America’s and Virginia’s 250th Anniversary

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is leading the way in coordinating efforts for the celebration of America’s and Virginia’s 250th anniversary. “Back in 2017, VMHC was the first museum to draw together museum partners to plan for America’s 250th,” Jamie Bosket, VMHC president & CEO says. “We see this as an exceptionally important moment for our nation and our Commonwealth.”

Those efforts led to the creation of the VA250. The VMHC is producing the largest portfolio of commemorative activities of any museum in the U.S. for the 250th – a $30 million investment over a 2.5-year period. “It includes the Give Me Liberty major exhibit. We are also publishing a series of books, and we’ve created a podcast – Revolution Revisited – that is very popular,” Jamie says.

In addition, VMHC is creating the largest statewide civics education program ever produced in Virginia – Civics Connects – for middle school students during the 2025-2026 school year. To promote collaboration, VMHC is launching the first-ever Virginia history affiliates program to build a network of local and regional history organizations across Virginia.

“Most people don’t realize that the 1976 bicentennial led to one of the largest investments in history infrastructure in the U.S.,” says Jamie. “One-third of America’s history museums were founded around that time. Half a century later, we see our opportunity not to build more but to build stronger. We are investing in ways that can lift up and empower local and regional history museums. Virginia has more than 500 history organizations. Our intention is to build a lasting program to convene that group.”

For more information on the 250th anniversary, visit VA250.org.