Revolutionary War-related programming is ramping up nationwide in advance of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, and local historical societies here in Dutchess County are leading the charge — battlefield pun intended — with their exciting Rev250 events.
Related: Dutchess County's Rev250 Programming
New York's Hudson Valley played a pivotal part in the Revolutionary War, and while no battles took place here in Dutchess County, the county's strategic location made it vital to the Patriot cause. The Village of Fishkill was home to one of the largest supply depots for the Continental Army during the war. And after the burning of Kingston by the British in 1777 — in retaliation for the Patriot victory at Saratoga — Poughkeepsie served as the state capital until the end of the war. General Friedrich Von Steuben of Germany, who introduced the basic training methods, marching drills and battlefield tactics he had learned in Europe to the soldiers in George Washington's Continental Army, set up his headquarters at Mount Gulian in Beacon following the Patriots' decisive victory in Yorktown, Va., in 1781 to protect the Hudson Valley from renewed attacks by the British. This location put him close to the Fishkill Supply Depot and right across the Hudson River from Washington’s headquarters in Newburgh. At the end of the war, the Society of the Cincinnati — America’s first veterans’ fraternal organization — was formed at Mount Gulian with Von Steuben presiding.
To read more about Dutchess County sites you can visit with ties to the American Revolution, click here.
Read on to learn more about the local historical societies' robust Rev250 itinerary for 2025 — and stay tuned for details on 2026 events!
Historic Red Hook's Rev250 Speaker Series at the Elmendorph Inn
• "Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and the Revolution" (Saturday, Oct. 4, 4 p.m.) — This program by Dr. Dillon Streifeneder will examine localized revolutionary activities as well as the many ways residents from this region contributed as the "American Revolution" transitioned into the "Revolutionary War."
• "Lenape Perspectives on the Revolution" (Saturday, Oct. 18, 4 p.m.) — Hadrien Coumans and Joe Baker present this discussion. Coumans is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Lenape Center and a traditionally adopted member of the WhiteTurkey-Fugate family. He is also a faculty associate at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Baker is an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, a direct descendant of notable Lenape leaders, and the Co-Founder and Deputy Director of the Lenape Center. He is dedicated to Lenape cultural preservation and public education.
• "Accommodating the Republic: How Taverns Encouraged Travel, Innovation, and Civic Engagement in the New United States" (Saturday, Nov. 22, 4 p.m.) — Dr. Kirsten E. Wood presents this program, which will examine the role taverns played in American society in the early 19th century.
Union Vale Historical Society Guest Lecture
• Dillon Streifender (Saturday, Oct. 18, at Union Vale Town Hall in Tymor Park) — Dr. Streifeneder, a historian of colonial America and the early American republic, shares his research on the Revolutionary government in Dutchess County and the impact of the Revolution on the home front.
.jpg)
Dutchess County Quaker Meeting House Tours
• First Sunday of each month, June through November, 12–4 p.m. — The Clinton, Hyde Park, Millbrook, and Pawling historical societies have teamed up to present tours of four Quaker meeting houses: the Oblong Meeting House (Pawling), Nine Partners Meeting House (Millbrook), Creek Meeting House (Clinton Corners), and Crum Elbow Meeting House (Hyde Park). Each site offers free admission, docent-led tours, and educational exhibits that highlight the deep historical and social impact of Quaker communities in Dutchess. Visitors can explore how the Quaker values of pacifism, equality, and justice helped shape local responses to the American Revolution and advanced the causes of abolition and women’s rights.
Town of Dover Historical Society's Exhibit: "The Old Upper Road in Dover During the Revolution"
• This new six-banner display will be unveiled at a special event on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. at the Dover Town Hall. The opening event will feature guest speakers Sachem Robert Yawanawa-Bergen of the Schaghticoke First Nations (known locally as Sachem HawkStorm) and Dover Town Historian Valerie LaRobardier. Travel back in time and hear fascinating stories from Dover's history.
Beacon Historical Society's Map of Revolutionary War Sites
• This new map explores 20 places that illustrate the role that Beacon and its surrounding areas played in the American Revolution. Visit the Beacon Historical Society (61 Leonard Street, Thursdays 10 a.m.–noon and Saturdays 1–3 p.m.) to receive your free copy and learn more about Beacon’s role in the American Revolution.
• June 29 – Millbrook Historical Society Quaker Lecture Series: "Quakers, Antislavery and the American Revolution," Sarah Gronningsater lecture at Nine Partners Meeting House (Millbrook Historical Society)
• July 5 – Freedom Day at Freedom Park (LaGrange Historical Society)
• July 18 – Dillon Streifeneder’s lecture, "Everyday Governance Amid Revolution in Northeast Dutchess County," at Stanford Library (Stanford Historical Society)
• July 23 – "The Drillmaster of Valley Forge: Baron de Steuben and the Making of the American Army." Dr. Paul Lockhart’s lecture at Mount Gulian (LaGrange Historical Society)
• July 24 – "How to Do History," Dr. Paul Lockhart’s workshop at LaGrange Library (LaGrange Historical Society)
• July 27 – Millbrook Historical Society Quaker Lecture Series: "Nine Partners Meeting House Plan," Carl Lounsbury’s lecture at Nine Partners Meeting House (Millbrook Historical Society)
• Aug. 8 – Elmendorph Inn and Rev250 pamphlet launch (Historic Red Hook)
• Aug. 10 – Pleasant Valley Transportation Exhibit (Pleasant Valley Historical Society)
• Aug. 27 – "The Early Residents of LaGrange," Charles Donohue’s lecture at the LaGrange Library (LaGrange Historical Society)
• Sept. 6 – "Widow's Weeds," a new play by Dyan Wapnick, at The Stissing Center for Arts and Culture (Little Nine Partners Historical Society)
• Sept. 6 – Historic Red Hook's Rev250 Speaker Series: "A Valley Between Worlds: Indigenous Land, Colonial Property, and Resistance to Capitalism in the Colonial Hudson Valley," Dr. B.J. Lillis’ lecture at the Elmendorph Inn (Historic Red Hook)
• Sept. 19 – "Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Change and Continuity in Stanford, N.Y., from the Revolution to the Era of Good Feelings," Dr. Dillon Streifeneder’s lecture at Stanford Library (Stanford Historical Society)
• Sept. 20 – Historic Red Hook's Rev250 Speaker Series: "Harvesting Hudson Valley: 18th Century Foodways," Sarah Evenson’s lecture at the Elmendorph Inn (Historic Red Hook)
• Sept. 27 and 28 – Rombout Colonial Days at Brinckerhoff House (East Fishkill Historical Society)
• Sept. 27 – Amenia Historical Society Program: "The Plight of a Loyalist in Revolutionary New York" at Amenia Town Hall (Amenia Historical Society)
