One Nation ~ Two Lights ~ Three Nights
On the evening of April 18, 2025 the Annapolis 250 Commission, MD Two Fifty and Chesapeake Crossroads Heritage Area will gather to commemorate Paul Revere’s ride and to help build excitement for the 250th Anniversary of our nation’s founding. The event will begin on Maryland Avenue in front of the Hammond-Harwood House and proceed to State Circle at Lawyers Mall, where the State House Trust will be presented with two lanterns. The lights will be place atop the State House Dome for the three nights of the 18th, 19th & 20th. The lights commemorate the well-known ride of Paul Revere and other Sons of Liberty as they signaled the approach of British troops by sea, remind us of the “shot heard round the world,” with the Battles of Lexington and Concord which occurred on April 19, 1775 and which mark the start of the American Revolutionary War. The lights are also a symbol of a united future, and can serve as a reminder of all Marylander’s who cherish and aspire to protect and preserve their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The evening kicks off a series of commemorations, events, and programs planned throughout 2025 and 2026 that will honor our nation’s history and its founding. A brief program will follow on Lawyers Mall as we share plans and aspirations for celebrating our nation’s birth in the coming year, and encouraging all citizens to reflect on the meaning of freedom, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The evening will close with Annapolis’s Poet Laureate Jefferson Holland reading of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Ride of Paul Revere.” Bring your own light or lantern to the event to help celebrate!
For more information: chesapeakecrossroads.org/event/kick-off-event-to-commemorate-the-250th-anniversary-of-our-nations-founding/)