Plans already in the works for the nation’s 250th birthday celebration
On Friday, July 4, the United States will be exactly one year away from its 250th birthday, the 2026 Semiquincentennial.
It will be cause for celebration from coast to coast, but no place more than New Jersey. The Garden State started making plans seven years ago for this singular opportunity to remind New Jerseyans and the world that the state is “the crossroads of the American Revolution.”
What began with state legislation in 2018 bloomed into RevolutionNJ or RevNJ.org, a partnership between the New Jersey Historical Commission, and the nonprofit Crossroads of the American Revolution Association.
“Revolution New Jersey will establish the state as a premier destination for exploring the American Revolution, fostering a deeper connection between residents and visitors to the history, landscapes, and stories that shaped the nation’s founding,” states the group’s website, revNJ.org.
Stories are being told with the help of hundreds of partners including historical societies, libraries, educators, museums, businesses and local governments whose broad participation is generating a full calendar of attractions and branded RevolutionNJ events throughout 2026 and beyond.
In Atlantic County, participating organizations include Atlantic Cape Community College, Atlantic Pops Community Band, Egg Harbor Township Recreation, Greater Egg Harbour Township Historical Society Museum and Research Library, Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University, and Stockton University.
In Cape May County, the participating organizations include Avalon Free Public Library and History Center, Cape May County Historical and Genealogical Society, Cape May MAC, Greater Cape May Historical Society, Historical Preservation Society of Upper Township, Ocean City Historical Museum, Stone Harbor Museum, and Upper Township Business Association. Applications for potential partners are still being accepted.
Major events/programs include a Two Lights for Tomorrow Day of Service which occurred in April, RevolutionNJ Race Series, History Happened Here educational series for students, Foundations of Democracy teachers resource, Tavern Talks connecting residents with local history, public art installations, traveling history exhibit, and a New Black Heritage Trail.
Noted upcoming events include an Independence Day celebration at Historic Cold Spring Village with a public reading of the declaration of independence. Also Heritage Weekend in Trenton July 4-8, and the Revolutionary Pub Crawl at various locations along the Delaware River July 12 and the Princeton Battlefield Tour July 13. RevolutionNJ has it all covered through its website, social media channels, and YouTube which are chock full of events, programs, historical places to visit and the stories behind them.
RevolutionNJ was officially launched Nov. 1 at Monmouth Battlefield State Park, one of several Revolutionary War sites due to receive a share of $25 million in improvement funding from the American Rescue Plan via RevolutionNJ.
The list of sites includes Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Washington Crossing State Park,Trenton’s Old Barracks, Battle Monument in Trenton, Princeton Battlefield State Park, Proprietary House in Perth Amboy, The Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield, Wallace House in Somerville,
Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth, Rockingham in Kingston. Also, a new visitor center is being built at the New Jersey Archives in Trenton.
The Revolutionary War left its mark almost anywhere you look in New Jersey including Turtle Gut Inlet in Cape May County, Chestnut Neck in Port Republic, and at Batsto Village Atlantic County which supplied vital material for the war effort.
“There were over 600 battles, and skirmishes in New Jersey during the American Revolution – more than any other state. Today there are over 150 historic sites to explore,” notes RevolutionNJ.
Ranking with the Declaration of Independence and the Liberty Bell, one of the most enduring symbols of the American Revolution is the painting, “Washington Crossing the Delaware.” One image of a moment in New Jersey history that captures the spirit of the entire nation.
Copy editor and Contributing Writer James FitzPatrick has been a community journalist in Atlantic and Cape May counties for more than 30 years, including 20 years as editor of The Current Newspapers. He lives in Hammonton.
