By Meghan E. Gattignolo
After a long year of celebrating The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center’s 40th birthday, now it’s time to look ahead and get ready to celebrate another birthday! It’s hard to believe, but The United States of America is nearing a big milestone: 250 years! This is called a semiquincentennial – the halfway mark to 500 years.
We still have a whole year and a half to go before we hit the big 2-5-0 as a country, but we can still get our hearts and minds in the right place by coming to one of many local events. Several local events already have deadlines coming up if you’d like to participate, so it’s not too early to get a jump start on the 250th birthday of the USA. Clarksville/Montgomery County has a long schedule of events to celebrate all year long.
The city, county, and Ft. Campbell in collaboration with Austin Peay State University have planned a community-wide series of 14 events. The Road to 250 includes talks and lectures about American history and cultural topics with knowledgeable educators and community leaders. Everything leads up to June and July 2026 when the greater Clarksville-Montgomery County community will be treated to an open house of the new Wings of Liberty Museum at Ft. Campbell, and a concert celebrating 250 years of American music. With the exception of the Wings of Liberty open house, all events will take place at the Mabry Concert Hall in the Mass/Comm building on APSU’s campus.
Additionally, The Arts & Heritage Development Council is hosting an essay call for members of the community. Everyone is invited to submit essays about how they or the organization they’re a part of has contributed to the spirit of America’s motto: e pluribus unum (out of many one). Essays will be published in local media until summer 2026. Read more about the call for submissions here.
All events are free and open to the public. The celebration has already started! The next two presentations are as follows:
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | Time TBA
“Westward Expansion” by Mr. Nick Tooley
APSU Mabry Concert Hall, Music/Mass Communication Building, 266 Marion Street, Clarksville
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | Time TBA
“The Military and America” by Mr. William Parker
APSU Mabry Concert Hall, Music/Mass Communication Building, 266 Marion Street, Clarksville
You can find the full list of events on The Arts & Heritage Council website. Don’t miss the next one, as these events continue through 2026.
Clarksville is just one city in a huge country. What are some other activities you can do to celebrate this momentous event? Organizations across the country are providing opportunities for everyone to celebrate America’s big birthday.
Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776 / painted by J. Trumbull; engraved by W.L. Ormsby, N.Y. Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
The Greatest American Clean-up
The Keep America Beautiful foundation, a non-profit whose goal is to educate and inspire people to help keep their environment clean, is challenging all Americans to a semiquincentennial goal: Remove 25 billion pieces of litter from waterways and public spaces by July 4, 2026. Learn more about the organization and commit to cleaning up litter in time to make America beautiful before we hit the big 2-5-0!
“Raising the liberty pole,” 1776 / painted by F.A. Chapman; engraved by John C. McRae, N.Y. Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Do you have a kid in your life who is fascinated by American history? America 250, a non-partisan committee tasked by Congress to plan America’s 250th birthday celebrations, is hosting a special contest. They’re accepting applications until April 16, 2025, from students in grades 3-12. The challenge is for students to create a piece of artwork or writing that expresses what America means to them. Winners get a behind-the-scenes experience at one of the country’s many important historical or cultural sites. Check out the page to learn more.
Independence declared 1776. The Union must be preserved / designed and published by Joseph A. Arnold; Thomas Moore’s Lithography, Boston. Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Of course, few activities are more patriotic than a visit to the U.S. capital. Visitors to the capital can make the most of a wide range of free attractions dedicated to celebrating America every day. The National Archives and Museum, The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and The Library of Congress are just a few locations dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of the United States that you can enjoy anytime.
Title page of “Thoughts on Government” by John Adams, 1776. Photo Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Virginia and the Forging of a Nation
Among other events, Virginia is celebrating their leading role in the birth of The United States as a country. VA250 – the commission created to plan semiquincentennial celebrations in Virginia – is sponsoring an exhibit entitled “Give Me Liberty – Virginia and the Forging of a Nation.” This 500-square-foot collection of visual panels depicting key events of the Revolution is on display now at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown until 2027. Complementary panels are also making their way around the country as a traveling exhibit.
Featured Image: Washington’s Inauguration at the White House, 1776. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Meghan E. Gattignolo is a freelance writer and longtime Clarksville, TN resident. She loves to obsess about historical subjects and annoy her family daily with unsolicited random facts. Meghan holds a History B.A. from Austin Peay State University and lives in town with her husband and two children.