Sussex County History Today: Revolutionary War 250 Celebration Events

Believe it or not, now is the time to gear up for the celebrations of the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

This celebration will peak on July 4, 2026.

This is around 10 weeks away from us now in the springtime. But it is coming quickly. There are a lot of events planned for the coming weeks.

One big one is the Sussex County 250^th Celebration. This large event will take place at the Fairgrounds on Sunday, June 7. As with most events, more will follow.

This year, as usual, the historian has an open invitation for historical markers for significant locales in our county. This is open until May 30.

This year, we are recognizing our local citizens who played a role in the Revolutionary War as Patriots. We also recognize women known to also provide valuable input. For these people, we have produced Patriot Markers, funded by our Sussex County Commissioners. There are about 20 of these Patriot Markers that will be placed in their appropriate cemetery. See the image that shows the Shaytown/Hainesville Cemetery with the normal county Historical Marker on left, the Patriot Marker on the right, with our American flag waving proudly overhead.

There is also the celebration on the July 4 weekend to view or participate in.

With all these events occurring, I have set up a website on the Hardyston Historical website, under “Rev250” under “Celebrate” and click the button to see the current status of the events planned. This is a living list, with 20 or so historical societies, 20 or so municipalities, and our commissioners all adding events. Please frequent this site to see the local events for you as time rolls forward. An image of the site should be shown.

This is certainly a busy season. I hope to see you at some of the events as they take place. We have already had (as of 4/27/26): Sparta Presbyterian Cemetery Patriot, New Jersey School of Conservation Historic, and the North Hardyston Patriot this Saturday.

Contact me if you have a historic event planned for this Jubilee year of our American experience.