SCHS is pleased to commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2024-2026. This semiquincentennial offers us an opportunity to examine and discuss the American “experiment,” our society’s progress towards democracy, and take an inclusive approach to history and civic engagement.
SCHS board and staff are working with historians and stakeholders throughout Schenectady County on our “Rev250” committee, which is dedicated to developing programming during the semiquincentennial. Join us over the next few years for events, discussions, exhibitions and more that celebrate and discuss our great republic!
For questions about America at 250 programs, please contact Madeline Olesky at programs@schenectadyhistorical.org.
America 250 Reads: A Revolutionary Book Club
September-December, 2025 | Virtual
Join us throughout Fall 2025 as we delve into Revolution on the Hudson by George C. Daughan. We’ll meet virtually each month to discuss a few chapters of the book and explore how the American Revolution affected the Hudson Valley & beyond. To register and receive the meeting link, and for full dates, please email Madeline Olesky at programs@schenectadyhistorical.org.
Note that while this program is free, it is only open to SCHS members. This program is part of America250, the national movement to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
Schenectady Welcomes Lafayette
June 11, 10am-6pm | in the Stockade
Join us for a full day of festivities in the Stockade that commemorates General Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to Schenectady. This is one of hundreds of nation-wide events planned by the American Friends of Lafayette that trace our French ally’s footsteps on the exact dates and in the exact order he took them 200 years ago. From August 1824 – September 1825, Lafayette was “The Guest of the Nation,” invited by President James Monroe to visit the United States. It was intended to be a quiet visit, but turned into a thirteen-month celebratory tour throughout all 24 states.
Activities will include a morning horse-drawn carriage procession in Riverside Park, an afternoon authors’ panel at Schenectady Civic Playhouse, musical performances, the unveiling of a historic marker, and a dinner that recreates Lafayette’s famous Schenectady dinner, including the 20-plus toasts he received. One of five nationally recognized official Lafayette reenactors will be on hand.
-10am: Grand Arrival of Lafayette
-11am: Walking Tour of the Historic Stockade
-12pm: Lunch with Presentation
-2pm: Unveiling of Historic Marker
-3pm: Author Panel at Schenectady Civic Playhouse
-4pm: Meet the Authors
-6pm: Celebration at the Glen Sanders Mansion
For information on the June 2025 “Schenectady Welcomes Lafayette” program, please visit https://www.kierstenmarcil.com/lafayette-200
This event is possible thanks to the efforts of the Schenectady Lafayette 200 Anniversary Committee, co-chaired by City Historian Chris Leonard and author and SCHS board member Kiersten Marcil.
A Call to Arms
May 20, 6pm | at the Stockade Inn
“A Call to Arms: 1775” commemorates the 250th anniversary of the formation of the revolutionary government that led Schenectady through the War of Independence. Step into 1775 Schenectady and experience the moment our town broke from colonial rule. With costumed drama and spirited debate, this event recreates the first meeting of Schenectady’s Committee of Correspondence, our city’s first leap toward revolution and self-government.
This event is free to the public. It will be held at the Stockade Inn on May 20, 2025 at 6pm. City Historian Chris Leonard will begin the event with a discussion of the revolutionary government – called the Committee of Correspondence – and its significance to our local history. Costumed interpreters will present a dramatized depiction of the first meeting of Schenectady’s Committee of Correspondence, exploring the diverse passions and loyalties of the Revolutionary period. The public will be invited to take a side on these historic issues and argue their case before the assembly. Afterwards, SCHS Educator Michael Diana will lead a discussion on how today’s citizens of Schenectady can prepare for the Semiquincentiennial of our nation’s founding. Throughout the event, libations will be available for purchase.
Michael Diana, SCHS Educator, explains the significance of the event, and what it commemorates: “the Schenectady Committee of Correspondence is an extremely important but largely forgotten chapter in our local history. It was formed in a time of crisis, when Schenectady joined a revolutionary movement that would change the world. The Committee represents our city’s break with colonial tradition and its first experiment in local, democratic government.”
The ten member Committee of Correspondence was formed after an impromptu election amongst the “freeholders and inhabitants” of Schenectady in March, 1775. It quickly pledged its support to the nascent Continental Congress which was coordinating colonial resistance to British tax policy. While Schenectady’s Committee enjoyed broad support locally, not everyone in this town supported it or its increasingly revolutionary activities.
“No community was untouched by the whisperings of revolution as the events leading into 1775 and 1776 unfolded. They morphed into a great movement that rocked this nation, and the City of Schenectady was not immune to that time of debate, conflict, and eventual, hard won reconciliation. The America 250 committee is thrilled to explore and share those momentous events with the community as we honor this nation’s legacy and the role the people of Schenectady played,” says SCHS Trustee and Co-Chair of the Rev250 Committee, Kimberly Waldin.
SCHS Executive Director Mary Zawacki added, “We’re excited to build momentum towards America’s 250th birthday! As SCHS commemorates the founding of our nation over the next few years, we’ll be asking the community to join us in examining and discussing the American “experiment,” our progress towards democracy, and the power of place in Schenectady. At the end of the day, we hope it inspires residents to take a closer look at local history and civic engagement, and what it means in 2025.
Liberty Flag Raising
On January 12, 2024 at 12pm, SCHS hosted a “Liberty Flag Raising” as our first event in their commemoration of America’s 250th birthday, or the United States Semiquincentennial.
Michael Diana, SCHS Historian and Director of Education, explained the significance of the event, and what it commemorates:
“What is liberty and what must we do to secure it? These questions have both united and divided Americans throughout history. On the anniversary of the raising of the Liberty Flag, we invite the community to relive that historic moment and reflect on the essential questions of freedom. Indeed, one of Schenectady’s earliest and most significant reckonings with the idea of liberty was on January 12, 1774. On that day, an angry crowd of 50 citizens gathered in the center of town to raise a flag emblazoned with the word LIBERTY. This was a hugely confrontational form of protest. Their supporters applauded them as patriots. Their detractors derided them as a riotous mob. But thus did Schenectady enter the bitter controversies of a Revolution that would forge the modern United States of America.”
SCHS owns the only surviving “Liberty” flag from the Revolutionary War. The flag is believed to have been carried by a New York regiment in the Revolutionary War. Liberty flags weren’t unusual during the late colonial period, though their significance morphed from resistance to revolution over the decades.
The original Liberty Flag is currently on loan to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, PA, and will return to Schenectady for the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026.
City of Schenectady Historian, Chris Leonard, was instrumental in organizing this commemorative event. He added some historical context to the original event, noting:
“Prior to the raising of the Liberty Flag, colonial Schenectady was largely outside the revolutionary spirit that was engulfing the colonies. The 50 Schenectadians who raised the Liberty Flag on that blustery winter day led the town in its first steps in support of the Patriot cause.”
This was the first of many events that SCHS will sponsor over 2024-2026 leading up to and beyond the anniversary of the United States Semiquincentennial.