Special talks cover life in colonial America, signers of the Declaration of Independence
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As America celebrates its 250th birthday on Saturday, July 4, visitors to the Hayes Presidential Library & Museums can learn about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence and life in colonial America during two special programs.
Historian Josh Dubbert will present two talks about the Revolutionary War era the morning of Independence Day in the museum History Lab.
The programs are included with admission, which is deeply discounted for non-members to $2.50 for the semiquincentennial celebration and free to Hayes Presidential members.
From 10 to 10:30 a.m., Dubbert will discuss “Life in Colonial America.” In today’s landscape of gas stations, strip malls, fast food restaurants and all other manner of stops along the highways of America, it can be hard for to conceive that when the first white settlers who voyaged across the ocean to this continent, they met a vast wilderness populated by a multitude of Indigenous cultures and without any of the conveniences of home. This program looks at the evolution of daily life in the colonies from the arrival of Columbus to the formation of the United States.
Then from 10:30 to 11 a.m., Dubbert will discuss “Signers of the Declaration of Independence.” In 1776, 56 delegates representing each of the 13 colonies signed what would become one of the most daring, revolutionary and complex documents in human history. Had the Revolutionary War been lost, the Declaration of Independence would have served as a death warrant for these men.
In this program, several of these American revolutionaries will be discussed, highlighting some of the well-known and lesser-known signers and their roles before and after the winning of independence for the United States.
These programs are part of the day-long America 250-Ohio Picnic and Independence Day Celebration. The festivities include bringing a picnic to enjoy on the lawn or purchasing food truck fare at the Grove; the annual Independence Day Concert performed by the Toledo Concert Band, featuring members of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra; the discounted admission for site passes to tour the Hayes Home and museum; games and crafts; historical talks and the dedication of the new USS Spiegel Grove bell display.
The museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for self-guided tours. Hayes Home tours begin at 9:30 a.m., will last a half hour and cover the first floor of the home only. The tours will include information about President Rutherford B. Hayes’ ancestors and their ties to colonial and Revolutionary War era history.
The $2.50 site passes include admission to the museum and a timed Hayes Home tour. A limited number of admissions can be purchased in advance online at rbhayes.org/news/2026/06/03/general/celebrate-america-s-250th-birthday-with-a-day-of-events-annual-independence-day-concert-at-hayes-presidential/.
The rest will be sold to walk-ins the day of the event.
Those who wish to tour just the home or museum can choose to do just one, but the price is still $2.50. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums members are admitted for free.
All visitors touring the Hayes Home, including advance ticket holders, must check in at the museum front desk.
For additional information on the events and concert, visit https://www.rbhayes.org/news/2026/02/09/general/verandah-concert-series-brings-new-bands-returning-favorites-to-spiegel-grove/.
The concert is sponsored by Crown Battery Mfg. Co., Hal & Diane Hawk and the Ohio Arts Council. Partial funding for America 250 events is by Albrechta & Liebold, Ltd., Attorneys at Law.
Parking is on-site weather permitting. Overflow parking is available on the street and in ProMedica Memorial Hospital’s parking lots at Buildings A and B, located at 605 Third Ave.
Spiegel Grove is a short walk to the east of the hospital parking lots. A golf cart will be available from 1 to 4 p.m. to shuttle people around Spiegel Grove.
Hayes Presidential is America’s first presidential library and the forerunner of the federal presidential library system. It is partially funded by the state of Ohio and affiliated with the Ohio History Connection. Hayes Presidential is located at Spiegel Grove on Buckland Avenue.
For information, call 419-332-2081, or visit rbhayes.org. Like Hayes Presidential on Facebook and follow on Instagram at rbhayespres and on Bluesky at rbhayespres.bsky.social.