Do you remember the Bicentennial in 1976? Or the Quasquibicentennial in 2001? Growing up in Massachusetts, we always celebrated a year early, for example April 19, 1975 was the 200th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Patriot's Day is coming soon, and it reminded me of these special anniversary memories.
On April School vacation in 1976 my family took a roadtrip to Walt Disney World in Florida. It was Patriot's Day back home in Massachusetts, and the Bicentennial was being celebrated everywhere! Disney World was brand new, having opened in 1971. It was our first trip driving as far as Florida in our big Pontiac Safari wagon. We loved it! The parade on Main Street USA in Disney World featured scenes from American history, of course, for the 200th anniversary. Everyone was patriotic in 1976.
Back home in Holden, Massachusetts there was a Fourth of July parade in 1976. I remember that I rode on a float with the "candy stripers" from Holden Hospital (which is now defunct). This photo shows a young man from my high school class who drove his oxen from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston during the re-enactment of the Knox Trail. I wish I could remember his name.
On the night of the Fourth of July 1976 I remember going to see fireworks at the Worcester airport. My friend, Marion, and I had made a blueberry pie and decorated it like an American flag. It is the only photo I have of that night. We ate the pie in the backyard with all the neighbors, and listened to the fireworks all around us.
In 2000 it was the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, and we attended all the events with our daughter, who had just turned thirteen years old. She laid a bouquet of flowers on the monument to the fallen on Lexington Green, in honor of two great uncles (many generations removed) who fell during the battle, Robert Munroe and Jonas Parker. Our ancestor, Andrew Munroe (1718 - 1766) had died before the battle, but his son, Andrew (1764 - 1836), my 4th great grandfather, probably witnessed seeing his relatives fight and die during this battle. He would have been about eleven years old. He was a Major by the end of the war.
On the fourth of July 2001, the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we were on a family vacation to Williamsburg. In this photo we are sitting on the lawn in front of the Governor's mansion, waiting for the fireworks show at dusk. We wore matching US flag t-shirts, and there were huge crowds.
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2001, the 225th anniversary was a very patriotic year. There was a big Revolutionary War re-enactment in Windham, New Hampshire, and we all attended. Here is my Dad trying on some 18th century garb at one of the sutler's tents. He looked pretty good in that patriotic uniform. I wonder if he resembled some of his ancestors who fought in this war in 1975 and 1976.
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Memories of 1976 and 2001 Anniversaries of the Revolutionary War", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 16, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/memories-of-1976-and-2001-anniversaries.html: accessed [access date]).
