of George Washington’s beer recipe and food based on Martha Washington’s cookbook.
There will be rounds of vintage country dances and re-enactors will introduce the “spirits” of Canaan Patriots who were prominent in the Revolution. Period costumes are encouraged but not necessary. Tickets are on sale online and may be purchased at the door.
Other events are emerging for later in the summer and may include a re-enactment of the raising of the town’s Liberty Pole, cemetery tours, fireworks, parades and picnics.
Throughout 2026 the Litchfield Historical Society invites visitors to engage in the nation's anniversary through collections, programming and a new exhibit, Legends and Lore: Reconsidering Perspectives of the American Revolution which opens in April at the history museum.
Events already planned include a monthly President Club Book Discussion Series; a 250 Conservation Challenge that encourages 250 acts of responsible conservation in honor of the nation’s birthday; and lectures on Roger Sherman the only Colonial statesman to sign all five of the nation’s foundational documents and Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr, second United States Secretary of the Treasury.
To register to attend the latter lecture in person,click here. To attend virtually, click here.
The Litchfield Historical Society will also present a zoom lecture, Iconoclasm in Litchfield: Melting the Statue of King George III in 1776 and 1935 with Wendy Bellion March 3rd. Registration is required.
Additional winter/spring programs include a presentation about Abigail Adams.
Cornwall is beginning to look ahead to the summer’s festivities, initiating the celebrations with a town-wide reading of Russell Shorto’s Revolution Song followed by evening potluck discussions on Wednesday, February 18th, and Saturday, February 21st. RSVP to cornwallhistoricalsociety.org or call 860-672-0505.
In Salisbury Revolution’s Song will be the topic of book discussions in January, February and March, led by local author and historian Peter Vermilyea. On March 27th, the book’s author, Russell Shorto, will join Vermilyea and historian Rhonan Mokriski in a Salisbury Forum lecture at Housatonic Valley Regional High school.
Later Salisbury events will include historical displays, lectures, reenactors and a July 4th picnic at The Grove.
Visit America 250 Connecticut for a comprehensive list of events planned in Connecticut and MA250.
