PAOLI, PA — In preparation for the nation’s Semiquincentennial, the Jeptha Abbott and Great Valley Chapters of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) are collaborating to unveil a DAR “America 250! Patriots Marker” on March 26 at 11 a.m. at Historic Waynesborough, the house museum of General Anthony Wayne, 2049 Waynesborough Road, Paoli, PA.
United States Semiquincentennial Commission member Lynn Forney Young who is also a national Honorary President General of the DAR will lead the ceremony. Also participating are Pennsylvania DAR State Regent Marguerite Fritsch, Jeptha Abbott DAR Regent Teri Fischer, Great Valley DAR Regent Lynn O’Brien, and Kayla Anthony, Executive Director, The Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks (PhilaLandmarks), the organization that has been administering, preserving, and supporting Historic Waynesborough since 1980.
July 4, 2026, is the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. In anticipation of this, Congress established the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission to plan and orchestrate “America250″— whose goal is to lead the nation in commemorating our country’s founding. The DAR is an official partner with America250. The agreement outlines several initiatives developed by the DAR to honor Revolutionary War patriots, engage youth through contests and educational programming, and support efforts to better tell the story of underrepresented and diverse patriots who helped to win the American War of Independence. As part of this partnership, the DAR established its “America 250! Committee” to collaborate with our nation and state’s “America250” and “America250PA” celebrations. The DAR “Revolutionary Patriots Marker” program honors the memory of the men and women who secured American independence through their service and sacrifice during the Revolutionary War. The program also raises appreciation amongst current and future generations of Americans for our Patriots’ sacrifices.
The DAR’s goal is to place at least one marker in every state in advance – and in celebration – of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. With the addition of Historic Waynesborough, there will be eight markers in Pennsylvania thus far. Washington Crossing Historic Park, Bucks County, PA; General Richard Butler Home, Butler, PA; Paoli Battlefield, Malvern, PA; Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA; Courthouse Square, Scranton, PA; Old Eagle School Cemetery, Wayne, PA; and the Colonial Courthouse, York, PA; already have markers.
The text of the 30′ by 30′ bronze marker reads:
Revolutionary War Patriots
This marker commemorates the men and women who achieved American independence. These Patriots, believing in the noble cause of liberty, fought valiantly to found a new nation.
1775 – 1783
Presented by Great Valley Chapter and Jeptha Abbott Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
“It will be an honor to join the Jeptha Abbott and Great Valley DAR chapters for their upcoming America 250 ceremony at Historic Waynesborough,” said Pennsylvania DAR State Regent Marguerite Fritsch. “It will also be a privilege to welcome U.S. Semiquincentennial Commissioner and DAR Honorary President General Lynn Forney Young as the lead speaker of the ceremony. With this marker, we hope that our Revolutionary War Patriots who lived, fought, and sacrificed for us, will always be remembered.”
The event is open to the public. Immediately following the dedication, visitors will be able to explore Historic Waynesborough. Historic Waynesborough is a house museum in Paoli, Pennsylvania, owned by Easttown Township and administered by PhilaLandmarks. PhilaLandmarks was founded in 1931 and entered into a management agreement with Easttown Township to preserve Historic Waynesborough, Paoli, in 1980. Historic Waynesborough is furnished with a historic collection encompassing 250 years of the Wayne family. The ten-acre site also features a public park, carriage house used by many community groups as meeting space, a semi-permanent tent structure, and a caretaker’s building. Open to the public since 1980 for research, events, programs, and touring, Historic Waynesborough’s buildings, landscape, and collections present facets of every period of American history since colonial times. Historic Waynesborough was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1972 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Historic Waynesborough is most famously known as the home and birthplace of Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne (1745-1796), who was born on the property in 1745. In 1777, General Anthony Wayne fought in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown before being encamped at Valley Forge, a mere five miles from Waynesborough. General Wayne’s most brilliant war exploit was successfully storming the British fort at Stony Point, New York (July 16, 1779). This feat gave a massive boost in morale to the American armies. Wayne earned the name “Mad Anthony” because of his tactical boldness and personal courage in the field. In 1792, Wayne was promoted to first Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Army, a position he held until his death in 1796. In addition, he served as a delegate to the state convention that ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. At the end of his career and life, General Wayne was appointed by President George Washington to lead a campaign of western expansion into the Ohio Territory. Wayne’s victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 was the final battle in the Northwest Indian War that led to a century of settler colonialism on behalf of the United States Government.
For more information on Historic Waynesborough, go to https://www.philalandmarks.org. For additional information on the America 250 Marker Dedication program, visit https://www.dar.org/national-society/america-250. To learn more about DAR membership, visit Jeptha Abbott DAR or Great Valley DAR.
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a women’s service organization whose members can trace their lineage to an individual who contributed to securing American independence during the Revolutionary War. Today’s DAR is dynamic and diverse, with over 185,000 members in 3,000 chapters in the United States and abroad. DAR members annually provide millions of hours of volunteer service to their local communities across the country and world. In addition, DAR chapters participate in projects to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. Over one million members have joined the organization since its founding in 1890. Go to www.dar.org.
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