2026 represents two major milestones. It has been 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, the founding document that put the United States of America on the path towards and independent democratic government. It is also been 300 years since the founding of Wilton Parish, when English colonists created first defined the community that became the Town of Wilton.
This year, the Wilton Historical Society is acknowledging these two important anniversaries through a series programs and a new exhibition exploring democracy, community activism, and our Revolutionary history.
The events connected to American 250, Wilton 300 are listed below. Please click on the links for more information and to registered for programs. This series is made possible by a partnership with ASML.
More Programs and Events Coming Soon!
From Petition to Parish: The Petition of Faith (1726) Immersive Cemetery Tour
Saturday, June 20
Step into the past and experience the birth of a community in The Petition of Faith (1726), an immersive walking theater experience through the historic grounds of Sharp Hill Cemetery on Saturday, June 20th. Guided by a young girl named Faith, audiences journey back to a time when the residents of Wilton faced a difficult challenge: traveling long distances to worship in neighboring towns while dreaming of establishing a parish of their own. As Faith carries a petition through the graveyard, visitors encounter the men and women whose courage, sacrifice, and determination helped shape the future of Wilton.
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Revolutionary War Open House Day
Thursday, June 25, 2:00pm – 5:00pm
Kick off the summer season with an afternoon of history, hands-on activities, and family-friendly fun at the Wilton Historical Society’s Revolutionary War Open House! This special event invites visitors of all ages to explore the past through live demonstrations, interactive experiences, and a lively outdoor atmosphere.
History will come to life as the reenactment group, the CT 5th Regiment, sets up an authentic encampment on the grounds. Guests can explore the camp, interact with reenactors, and discover what daily life was like for Revolutionary War soldiers. Adding to the festive atmosphere, a complimentary ice cream will be on-site serving free refreshments for all guests, making this a perfect outing for families, friends, and anyone looking to enjoy a summer afternoon filled with history!
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Working for the Revolution: Patriot Women’s Lives During the War
Thursday, August 20, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Join us for a presentation by professor emerita and publisher Kathy Hermes. The talk will explore how women contributed to the American Revolutionary effort politically, economically, intellectually, and even militarily. Using original sources like newspapers, court records, letters, and pension records, Dr. Hermes will show how Indigenous, Anglo-European, and African-descended women all helped to further the Patriot cause.
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Calligraphy that inspired a nation: Learn to write like America’s founders
Saturday, July 11, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Who was the calligrapher that wrote the Declaration of Independence? How did they write during the American Revolution? What tools did they use? What lettering style? Can I write like they did? We will explore these questions and more in this hands-on 90-minute program with calligrapher, Debby Reelitz. Participants will get the opportunity to write in script, use a dip nib and ink and scribe a line from the Declaration of Independence.
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NEW EXHIBITION
Revolution, Continued…:
Wilton’s War for Independence and the Radicals Who Followed
Opening Summer 2026
Wilton’s history is full of people taking radical actions towards political and social change. Each of these movements – large and small, failed and successful – share a revolutionary spirit with this country’s foundation. Each raises similar questions: who becomes a revolutionary? What methods of bringing radical change are effective? How is the revolution viewed in its time and by the generations that follow? Did the Revolution uphold the very values it was built upon? Revolution, Continued… explores Wilton’s role in the American Revolution and how the town’s revolutionary successors have attempted to enact their own changes.
Past America 205, Wilton 300 Programs
Book Talk: The Battle of Ridgefield, by Keith Marshall Jones III
Saturday, March 28, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Join us at the Wilton Historical Society for a talk by historian and author Keith Marshall Jones III, featuring his book The Battle of Ridgefield. Discover the largest battle of in-land Connecticut during the Revolutionary War through a lively discussion that brings local history to life.
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Feeding the Body Politic: Culinary Satire and the Print Market in an Age of Revolution with Nancy Siegel
Sunday, April 26, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Food has long carried political meaning, and its significance in revolutionary America is no exception. Art and culinary historian Nancy Siegel leads a lecture and historic food tasting which investigates a distinct genre of culinary-inspired satirical prints produced by artists sympathetic to the plight of American colonists.
The Importance of Connecticut to the Revolution with Mike Allen
Thursday, April 30, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Connecticut played an outsized role in winning U.S. independence from the British Empire. Prominent historical figures contributed to the formation of the new country, while Connecticut earned the nickname “the provision state” because of its supplies of food and ammunition to the Continental Army. Noted storyteller and journalist Mike Allen, former host of the popular podcast Amazing Tales About History, will walk through the key people and events in Connecticut during our nation’s tumultuous march to independence, 250 years ago.
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Revolutionaries of Hillside Cemetery Walking Tour
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To commemorate America 250 and the 300th anniversary of Wilton Parish, Wilton Historical Society Director Nick Foster will lead a walking tour of the cemetery. The tour will explore the lives of the “revolutionaries” that are buried at Hillside, from those who played a part in America’s War for Independence to the radical activists who fought for rights and liberty in the decades to follow.
This tour is done in partnership with Wilton Congregational Church, which owns and operates Hillside Cemetery. The tour will last approximately an hour and will involve walking and standing for the duration.
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The American Revolution and The Fate of The World with Richard Bell
Wednesday, May 20, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
In this program, author and historian Richard Bell traces the far-flung reverberations of the war through the lives of the people it displaced, empowered, or destroyed. Participants will encounter a Native matriarch struggling to preserve a transatlantic military alliance, a Prussian officer reinventing himself in a foreign army, and a Boston schoolteacher shipwrecked thousands of miles from home. Along the way, Bell explores how the Revolution stirred a transoceanic refugee crisis, ignited antislavery activism, and inspired uprisings from Ireland to India. The program offers a bold new framework for understanding the Revolutionary War not as a tidy founding moment but as a sprawling, high-stakes struggle fought on land and sea, shaped by commerce, diplomacy, propaganda, and contingency. This is the American Revolution as you’ve never seen it before: complex, global, and astonishingly relevant to the modern world.