NEWSLETTER
Schenectady, N.Y. (March 2, 2026) - America turns 250 this year, and SCHS is marking the semiquincentennial with an exhibit and a series of programs that explore how Schenectady and its residents experienced, shaped, and survived the Revolutionary era. Join SCHS throughout the year for events, discussions, exhibitions and more that explore and discuss the founding of our republic, and our continual march towards progress. SCHS' full calendar of Rev250 events is available at https://schenectadyhistorical.org/rev250/.
Executive Director Mary Z. Graves explains, "this year is America’s 250th birthday – a transformative moment for how we as Americans understand our ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. At SCHS, we’re committed to interpreting the 'semiquincentennial' through thoughtful programming that incorporates a range of stories, voices, and perspectives. Highlights will include theater performances, an epic Independence Day celebration featuring George & Martha Washington, and the “Schenectady: Crossroads of Revolution” symposium. We hope our programming can, in some small way, inspire our participants to uphold the Revolution’s unfinished work!"
Director of Education, Michael Diana, adds "The Historical Society is excited for the 250th birthday of our nation! Such an important anniversary comes around only once a generation! Throughout the year we'll explore the themes and ideals of the American Revolution with a wide variety of public programs and lectures."
SCHS Board President Suzanne Unger notes that programming will explore the stories of those Schenectadians "whose names have been lost to the ages," taking a look at "what our own community experienced during the Revolutionary War."
Local author Kiersten Marcil has led SCHS' efforts to mark the semiquincentennial, and stresses the importance of telling the stories of the everyday folks who were part of the Revolution. "Behind Schenectady’s often-overlooked struggle in determining what was right were the commonplace families earning their daily bread on our now busy city streets. This question of whether to remain loyal to the colonial government or gamble on a lofty fight for equality was awakened in Schenectady -- and SCHS will delve deep into that story."
EVENTS
Through 2027: "Threads of Liberty: Schenectady in the American Revolution"
The exhibition weaves together different “threads” of the Revolutionary War-era. See the rare and significant 1771 Liberty Flag alongside artifacts and documents that explore how Schenectadians contributed to and were shaped by the birth of the United States. The exhibit is open at SCHS, 32 Washington Ave, Schenectady Monday-Saturday through 2027.
March 21 at 2pm “10 Things You Didn’t Know About the American Revolution”
sponsored by The McCormick Center at Siena University. Get ready for a whirlwind tour of the American Revolution as ten(ish) scholars deliver fast, focused 3–5 minute bursts on the era’s most gripping stories. An audience Q&A and light refreshments will follow.
April 11: “The Revolutionary Arsenal: A Kids Program”
Families with children should save the date of 250 years ago, rumors of revolution deeply divided the people of Schenectady. Fearing the coming conflict, common people gathered weapons and organized militia companies. This program discusses the grueling conditions of frontier combat. We’ll explore the arms and equipment available to people in Revolutionary Schenectady and demonstrate a live firing of a musket.
May 22-24 and May 29-31 at Mabee Farm: "A Turning of the Tide"
In this immersive, site-specific theatre event presented by Siena College, audiences step into the Capital Region on the eve of the Battle of Saratoga. Throughout Mabee Farm, the audience will encounter history unfolding from multiple, often unheard perspectives- women navigating their role in the war, immigrants and Black Americans confronting a fragile promise of freedom, Hessian mercenaries far from home, Shakers preaching a radical gospel of pacifism, and British soldiers facing the realities of war. The audience does not simply observe the past; they walk through it, experiencing the human cost, moral complexity, and emotional urgency of a moment that would help shape the nation.
July 3: "4th on the 3rd at Mabee Farm"
It's Schenectady's County's annual Independence Day Celebration, this year featuring special guests George & Martha Washington and the Mass. 3rd encampment of Revolutionary reenactors.
August 1: "Rendezvous with Treason: The André/Arnold Conspiracy"
Performance group Drama from the Past comes to the Barn at Mabee Farm to present a dramatic portrayal of two of the most intriguing characters in the American Revolution – Major John André and General Benedict Arnold and their fateful meeting in New York in September of 1780. The production allows these infamous men an opportunity to tell their side of the story and their motivation behind the plot that could have ended the cause for independence.
September 12: "Schenectady Spies: A Kids Program"
The American Revolution was not just a contest of arms but of information. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to report to the Schenectady County Historical Society and learn about the dangerous world of Revolutionary spy-craft. Participants will craft their own secret messages to take home.
November 7: “Schenectady: Crossroads of Revolution”
A one-day symposium (location TBD) that will bring together leading historians, scholars, and public history professionals to explore different aspects of the American Revolution in upstate New York, with a particular focus on Schenectady as a crossroads of conflict, culture, and change.
ABOUT SCHS
The Schenectady County Historical Society is a private, nonprofit institution that was founded in 1905 to share and preserve Schenectady County’s history. Today we bring history and culture to life through exhibits, programs, and community events at our three sites. In 2025, SCHS hosted 116 public programs, welcomed tens of thousands of visitors to our sites, and served over 3,800 school children. That's in addition to over 80 outreach and community events we participated in, which reached additional hundreds of people. We also started on vital stabilization and preservation work on the 1705 Stone House, which will continue into next year.
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