Programs, Projects & Events

Officially Recognized

The Battle at Chadds Ford/Historic Chadds Ford Days

OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED EVENT

The Battle at Chadds Ford/Historic Chadds Ford Days is a colonial festival and reenactment celebrating the September 11, 1777, anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine hosted by the Chadds Ford Historical Society.  This two-day celebration has been a community tradition since 1958.  This colonial-centric event and battle reenactment includes battlefield encampment, military drills, colonial demonstrators, first person interpreters, youth activities, authors, artists, lectures, and battles.  Visitors get a glimpse of what it was like to experience the largest single-day battle in troop numbers, land area and battle duration of the American Revolution.  

Dedication Day, November 19th

OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED EVENT

November 19, the anniversary of the Gettysburg Address and the Dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, was formally designated as Dedication Day, by a joint resolution of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, on November 19, 1946. Each year since 1938, the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania has commemorated
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and rededicated Gettysburg National Cemetery where Lincoln spoke on this date.

Over the years, this annual event has grown and is now co-sponsored by Gettysburg National Military Park, the Gettysburg Foundation, and Gettysburg College.   

The Battle of Brandywine

OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED EVENT

This is a colonial reenactment celebrating the September 11, 1777, anniversary of the Battle of Brandywine hosted by  Birmingham and Thornbury Townships. This two-day celebration has been a community tradition in 2014 and 2017  and will run again in 2027.  This colonial-centric event and battle reenactment includes battlefield encampment, military drills, colonial demonstrators, first person interpreters, youth activities, authors, lectures, and large battles. The battle will have over 1,000 reenactors and is the largest of its kind on the East coast this year. Visitors get a glimpse of what it was like to experience the largest single-day battle in troop numbers, land area and battle duration of the American Revolution. 

Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps 

OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED EVENT

Homecoming 250 Navy Marine Corps will celebrate the Navy and Marine Corps 250th birthdays at their birthplace, launch the Semiquincentennial in 2025, and honor the men and women of all backgrounds who have defended America and the world for 250 years.

Celebrations will feature ceremonies, parades, aerial demonstrations, reenactments, and related historical, art and science exhibits at Philadelphia’s World Heritage historical sites, its superb museums, and exhibition sites on both sides of the Delaware.

The Carpenters' Company

OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED PROGRAM

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress in 2024, the Carpenters' Company will collaborate with a network of history and civic organizations to convene a Young People's Continental Congress (YPCC). For five days in July 2024, high school students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. jurisdictions will gather in Philadelphia to discuss contemporary issues of democracy and civic engagement and make recommendations for how to address them. Delegates will reflect the nation's diversity in terms of race, gender, economic status, etc.

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Updated as of November 11, 2024.