Below are some summaries of upcoming 250th Anniversaries over the next few years. Here is a link to the Yorktown section of the VA250 Web Site: https://va250.org/york-county/
October 18 2024 – (1774-2024) – Lafayette’s Grand Tour – From July 1824 to September 1825, the French Marquis de Lafayette, the last surviving major general of the American Revolutionary War, made a tour of the 24 states in the United States. His arrival in Yorktown was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown Victory.
June 8th 2025 – (1775-2025) Lord Dunmore Arrives– Lord Dunmore, the last of the British Governors of Virginia, Dunmore fled the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg and Arrived in Yorktown. He took refuge aboard the frigate HMS Fowey at anchor in Yorktown on June 8, 1775. For several months, Dunmore replenished his forces and supplies by conducting raids and inviting slaves to join him.
June 12th-23th 2026 1776- 2026) – Virginia Bill of Rights – The Virginia Declaration of Rights was unanimously adopted by the Virginia Convention of Delegates on June 12, 1776. The declaration was particularly influential on later state constitutions because it represented the first protection of individual human rights under state constitutions of the American revolutionary period. It also represented the shift from colonial charters to state constitutions, as the nation moved toward independence from Great Britain.
(July 4th 2026 1776-2026) – Declaration of Independence – The Declaration of Independence, as approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and that announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. It explained why the Congress on July 2 “unanimously” by the votes of 12 colonies (with New York abstaining) had resolved that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.
January thru October 2031 (1781-2031) Virginia Campaigns (Benedict Arnold Campaign, General Phillips Campaign, Lord Cornwallis Campaign)
October 3 2031 (1781-2031) Battle of the Hook – The Battle of the Hook was a skirmish between British and French Cavalry fought on Oct. 3, 1781. Lt. Colonel Tarleton, leader of Tarleton’s Legion was nearly captured while raiding for supplies in local farms. This engagement is often overlooked because it took place just weeks before General Charles Cornwallis and the British army surrendered at Yorktown on Oct.
October 19th 2031 (1781-2031) Battle of Yorktown Victory – Supported by the French army and navy, American General George Washington’s forces defeated British Lord Charles Cornwallis‘ veteran army dug in at Yorktown, Virginia. Victory at Yorktown led directly to the peace negotiations that ended the war in 1783 and gave America its independence.